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WWI USMC uniform for USN railway guncrews


cwnorma
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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.

 

post-594-1174244863.jpgpost-594-1174244880.jpg

 

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.

 

post-594-1174244899.jpg

 

This is the Hat that came with the Uniform.

 

post-594-1174244914.jpg

 

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

 

Chris

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

 

Okay, I'm in LUUUUUUUV.... w00t.gifw00t.gifw00t.gif

 

Thanks for posting it!!! (psst... if you ever want to sell or trade....) ;)

 

Dave

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

 

 

Chris,

 

Very impressive. thumbsup.gif

 

Thanks!!

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Thanks!

 

I'll try to get off my butt and take some more pictures of Navy items this weekend. If I don't, I have to go back to Ft Meade next week, so it may have to wait...

 

Chris

 

 

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

Chris,

 

Very impressive. thumbsup.gif

 

Thanks!!

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  • 3 months later...

To all who thought this was a neat item, there is one for sale on ebay right now:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WWI-USMC-M-1917-Identi...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

post-594-1183951762.jpgpost-594-1183951777.jpg

 

This is only the third one I have seen.

 

Chris

 

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.

 

post-594-1174244863.jpgpost-594-1174244880.jpg

 

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.

 

post-594-1174244899.jpg

 

This is the Hat that came with the Uniform.

 

post-594-1174244914.jpg

 

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

 

Chris

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BTW,

 

I will not be bidding on the one on ebay, so if you plan on bidding, I won't be a competitor.

 

Good luck, I hope somone on the board gets it, it looks like a dandy!

 

Chris

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Chris,

 

I'll be in Nebraska next week! :( So, what do I have in the piles that you covet? I don't know if I told you, but I'm going to downsize the AEF and focus on Navy of all periods. So, what do I have in the piles?????? BTW, the 1st Army Balloon Corps tunic is up for trade!

 

John

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John,

 

You know me, I'm always a player for the odd-ball stuff.

 

Ill Give you a call this week.

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

I'll be in Nebraska next week! :( So, what do I have in the piles that you covet? I don't know if I told you, but I'm going to downsize the AEF and focus on Navy of all periods. So, what do I have in the piles?????? BTW, the 1st Army Balloon Corps tunic is up for trade!

 

John

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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:

 

post-594-1184039163.jpg

 

Chris

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  • 2 years later...

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.

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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

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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.

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  • 9 years later...

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.
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