WWI USMC uniform for USN railway guncrews

[cwnorma]

All,

 

Taking a break from the female uniforms this week, more to follow, but I felt like doing something else.

 

Here is an uncommon WW1 US Navy uniform. Certainly not as pricey as a Navy Corpsman uniform, but at least as rare.

 

During the closing months of WW1, the Navy mounted 14 Inch guns, which had been intended for use on future dreadnaughts, on railway mounts. This Naval Battery hurled projectiles the size of a small car filled with high explosives and harassed the germans far behind their lines. According to official Navy records, only 817 "Naval Battery" Victory Medal clasps were awarded.

 

 

Here is the uniform, to answer the inevitable, no I don't know his name. Nor do I have the medals, unfortunately. I bought this in an antique/junk shop in Annapolis MD. The owner delt mostly in furniture, and he had just bought it at an auction in PA. The way you see it is the way I got it. Ribbons and all. It is, aside from the Navy insignia, a standard 1917-1918 USMC uniform. Even the buttons are USMC.

 

 

This is the Hat that came with the Uniform.

 

 

Here is a picture of WW1 US Naval Battery Personnel I found off the web.

 

Chris

[cwnorma]

For the sake of posterity, and with apologies to the owner of the coat (I don't think they are a member here) I saved the photographs of the coat on ebay:

 

 

Chris

[cwnorma]

Here is a great YouTube video of the Naval Battery in action:

 

 

A few shots clearly show the P1914 USMC uniforms worn, and and the video also answers the question of whether or not the officer's wore shoulder marks.

 

They did not. At least in the video, all the officers are wearing rank USMC style, with some insignia on their collars as well. I am not 100% positive, but it looks as though RADM Plunkett has horizontal anchors and "U.S.N." insignia on his collar.

[sigsaye]

Here is a great YouTube video of the Naval Battery in action:

 

 

A few shots clearly show the P1914 USMC uniforms worn, and and the video also answers the question of whether or not the officer's wore shoulder marks.

 

They did not. At least in the video, all the officers are wearing rank USMC style, with some insignia on their collars as well. I am not 100% positive, but it looks as though RADM Plunkett has horizontal anchors and "U.S.N." insignia on his collar.

Really great video. One of the things I noticed was that the actual gun crew, wore denim cover alls or actual Navy early (1913) denim dungarees. Really great. Don't see many photos of Sailors of the time in dungarees.

 

Steve Hesson

[ColtM1911]

Wow what a great uniform, i love the revolver belt.

[gunbarrel]

Somehow I missed this post back in 2007. Cool uniforms, cool video. Thanks for sharing, Chris! :thumbsup:

[SARGE]

There was an extensive article on these Naval Railway guns and troops in France during WWI in the recent issue of The Journal of the Company of Militaty Historians. Photographs of the guns and troops in France as well as comments by one of the crew members on the uniforms they wore. Well worth the read.

[warroom1]

did the navy crews have collar disks for a very short time ?

[sigsaye]

did the navy crews have collar disks for a very short time ?

. No. They wore the standard Navy insignia they would wear on their blue uniforms. Literally. Transferred directly from blues to Arny OD.

[Salvage Sailor]

On 3/18/2007 at 9:18 AM, cwnorma said:

All,

 

Taking a break from the female uniforms this week, more to follow, but I felt like doing something else.

 

Here is an uncommon WW1 US Navy uniform. Certainly not as pricey as a Navy Corpsman uniform, but at least as rare.

 

During the closing months of WW1, the Navy mounted 14 Inch guns, which had been intended for use on future dreadnaughts, on railway mounts. This Naval Battery hurled projectiles the size of a small car filled with high explosives and harassed the germans far behind their lines. According to official Navy records, only 817 "Naval Battery" Victory Medal clasps were awarded.

 

 

Here is the uniform, to answer the inevitable, no I don't know his name. Nor do I have the medals, unfortunately. I bought this in an antique/junk shop in Annapolis MD. The owner delt mostly in furniture, and he had just bought it at an auction in PA. The way you see it is the way I got it. Ribbons and all. It is, aside from the Navy insignia, a standard 1917-1918 USMC uniform. Even the buttons are USMC.

 

 

This is the Hat that came with the Uniform.

 

 

Here is a picture of WW1 US Naval Battery Personnel I found off the web.

 

Chris

 

Beautiful uniform,

 

6" Celluloid button of an Ensign wearing this type of uniform

 

 

 

 

[Justin B.]

Is that not the 1918-pattern winter aviation service uniform? Gold buttons, "soft" shoulder boards.

[Father V]

Looks like it, but for those who didn’t already know, the Navy aviator uniform of the time was based on the Marine uniform, even referencing the marine regs when it came to weight/type of the material and shade.

[warguy]

Most definitely an aviator photographed on that button. The Marine uniform, although there might be some similarities is different and was not worn with shoulder boards, even by Naval personnel like these gunners or Corpsman. Marine service uniforms also had pointed cuffs whereas the aviators did not. The aviators also wore rank on the cuff of the sleeve, you will never find that on a Marine service uniform. Finally, I have never seen the Navy peak ccap/cover (bell-crown in the photo on the button) worn with the Marine service. Overseas with Naval insignia yes, just not the billed cap. In my experience, the material used for the Naval aviator uniform is almost always a finer officer grade material as well. Not always, but almost. The Marine EM arrive impatient is a heavier coarser would. Marine officers wore a uniform that had a material more closely resembling most of the aviators uniforms.

 

I have a named Corpsman grouping from WWI including his cap, naval issued shirt that was heavily worn in theater and Marine service tunic. Aside from the patch (which is identical except it is a Corpsman) and ribbons, the cap and uniform look identical to the ones that started this post. 

[Father V]

Naval aviators were officers (and warrants) so they were supposed to wear the officer version, yes. 

^https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-52000/NH-52844.html

 

[warguy]

22 minutes ago, Father V said:

Naval aviators were officers (and warrants) so they were supposed to wear the officer version, yes. 

^https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-52000/NH-52844.html

 

Yep understood, however having said that, some aviators uniforms, though in the minority, are made from cheaper heavier wool. Like all officers, they had to buy their own and no doubt some were less expensive for those pockets not so deep.