Mess Kits

[Brit-Tex]

I recently added two mess kits to my collection: RIA 1903 made of tin plated steel. I thought they changed to aluminum in 1900. I just purchased it "buy-it-now" and have not received it yet. I also added one dated RIA 1910. I have another dated 1913 and passed on a 1911 dated mess kit just yesterday. Probably my most prized is the all aluminum 1905. The first photo includes a late pattern 1874, 1905 all aluminum, 1910 dated, 1913 dated, unissued 1917 dated and 1918 dated. I have many other later ones including several of the round ones that spent God knows how many years outside and are in pretty bad shape. I picked about five or six out of a big stack several years ago. There was a large pile (20+ feet in diameter and 1-1/2 to 2' deep) of mess kits and canteens that had been left outdoors for years. I grabbed just a few. I should have spent the day going thru all of them

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[MeatMarket]

Nice collection. Last mother's day family gathering was hosted at my place. I had only one coffee mug, (my special mug) so when my granddad, and great-grandmother wanted some coffee, I went and got a couple WWI dated canteen cups. I looked at my g-grandma and said, "look Grandma, this cup is as young (old) as you are". God bless her. She's almost 100 and still walking on her own and sharp as a tack.

[Brit-Tex]

Hi MeatMarket,
Cool story. And glad to hear your grandmother is getting along so well! My maternal grandmother will turn 100 in March. Unfortunately she has had Alzheimer's for a number of years now. The last time my sister brought her here, she looked so uncomfortable and did not know who we were. I went up to my "War Room" and got my uncle's Army portrait. A WWII vet, he was a combat infantry lieutenant with the 378th- 95th Div. and received the bronze star and purple heart. I handed the photo to her and her eyes lit up! She said "This is my brother!". I put my arm around her and said "See, you're with family." My grandmother was the head nurse at one or another building at the VA Hospital in Waco for thirty years. She was a nurse during WWII, had a WAC driver, attended parties with politicians and army brass in case someone got sick, baby-sat once at the white house and served as personal nurse to care for General Wainwright after his release from the Japanese. She could also spell any word in the dictionary backwards faster than you could read the letters out loud forwards!