Emergency Purchase Mess Gear for WWI

[jprostak]

Emergency purchases of Commercial Mess Gear 1917

During the summer, fall and winter of 1917, hundreds of thousands of newly conscripted doughboys arrived at America's many training camps.  As with all past wars, the regular Army supply systems struggled to keep up with this large influx.  One of the items in short supply were meat cans, cups and mess kit silverware. 

In the peacetime Army, the Ordnance Department's Rock Island Arsenal would have made all the items needed for the soldier to consume his rations in the field, meat cans (aka mess kits), canteens, cups, knives, forks and spoons. Mess Halls at a unit's post, would have been supplied with dishes, silverware and serving pieces that would have been purchased by the Quartermaster Department to feed the soldier while in camp.  These tableware items were typically ceramic.

It would seem that early on in the conflict, it was decided that individual soldier in training camp would be responsible for his own mess gear for use in the mess hall and while training in the field.  This decision would have eliminated the need to supply the mess halls with dishes and utensils.

This article will show extent examples of some commercially purchased mess gear and period photos of the items in use. I hope that this article fully dispels what I feel is the myth that these items are emergency Spanish American War items.  I would also like to withdraw an earlier post I made on enameled cups several years ago, stating that I thought that these might have been experimental items from the 1906-1909 era. I believe I was wrong on that matter.

[jprostak]

Stamped Round Meat Can

The Round Meat Can is 8 1/8 inches in diameter and 1 7/8 tall, fully assembled.  It is made of heavy tin. About the same weight tin as the pre M1910 meat cans. The base measures 1 1/8 inches tall and the lid 3/4 inches tall. This mess kit weighs 1 lb 2 1/2 ounces.   The handle could easily be mistaken for a standard M1910 meat can handle.  It is made of tinned steel, attached to a hinge and riveted to the body of the mess kit.  Of note is a small bracket on the front of the mess kit that engages the handle and locks it and the lid in place. There is also a lack of a pull ring on the lid.  All contours of this mess kit are distinctively rounded.  There are no marking of any kind to denote it's military usage or manufacturer.

[jprostak]

828000384_CampMeade4.tif

Fort Meade Pie Plate Meat Can and Stamped Meat Can Enlargement.tif

[jprostak]

Pie Plate Round Meat Can

The Round Pie Plate Mess Kit is 8 7/8 inches overall diameter and 1 7/8 inches tall. It weighs 1 Lb. and a fraction of an ounce. It is instantly recognizable due to it's very hard angles.  It is made of a lighter weight sheet tin than the Round Mess Kit.  The base is 1 inch tall and the lid is 3/4 inches tall.  As with the earlier mentioned mess kit, the handle is very similar to the M1910 meat can, attached to a hinge and riveted to the body.    The handle is stamped with thin letters  "US" near the end.  This mess kit does have a light steel wire pull ring held by a small metal tab and riveted to the lid.  There are no manufacturers marks of any kind. 

 

[jprostak]

1482922189_FortTottonMessPiePlateMeatCan.tif Pie Plate Meat Can and Commercial Knife Fort Totton Mess Enlargement.tif

[jprostak]

Short Tinned Cup, stamped US and Short Enameled Cup, stamped US

These cups measure exactly the same dimensions and seemed to have been stamped from the same dies.  4 7/8 inches in overall diameter and 2 5/8 inches tall.  Both have a rolled rim.  The handle on both is made of rolled tin.  On the tinned variant, it is riveted and soldered to the body.  The enameled model shows no rivet and is seemingly just soldered to the body.  Weights seem to vary between models as well as small variations between examples examined.  The tinned model weighs between 6.1 and 6.4 ounces.  The enameled version 5.9 and 7.1 ounces.  Both are easily identifiable by the 3/4 inch tall US stamped into the bottom of the cup.  Readable from the inside of the cup. 

[jprostak]

1256713795_upton008306thInfantrygpphotomesskitsWWI.tif

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

232923336_FortMeadeTinnedCupwithUSandStampedMeatCanEnlargement2.tif

[jprostak]

Fort Meade Tinned Cup with US Enlargement.tif

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

Commercial Silverware

One example set of commercial silverware that I have in my collection came with a WWI dated mess kit that belonged to an officer candidate who never went overseas, so I feel this is a good set.  It is shown in the photo below. 

Pie Plates

Pie Plates are just what the name implies.  Tin Pie Plates that were used by the recruits as a mess plate.  These seem to show up in many training camp photos.

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

[General Apathy]

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33 minutes ago, jprostak said:

Emergency purchases of Commercial Mess Gear 1917

During the summer, fall and winter of 1917, hundreds of thousands of newly conscripted doughboys arrived at America's many training camps.  As with all past wars, the regular Army supply systems struggled to keep up with this large influx.  One of the items in short supply were meat cans, cups and mess kit silverware. 

In the peacetime Army, the Ordnance Department's Rock Island Arsenal would have made all the items needed for the soldier to consume his rations in the field, meat cans (aka mess kits), canteens, cups, knives, forks and spoons. Mess Halls at a unit's post, would have been supplied with dishes, silverware and serving pieces that would have been purchased by the Quartermaster Department to feed the soldier while in camp.  These tableware items were typically ceramic.

It would seem that early on in the conflict, it was decided that individual soldier in training camp would be responsible for his own mess gear for use in the mess hall and while training in the field.  This decision would have eliminated the need to supply the mess halls with dishes and utensils.

This article will show extent examples of some commercially purchased mess gear and period photos of the items in use. I hope that this article fully dispels what I feel is the myth that these items are emergency Spanish American War items.  I would also like to withdraw an earlier post I made on enameled cups several years ago, stating that I thought that these might have been experimental items from the 1906-1909 era. I believe I was wrong on that matter.

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Hi jprostak,

 

excellent thread, really interested in your posts and subject matter, look forward to any further additions you may add.

 

regards lewis.

 

..

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

[jprostak]

[solcarlus]

At 2.30 minutes!

 

https://www.lesamericainsdegondrecourt.com/

[aefcav]

Great info JP...

[mikie]

Great posts with lots of good new-to-me info and really nice photo documentation.  But for some reason, it's making me hungry.

 

Mike 

[jprostak]

Here is a Knife / Fork set from a friends collection.  These pieces are shown in post #15.  

[robinb]

The cups shown in the first picture of all the guys sitting at the table look very much like this one that I have. It's on the right in my photo.