WW1 uniform without shoulder patch

[cabbell2006]

Hello gang,

I just purchased a ww1 enlisted mans uniform at a local antique shop, the one thing that puzzles me is there is no shoulder patch on it and doesn't look like there ever was. On the neck is the quartermaster disk and u.s. disk. and a overseas chevron on the lower sleve. Should this have a unit patch?

Thanks gang

[CNY Militaria]

Unit patches were used during the occupation, and on the way home. Not all had them as a result, so the ones without patches often serve to better represent WWI combat displays.

[GIl Sanow]

Unit patches were used during the occupation, and on the way home. Not all had them as a result, so the ones without patches often serve to better represent WWI combat displays.

 

Schottzie is absolutely correct, but here's another thought. Look very carefully at the overseas chevron. Is it silver or gold? Since it is probably tarnished, it may be difficult to tell, but look closely, pealing back the edge and looking underneath. If it is silver, he never went overseas and may well not have been in a unit that had an SSI.

 

Is there a Victory Medal ribbon? Are there any stars? If not, he was a statesider.

 

G

[cabbell2006]

Schottzie is absolutely correct, but here's another thought. Look very carefully at the overseas chevron. Is it silver or gold? Since it is probably tarnished, it may be difficult to tell, but look closely, pealing back the edge and looking underneath. If it is silver, he never went overseas and may well not have been in a unit that had an SSI.

 

Is there a Victory Medal ribbon? Are there any stars? If not, he was a statesider.

 

G

the cheveron is silver color but there is a ww1 victory ribbon on it with no stars

thanks to all

[GIl Sanow]

Well, there you go! Now you know what to look for.

 

Truthfully, as many men as there were overseas inthe Great War, there were nearly as many "in the pipeline" for the big offensive planned for 1919. Your guy was one of them, I suspect. If you read, there were all sorts of new weapons in the planning/early production stage -- the Ford M1919 tank, the Pedersen device to convert the '03 Springfield into a semi-auto, etc. But the war ended before that was needed.

 

Your uniform is still a good representative of the period.

 

G

[byank1863]

My question is in regards to the issue of the Victory Medal. I have several uniforms bearing overseas stripes, SSI, and discharge stripes to an ID'd soldier and on many of them I also have the soldier's Victory Medal. I can't say as any of them, save for one, have any stars attached. Would the soldier have recieved a Victory Medal with the stars attached or would he have had to attach them himself?

[BEAST]

My question is in regards to the issue of the Victory Medal. I have several uniforms bearing overseas stripes, SSI, and discharge stripes to an ID'd soldier and on many of them I also have the soldier's Victory Medal. I can't say as any of them, save for one, have any stars attached. Would the soldier have recieved a Victory Medal with the stars attached or would he have had to attach them himself?

 

Not surprisingly, I am a bit confused. On the WWI Victory medal, I thought campaigns were identified only by bars. On the ribbon, I understand that stars were worn to signify campaigns or in the case of a silver star, valour, but this was not normally done on the medal itself.

[GIl Sanow]

Campaigns were indicated by bars on the medal, but bronze stars on the ribbon. I expect the soldier would have been responsible to adding the stars. Any soldier srving overseas woiuld have at least one -- France, Defensive Sector, etc.

 

Silver stars indicate a Silver Star Citation -- "mentioned in orders" as the Brits would call it. The confusion came when both silver and bronze stars were placed on the ribbon -- I have seen pix with as many as 7-8 total! These had to be a real challenge to attach and look right. Later on, of course, they used a silver star to indicate 5 campaigns, but by then there was a Silver Star Medal which replaced the SSC stars.

 

G

[cabbell2006]

Campaigns were indicated by bars on the medal, but bronze stars on the ribbon. I expect the soldier would have been responsible to adding the stars. Any soldier srving overseas woiuld have at least one -- France, Defensive Sector, etc.

 

Silver stars indicate a Silver Star Citation -- "mentioned in orders" as the Brits would call it. The confusion came when both silver and bronze stars were placed on the ribbon -- I have seen pix with as many as 7-8 total! These had to be a real challenge to attach and look right. Later on, of course, they used a silver star to indicate 5 campaigns, but by then there was a Silver Star Medal which replaced the SSC stars.

 

G

Thank you to all great info

[USMCRECON]

Well, there you go! Now you know what to look for.

 

Truthfully, as many men as there were overseas inthe Great War, there were nearly as many "in the pipeline" for the big offensive planned for 1919. Your guy was one of them, I suspect. If you read, there were all sorts of new weapons in the planning/early production stage -- the Ford M1919 tank, the Pedersen device to convert the '03 Springfield into a semi-auto, etc. But the war ended before that was needed.

 

Your uniform is still a good representative of the period.

 

G

 

I have a uniform from a man whom I believe was in a similar situation. He was a Lieutenant in the 87th Regiment. It has well tarnished LT bars on the shoulders and bronze-finish US and 87th Infantry crossed rifle collar insignia. The uniform is in almost pristine condition overall and I suspect he didn't wear it much before being mustered. It has no unit patch or overseas chevron, nor does it look like it ever had any.

 

Below are some pictures of it. I could only fit two pn this post; the front of the blouse and the breeches with belt-----sorry, the picture of the breeches and belt was slightly out of focus.

 

 

[USMCRECON]

Below are a couple more photos showing a close-up of the collar insignia and the matching owners laundry marks on blouse and breeches.

 

 

[USMCRECON]

Last picture...this one a close-up of the lable with the owner's name. I've done no research on him yet but did a little on the unit a couple years ago. If I remember correctly, the 87th was constituted into the regular Army in July of 1918 at Ft Dodge as part of the 19th Div but was not actually organized until September; too late to see any overseas service or action. I don't have the deactivation date but suspect the unit did not remain on the active rolls for very long.

 

Anyway, here's the last photo; this one of the name tag - looks like H. R. Hush and that's what's written on the breeches as well: