Railway Artillery Reserves

[kiaiokalewa]

I had this in the collection for sometime and really enjoy the superior craftsmenship that was incorporated into this beauty. It would be nice to see other variations of any of the WWI Railway Artillery unit insignia out there.

[mortaydc60]

I had this in the collection for sometime and really enjoy the superior craftsmenship that was incorporated into this beauty. It would be nice to see other variations of any of the WWI Railway Artillery unit insignia out there.

 

 

Hi John,

 

Welcome! Glad you found this site. You will recognize alot of old friends are here also sharing the information and just plain showing of what they have. Go back to some of the earlier pages, there are some great posts by Dave and Garth as well as others. Enjoy as always seeing your fantastic collection,keep up the fire. Hope to see you in Denver. Mort

[kiaiokalewa]

Hi John,

 

Welcome! Glad you found this site. You will recognize alot of old friends are here also sharing the information and just plain showing of what they have. Go back to some of the earlier pages, there are some great posts by Dave and Garth as well as others. Enjoy as always seeing your fantastic collection,keep up the fire. Hope to see you in Denver. Mort

Aloha Mort, I didn't even know that this site even up until I read Dave's editorial in the TP. It's always nice seeing killer variations and it is almost as good as adding one to the collection. It's great that the fakes are being posted which gives us all an opportunity to see how they had or are being constructed and a chance for some of us to make comments about them and who is circulating them. Nothing like getting burned by a good fake but that is part of the learning process. Sorry, I don't think I'll be making the Denver Show since I recently landed a job with the State of Hawaii in Department of Transportation. This is one of the reasons why I live on the Big Island and not Oahu now. San Diego is the next convention site right? If so I plan to make that one. Any luck finding Korean Occupation or KW related insignia recently? Mahalo, John

[cwnorma]

John,

 

For many, one of the crowning jewels of a WW1 collection is RAR material--there is just something about the Oozlefinch! That is a superior patch, and quite beautiful. The precision of the silk cording reminds me of Asian hand embroidery.

 

Do you think it may have been custom made in Asia perhaps for wear as a "combat patch" in the 1920s/30s?

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

I had this in the collection for sometime and really enjoy the superior craftsmenship that was incorporated into this beauty. It would be nice to see other variations of any of the WWI Railway Artillery unit insignia out there.

[KurtA]

Here's another. Not the quality of John's but still an original. I believe both are German made.

Kurt

[kiaiokalewa]

John,

 

For many, one of the crowning jewels of a WW1 collection is RAR material--there is just something about the Oozlefinch! That is a superior patch, and quite beautiful. The precision of the silk cording reminds me of Asian hand embroidery.

 

Do you think it may have been custom made in Asia perhaps for wear as a "combat patch" in the 1920s/30s?

 

Chris

Aloha Chris, I never thought of the Asian made concept before and it could have very well had occurred just as it had with the 15th Infantry Regt in China and also the Chinese Language "Chung" specialist rating. The possibilities, wow but in the case of this RAR patch I'm going to stay on the European side of the fence for construction style. The Central Record Office patch that I have has basically the same type of silk cord with the angle usually found in these hand crafted patches. Real works of art and very much appreciated by the original user for sure.

 

Mahalo, John

[kiaiokalewa]

Here's another. Not the quality of John's but still an original. I believe both are German made.

Kurt

Aloha Kurt, Great original and the French Cord around its border is a nice enhancement to the design overall. I to agree that your RAR is a German made insignia. I never had the luck to find one of these yet but still looking. Mahalo, John

[cwnorma]

John, Kurt,

 

It is highly unlikely that either patch is German made as, according to the Order of Battle--GPO, 1937, the 30th Brigade, CAC (aka 1st Expeditionary Brigade CAC or simply "RAR") left Europe in January of 1919. They were never a part of the Army of Occupation, and were never stationed in Germany. Most likely, both patches were made in France.

 

Cheers!

