Originally Posted by
UKFlounder
Sorry for the length, but this was a neat day.
Today was my shift at the county historical society. I had some duties to attend to, but could not get to most of them as a local guy brought in a donation of his grandfsther’s WWI uniform and items.
It was so cool to see and to have in my hand. It all came in the same box in which his grandfather had shipped the stuff home from France in 1919. Even the box was neat. It still has the postage stamps on it.
It included several items, including his jacket, pants, and cloth hat. There are a couple of pictures of him, including ones of him in the same uniform we received. In the picture, you can see a pin in his hat, and on the actual hat, there remains a “U.S.” pin.
The box includes a WWI victory medal, in its original box, and paperwork he had completed to get the medal.
A small wallet-like item held a few coins, probably French, the soldier’s medal dog tags, and a small item that I found out was probably a German 2nd Class Iron Cross, presumably a souvenir the soldier picked up.
Also in the box was a shaving case with a safety razor and mirror. IIRC, the safety razor was invented around 1904, so this was a very early example. Another bag held a shaving brush.
I also saw a really neat discharge certificate, which showed he was discharged st Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville (he had enlisted in Fort Thomas.)
He was an engineer in the American Expecitionary Force, and apparently hurt his arm in a sawmill. A few papers about his post-war payments were included ($10/month at one point) though he was not too seriously hurt as he had a long career as a teacher and principal. He lived to be 100 years old, dying in 1996.
Seeing these items and being able to hold them was so neat, especially knowing he was “over there” 100 years ago. I have held quite a few historical items, neat ones, but this entire collection felt extra special. For some reason, holding his hat, with the US pin still in it, really hit me. It seemed more personal than other uniform pieces.
Seeing all this stuff preserved is so, so cool. I’m so thankful for people like this soldier and his family, who cared for it.
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