Recent World War I Acquisitions

David J. Corrigan, Museum Curator

First published in the CONNector magazine. Volume 19, No. 4, Fall 2017

Officer’s pistol belt with a snap fastener for attaching an ammunition pouch and a saber loop

Officer’s pistol belt with a snap fastener for attaching an ammunition pouch and a saber loopMarked “Nov./ Russell/1918.” (Accession #2017.206) Russell also manufactured cartridge belts worn by enlisted soldiers, which usually had other equipment attached, such as canteens and first aid kits.With the on-going commemoration of Connecticut’s role in World War I, staff of the Museum of Connecticut History has focused its collecting activity on acquiring examples of the myriad products manufactured in the state in support of the war effort. Although perhaps best known for the arms and ammunition made by Colt’s in Hartford, Winchester and Marlin in New Haven, and Remington-Union Metallic Cartridge Co. in Bridgeport, and hundreds of smaller companies around the state contributed mightilyto the effort to keep the country’s soldiers well-equipped for the duration of the war. The Museum is also collecting examples of equipment made elsewhere that was used by Connecticut soldiers. These recent acquisitions augment the large World War I collection assembled by State Librarian George Godard, who convinced dozens of Connecticut World War veterans to donate their collections of war souvenirs to the State Library in the 1920s and 1930s. These collections consisted primarily of artifacts such as battlefield pick-ups, French post cards, and German Pickelhaube helmets, but virtually no Connecticut-made military equipment.

Ammunition Pouches
Ammunition Pouches

 

The ammunition pouch held 2 magazines for the Colt Model 1911 Automatic Pistol, the standard-issue sidearm. The flap on the ammunition pouch is a separate piece, stitched at the top and bottom where it meets the pouch, creating a slot for the pistol belt to slide through, attaching to the fastener on the back of the pouch. Marked “Oct./Russell/1918.” (Accession #2016.456)

 

 

 

 

Grenade vests which held eleven grenades
Grenade vests which held eleven grenades

 

 

 

 

The Warner Brothers Co. of Bridgeport produced grenade vests which held eleven grenades. The top
strap went around the soldier’s neck, and the vest was held in place by the two straps around the back and waist. The grenades carried in these vests were most often the French-made “VB” fragmentation grenades, first developed around 1916, and named for the inventors Viven and Bessieres. They were fired from a launcher affixed to the barrel of a French Lebel rifle and, upon their arrival in France in early 1917,
American soldiers quickly jerry-rigged the launcher to fit their Model 1903 Springfield rifles until an
appropriate model was developed for their weapon. Marked “The Warner Bros. Co./March 918.” (Accession
#2016.459)

 

 

 

Woolen blanket manufactured by the Mianus Manufacturing Co. of CosCob, under a contract awarded on 20 July 1917. The label has the “flaming bomb” logo of the U.S. Ordnance Dept. (Accession #2016.539)
Woolen blanket manufactured by the Mianus Manufacturing Co. of CosCob, under a contract awarded on 20 July 1917. The label has the “flaming bomb” logo of the U.S. Ordnance Dept. (Accession #2016.539)
This canvas Signal Corps semaphore flag kit carrying case is marked “Mar./ Russell/1918.” (Accession #2017.203)
This canvas Signal Corps semaphore flag kit carrying case is marked “Mar./ Russell/1918.” (Accession
#2017.203)
Model 1910 suspenders were used to hold up and distribute the weight of the cartridge belt. The hooks on the ends of the straps fit into the grommets on the belt. Marked Oct./Russell/1918.
Model 1910 suspenders were used to hold up and distribute the weight of the cartridge belt.
The hooks on the ends of the straps fit into the grommets on the belt. Marked “Oct./Russell/1918.” (Accession 2017.205)
Helmets worn by members of the 26th Division, which included most Connecticut doughboys, had a unique helmet insignia for each of its units. These helmets were decorated post-war with the insignia of (l to r) the 101st Field Signal Battalion (Accession # 2017.209); the 101st Machine Gun Battalion (Accession # 2017.210; and the 101st Sanitary Train (or hospital unit) (Accession # 2017.211). Between America’s entry into the war in April 1917
Helmets worn by members of the 26th Division, which included most Connecticut doughboys, had a unique helmet insignia for each of its units. These helmets were decorated post-war with the insignia of (l to r) the 101st Field Signal Battalion (Accession # 2017.209); the 101st Machine Gun Battalion (Accession # 2017.210; and the 101st Sanitary Train (or hospital unit) (Accession # 2017.211). Between America’s entry into the war in April 1917
The label has the “flaming bomb” logo of the U.S. Ordnance Dept. (Accession #2016.539)
The label has the “flaming bomb” logo of the U.S. Ordnance Dept. (Accession #2016.539)
Warner Brothers Logo of March 1918
Warner Brothers Brand Patch of March 1918