 

Chris

 

Aloha Kurt, Great original and the French Cord around its border is a nice enhancement to the design overall. I to agree that your RAR is a German made insignia. I never had the luck to find one of these yet but still looking. Mahalo, John

[KurtA]

John, Kurt,

 

It is highly unlikely that either patch is German made as, according to the Order of Battle--GPO, 1937, the 30th Brigade, CAC (aka 1st Expeditionary Brigade CAC or simply "RAR") left Europe in January of 1919. They were never a part of the Army of Occupation, and were never stationed in Germany. Most likely, both patches were made in France.

 

Cheers!

 

Chris

Chris-

The reason I say German-made on mine is the very distinctive braid around the edges that was used as "Waffenfarbe" (Branch Color) on German insignia. And that very thick thread used on John's patch is another material I associate with German-made insignia. I'm sure the use of certain materials didn't stop exactly at the border of a country, but I always associate these materials with German-made materials. And, it's certainly possible they were made in another bordering country.

Kurt

[kiaiokalewa]

Chris-

The reason I say German-made on mine is the very distinctive braid around the edges that was used as "Waffenfarbe" (Branch Color) on German insignia. And that very thick thread used on John's patch is another material I associate with German-made insignia. I'm sure the use of certain materials didn't stop exactly at the border of a country, but I always associate these materials with German-made materials. And, it's certainly possible they were made in another bordering country.

Kurt

Aloha, I'm not 100% certain about this but I do recalled one seasoned collector pointing out that often the materials used in the construction of an insignia (in the case of Kurt's RAR) places its makers in a rather limited geographical area. Sometimes even the manner that the material are attached together are indicators including the types of materials being used just as Kurt points out. It would be hard to ignore the fact that a Imperial German Army branch device material was used in its construction and if I'm not mistaken even the background color was a popular dye color (field grey now faded overtime) used by the Imperial German Forces. Maybe even from old recycled uniform materials, who knows. I suppose one could look into the composite of the thread type, the weave style, and the counts per stitch and compare them to contemporary civilian or government materials used in a suspected geographical area of the time and come up with pretty good conclusion where something had originated from. I know for certainty, in the case of Japanese vs Korean made insignia, prior to the Korean War materials used in the making of U.S. Army SSI were interchangable and there was a body of water between the two countries. However, the manner that the materials were assembled and even the dye colors used in the materials almost always pin points the origins of its makers. Exceptions do exsist and complicate the process but in general rule usually stand sound. Not trying to be a smart rump with my reasoning and input but I'll have to agree with Kurt on this subject. Anyone else have examples of RAR to share? Mahalo, John

[cwnorma]

Gentlemen,

 

<sigh> ASMIC guys and their memes.

 

Ignoring that the RAR left for the US from France in Jan 1919 let's look at this objectively:

 

- It is possible that there was a trade pipeline of patches from Berlin to Paris, or that some RAR member on leave in Germany, could have bought a patch, but is it likely in the early days immediately after the war, that the German patch making industry was again in full swing...

 

- Imperial German waffenfarbe? Actually, the French (and English) word for what only the Germans call "waffenfarbe" is soutache. Don't take my word for it; google it. Soutache is a very common embellishement. Not at all exclusive to the Teutons. You can find it all over Parisienne women's clothing from the Edwardian era. Soutache would not by itself not even remotely be an indicator of Germanic origin. Actually outside of militaria collectors, and Germany, the word soutache is far more common and thus indicative of it's French roots

 

- I contend the background color for Kurt's RAR patch is actually more of a faded Horizon Bleu color It also appears to be made of a light wool melton or muslin certainly not indicative of Germanic origin.

 

Perhaps general styles of embroidery might be different from region to region, but this isn't even an embroidered patch. This patch is composite material. There is nothing about Kurt's patch that leads me to believe that it is Germanic in origin.

 

Given that the unit clearly was never actually in Germany, the logical conclusion is that patches made for the RAR are either French made or US made; either for sale to the returning doughboys or for the veteran's trade after the war.

 

The denumont of this story is of course the Patch King who recreated many of the WW1 patches for patch collectors during WW2.

 

Some examples of RAR insignia:

 

 

The helmet pictures are from the web.

 

Chris

[cwnorma]

More RAR material:

 

Patch King patch, next to John's for Comparison Sake

 

This helmet I got from the son of the original owner.

