Tuesday, March 8, 2011

79th Division Doughboy, World War One

Picked up this neat portrait at an antique show over the weekend.  Certainly an above average photo when it comes to insignia!  On his "overseas" cap he wears the "T" insignia of Supply Train units, meaning that he would have worked at a forward supply distribution point for an Infantry Regiment, probably close to the trenches.  On his left shoulder he sports a 79th Infantry Division patch, probably an early french made version.  This was a "National Army" (what is now known as Army Reserve) unit formed of men from Pennsylvania.   In the middle of his left sleeve is a red "discharge chevron", showing that he has been mustered out of the service but still allowed to wear his uniform in a veteran status.  His rank patch, if any would be on the opposite sleeve.  On his left cuff are two overseas service chevrons, each representing 6 months of service overseas.  And to make it even more interesting, he is wearing a rare 1918 pattern jacket with internal pockets.  This was designed for two reasons, first was to save wool (since the internal pockets would be made of cotton, as opposed to external patch pockets made from the same wool as the coat) and it also presented a cleaner, more european experience.

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