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Click Here. Double your traffic. Get Vendio Gallery - Now FREE! ORIGINAL & RARE WWI Doughboy Poncho Attributed to 314th Machine Gun Battalion
This is an item that doesn\'t turn up too often: A WWI Doughboy\'s Poncho! In 27 years of collecting, I\'ve only been lucky enough to find two of them. According to my inventory records, I purchased this at the Bellflower SOCALMICS show back on July 29, 2001. These continued to be issued in the early period of WWII and I\'ve seen at least one photograph showing a GI wearing one of these during the North African Campaign circa 1942-43. There\'s little out there on these rare ponchos, but I did manage to find one posting to the US Militaria Forum, entitled \"WWI Poncho\", dated November 12, 2010.
The poncho is made of the usual OD rubberized canvas, which despite its nearly-100 age is still pliable. It\'s been folded for a good portion of that time, so the fold lines and wrinkles would have to be steamed or gently ironed out of the poncho, if desired. In examining the poncho, I found two stamps, one on the edge seam for the inspector at the Boston QM Depot (\"I.J. Wesalo\")and on the neck for the US Rubber Company, the manufacturer (see images below).
Most importantly, I found a stenciled unit marking on the back edge of the ponchofor\"Co. A-314theMachine Gun Battalion\", one of whose Doughboyswas the user of this poncho (see image below). According to online research, the 314th MGB was an element of the 80th Infantry Division, the so-called \"Blue Ridge Division\". The 80th ID saw action in the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihile offensives. The 314th\'s personnel were primarily drawn from the \"Tidewater\" Area of Virginia (the eastern littoral region of Virginia along Chesapeake Bay).
The only flaws I found in the poncho were that some of the internal fabric seam \"bindings\"had dried out and had come loose from the fabric on the underside of the poncho (see images below). However, from similar experience with the pre-WWII USMC brown ponchos, I can attest that such seams can be restored utilizing rubber cement or some other more modern adhesive. Other than that, the only otherflaw I discovered was that one of the\"sunburst\" buttons at the neck was missing (see image below).
The poncho is too large to be effectively photographed completely unfolded, so I have only partially unfolded it to take the photos included here and those of the seams and missing button. However, the buyer will have my usual five-day right of inspection in which to thoroughly examine the poncho completely unfolded. In addition, the purchaser will have my unconditional guarantee of authenticity and a five-day return/refund privilege, excluding postage. However, I\'m confident that the buyer will be very pleased with this rare clothing item from WWI.
Condition: Used
andale andalesell
Payment Options: PayPal Shipping Options: Domestic shipping: Weight based Shipping Charges.
Domestic Carriers are: Usps Priority International shipping: Weight based Shipping Charges.
International Carriers are: Usps Priority Intl I will ship to: United States, Worldwide [Weight]: 5 lbs. Shipping and Handling: Payment Policy: PayPal:PayPal is gladly accepted and is accommodated through the checkout or may be made directly from PayPal\'s website at www.paypal.com. Your item will be mailed the next business/mailing day after your Payapl payment is received, unless I happen to be out of my office.
Stan Wolcott Hello! I\'m a militaria collector like you and I do this as a sideline to my own collecting. Nonetheless, I\'ll try to serve you in a businesslike fashion. Thanks for your purchase! Vendio Images: More than just
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