 

Chris

[QED4]

I admit I do not know where these patches were made and actually where a patch is is made is not that important to me but that being said I can think of several reasons why a patch could be made in Germany even though the unit was not there. It may just be that someone jumped the gun and started turning out patches in anticipation of the unit arriving. Especially in the case of the first one it may have been made as a sample of the tailor's work and not actually for sale, it would be more eye catching in his window that a plain 1st Div or 3rd Army and really show off the quality of his work. They may also have been commissioned by soldiers who were in that unit and transferred to an occupation unit and wanted it as a souvenir. Just because the unit was not in Germany I would not preclude the patch being made there.

[jjdevi1]

All,

 

Here are some pictures of my Id'ed RAR tunic. This guy was a member of the 75th CAC which arrived too late for action in France. The guys name is John Justisson. Have the dogtag and tunic. I'm 400% sure that the patch is French, in fact, I have never seen an example that wasn't French made. I'm not saying they aren't out there, I've just never seen one. The one in the first posting appears to be of Asian manfacture to me, I saw theater made patches and wore ones of similar construction in Vietnam.

 

I agree with Chris that just based on the timeline that the RAR was overseas, it is highly unlikely that the patches were German made. Either way, enjoy!

[jjdevi1]

The patch has a field repair.

[jjdevi1]

Dogtag

[jjdevi1]

Back of tag

[jjdevi1]

He was overseas 05/1918 - 03/1919

 

John

[KurtA]

He was overseas 05/1918 - 03/1919

 

John

John-

Very nice jacket! For the record, your patch doesn't exhibit characteristics I associate with being German-made. I'd agree on French.

Kurt

[cwnorma]

From the Dec 1919 National Geographic Article:

 

[cwnorma]

History of the Oozlefinch

 

 

On 6 July 1956, the Oozlefinch, legendary featherless bird of the Coast Artillery Corps, awakened from his sleep of several years, tucked a Nike in the crook of his nude left leg, and, traveling by ways known only to himself, arrived at the Antiaircraft Artillery and Guided Missile Center - there to become the guardian of all missilemen.

 

Since, as it is well known, the Oozlefinch always flies backwards to keep dust, trivia and other inconsequentia out of his eyes, the Nike is always positioned at the correct attitude.

 

The birth and beginning of this fabulous bird were humble, almost inconsequential and extremely vague. But, in true Horatio Alger fashion, this ancient, ageless bit of improbability has risen to a position of high honor. The Oozlefinch has focused his benevolent gaze over the men of the guided missiles. He is at once the confident of generals, the protector of Very Important Persons, and above all, the guardian, patron, and monstrous mentor of modern artillerymen.

 

The first recorded history of the Oozlefinch came through the somewhat rambling mumblings of a Captain H. M. Merriam of Fort Monroe, Va. Presumably a raconteur of no mean talents, the Captain must be given the credit for discovering the bird about 1905. He apparently was the only man who had seen the creature, and he was loathe to describe appearance, habits, or habitat. One physical characteristic he did emphasize, However: the great bird's eyes. These eyes, as vividly described by the captain, remain today as the outstanding physical mark of the Oozlefinch.

 

These eyes are large, all-seeing, unshaded by eyelids or eyebrows and rather seriously blood-shot. Just why the eyes are so prominent, and red, no one seems sure. But being all-seeing, the bird can gather more information in a shorter period of time than mere mortals who have conventional sight. Because his eyes are unshaded by eyelids or eyebrows, the bird is forced to move tail foremost to protect his powers of observation, but also, he can turn them 180 degrees to gaze inwardly when he desires the maximum value from self-contemplation.

 

In the chronological history of the Oozlefinch, the wife of Colonel E. R. Tilton, also of Fort Monroe, follows Captain Merriam. Sometime before Christmas of 1905 or '06, while shopping in Hampton, Virginia, Mrs. Tilton came across a model of a bird which appeared to duplicate Captain Merriam's description of the Oozlefinch. A purchase was made for an amount unrecorded. Colonel Tilton transported the bird to the Fort Monroe Officer's Club, and there it was accorded a perch behind the bar, where it remained for many, many years while gradually assuming its powers of guardianship.

 

It appears that several unprincipled individuals attempted to remove the bird from its perch, and it was necessary finally to provide him a glass cage for safekeeping.

