Won this auction so these are all I have for pics for now.
Helmet has the blue arrowhead of the 36th infantry division which was also a WW2 division all from Texas hence the T within the arrowhead.
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Won this auction so these are all I have for pics for now.
Helmet has the blue arrowhead of the 36th infantry division which was also a WW2 division all from Texas hence the T within the arrowhead.
Anything related to the T-Patchers is highly sought after here in Texas and there is a large reenactment unit based at Camp Mabry in Austin who put on an excellent display and show battle for the public. Interestingly, during my military career I was a 'camp follower' so to speak of the 36th Inf. Div. As a Canadian Military Engineer I trained at Camp Blanding, Florida then later as a member of the Texas State Guard I took my annual training at Camp Bowie and our WWII reenactment unit held weekend tacticals in Brownwood, Texas all sites where the T-Patchers trained.
We thought housewife kit but it doesn't quite match from the pics we have. To me it lays too flat and may be a map or document case of some kind . Maybe it's not part of the everyday kit.
There is a name and number on one bag...would be interesting to try to trace it back.
Soo got the lot on....and there is some interesting bits to connect it to Florida . The lot came from Florida and there is a receipt inside from Florida dated to the 30s.
Pics will come tomorrow as my phone is giving me the finger at the moment.
Too big for any housewife kit I've seen. I don't think it is "normal" kit, something carried by a specific individual rather. I've never seen one and I've been working to create the "normal" kit for both infantry and cavalry over the years.
This is the unknown bag. There is one buckle missing, one strap has come loose and there are some general wear and tear holes. No markings I have found yet. There is a single horizontal internal divider so there are two large internal and one external pocket.
This is the personal effects piece. There were a few surprises inside which may help line up some of the history of the bag. This receipt is intact with a name which doesnt match the name on the gas mask bag. It dates to Florida in the 30s. There is a second receipt that was crumbling and not fully intact that also dated to the 30s in Florida but the name section was gone.
There was also what appears to be a needle kit. I havent found anything about a Keystone brand but this was also crumbling on me so I replaced it rather than keep handling it. One corner appears to be missing and there appears to be dark blue peeking out so maybe a small patch for denim?
The one stamped item is a puttee which does not have the mate.
Gas mask bag that is named with what it likely also the service number. Im hoping this will point us towards whether all these pieces are together or if the helmet was added to a random kit in the interwar period.
Corporal A. B. Barnes 1347-67...maybe. I plan to get this in proper daylight and use a filter to see if I can bring it out better.
The large spring was in the gas mask bag. I will likely post that under the "what is it" section of US Militaria as well as here and gunboards.
This is more what I meant by "Housewife" kit. We called all those things housewife kit. The sewing kit was also known as a sewing kit.Quote:
Originally Posted by mnmkeller
Also known as a "Grooming or Hygiene" kit...
"WW2 US ARMY, US MILITARY, TOILETRY SET, PERSONAL HYGIENE KIT, SEW KIT"
Whatever the official name is, thats what it is. It doesn't fit some of the WW1 pics and def not WW2 so it could be interwar which would fit the receipts dated to the 30s.
Your unknown bag resembles a US meat can bag or a German bread bag, check along those lines and see if they match. The US had one of the worst rucksack kits I've ever seen during WWI. I have a complete set up but apparently never took photos of it as I can't find them.
The spring is part of the gas mask kit apparently. None of the eBay pics show them so I'm not sure if they have gotten tossed out or folks just leave them out of the pics.
Texas museum confirmed the guy on the gas mask bag was not part of the 36th during ww2 so that search carries on.
Here's a description of the job of that spring... "WW1 Gas Mask Carrier U.S. Army M1917 SBR Gas Mask Brown Canvas Carry Bag WWI Replica American CE Gas Mask BagQuote:
Originally Posted by mnmkeller
This bag is based on the British WW1 gas mask bag the main difference between the British and American bag is the closing snap buckles on the front, the British one has press studs and the American has lift the dots.
Includes the heavy wire spacer spring that ensured proper airflow around the filter box.
CE stands for Corrected English.
When the US Army first entered World War One, they did not have any gas masks so they issued the French M2 gasmask but they quickly found they needed something better so by 1918 they where issued the British SBR (Small Box Respirator)."
So it holds the case open from bunching up and choking off the air to the filter.