February Artifact of the Month:
World War I Uniform & Kit

February 14, 2023

Written by Julia Cronin, Curator of Collections & Exhibits

During the research phase of the What’s Your Bag? exhibition, we discovered that two of the bags marked “WWI military bag” in the collection are gas mask bags. In June 2020, at the height of the pandemic lockdown, Amanda Kramp curated an Artifact of the Month featuring gas masks. Too bad we did not recognize the bags for what they were at the time, but that is the nature of a museum collection. We are always researching, learning new things, and refining our database. Guest Curator, Heather Lee, chose the bag with a better provenance to use in What’s Your Bag? I decided to build a super-sized Artifact(s) of the Month around the other bag. Our World War I soldier was created from objects worn or carried between 1917 and 1919 by a few different young men. He is missing a few things, like his rucksack and rifle, but he is complete enough to compare with a modern Army soldier wearing an Army Combat Uniform or ACU. 

Turtle Bay is fortunate to have many objects from people from our area who served, or whose relatives served, in what was supposed to be the “war to end all wars.” I put together our World War I U.S. Army Engineer using objects donated by Kirk and Marion Ludington – Marion’s father, Edward Jarvis was a Master Engineer Junior Grade; 2nd Lieutenant Maurice Hardin Tracie; John & Beth Shuford – Beth’s brother Walter was a Sergeant in the Horse Battalion Headquarters Co. 115th Ammunition Train 40th Division; and the American Legion Post 197. The research became personal. After figuring out that my only ancestor who served in WWI was in the Navy, I turned to my husband’s family. I was able to feature photos of my husband’s grandfather, a PFC with the 35th Engineers, and his great uncle, a PFC with the Headquarters Troop 85th Division, in their uniforms.  

World War I Army uniforms were truly uniform. By the time the United States entered the war as a combatant on April 6, 1917, the M1910 olive drab wool winter service uniform, like the one seen in the exhibition, had become the standard Army uniform. Military planners deemed uniform color significant and recognized the importance of blending in with the background and matching climate conditions for comfort, efficiency, and survivability. It was the first uniform that was all one color. Gone were flashy colors and gold braid used on the field uniforms of the past. Officers and enlisted alike wore the same basic uniform for work and combat. Variations in trim, headwear, footwear, and insignia distinguished the wearer’s branch and rank.