 

Early in 1908, new construction was initiated at Fort Monroe for the Coast Artillery School. The constant shake, rattle and roll of the dice an dice box in the bar disturbed the Oozlefinch; as a matter of fact, this noise disturbed the bar itself, and a separate room was provided for those individuals addicted to such gambling.

 

The Oozlefinch insisted on joining these festivities and moved - glass cage and all - to the mantleshelf of an adjacent room in the Casemate Club. This room became famous as the "Oozlefinch Room," and the sessions of the Artillery Board were held there every afternoon until long after retreat, winter and summer. The Oozlefinch never missed a meeting, and with his all-seeing eyes, took in all of the work of the Board, becoming so deeply interested in its proceedings that he practically became a member.

 

This room became known eventually as the "Gridiron Room" and the Oozlefinch became a member of the "Gridiron Club" (an organization, no doubt addicted to drinking and gambling, but mostly to "roasting" nonmembers).

 

Time passed; individuals came and went; the Oozlefinch spent much time in deep professional thought, particularly as World War I approached. Most of this time he was under the constant care of Keeney Chapman, the Club Steward who spent over forty years in this position.

 

During World War I, three regiments of Coast Artillery (the 42d, 43d, and 52d) formed the 30th Artillery Railway Brigade in France. Just as the eagles of Napoleon crossed the length and breadth of Europe, so the spirit of the Oozlefinch proceeded to France with the Railway Artillery. He, himself, remained at Fort Monroe, but he kept both eyes focused on the proceeding "over there."

 

It was sometime during this period that those who remained at Fort Monroe thought it desirable to initiate a crest or coat-of-arms for the Gridiron Club. The design created quite a sensation among the noninitiated, and the secrets of its composition were never divulged to outsiders. However, it is believed that the heraldic story ran something like this:

 

The body of the shield "parti per fess, divetailed" indicates the general woodenness, not of the Artillery Board and the other members of the "Gridiron Club" but of the passing throng who paid not their toll cheerfully in passing through the Sanctum to the bar. "Gules and Sable:" The color of the shield is red and black - red for the Artillery, and black in mourning for those who lost at dice by throwing the lowest spots. "In honor, a deuce spot of dice, lozenged, proper:" The honor point of the shield was given to the lowest marked dice, as it was the one which most frequently appeared to some members, the law of probabilities to the contrary notwithstanding. "In nombril a gridiron sable:" the lower half of the shield given over to the memory of those who did not belong to the "Gridiron Club" but who were constantly roasted by it.

 

The supporters, "two Oozlefinches, regardant, proper, " were a natural selection, "regardant" meaning looking, or better, all-seeing, with the great eyes that this bird has to protect while in flight in the manner described.

 

The crest "a terrapin, passant dexter proper," was selected owing to the great number of these animals, cooked to perfection by Keeney Chapman and served with great pomp to the members of the Artillery Board on occasions of state. This was always accompanied by libation of "red top," red top being a now obsolete drink made in the Champagne Country of France and once imported to the United States, in times gone by that now seem almost prehistoric.

 

The wavy bar, over which the terrapin is passing, represents the adjacent water of the chesapeake, the natural habitat of this animal.

 

Considerable thought was given to the selection of a motto, and finally after considerable search among Latin scholars, the decision was reached to utilize "Quid ad sceleratorum curamus." It appears there was some difficulty in finding a Latin word for "hell" and the one selected, translates literally as "place of the dammed," which was apparently as near as the ancient Romans ever came to the word desired. Freely translated, therefore, the motto reads, "What in hell do we care!"

 

http://www.seniorcitizenlocalweb.com/Veter.../oozlefinch.htm

[jjdevi1]

He was overseas 05/1918 - 03/1919

 

John

 

Kurt,

 

Every legit patch that I've ever seen from this unit has been French, or at least in my estimation, French. I don't claim to be a patch expert (far from it) but, over the years, going back to the 50's, I've handled enough AEF and other stuff to have a pretty good data bank on things.

 

John

[daniel griffin]

Here are my RAR patches .

[daniel griffin]

Sewn onto a 1st Army Patch

[daniel griffin]

Hand embroidered