A275
Dark charcoal gray wool twill tunic and skirt; four pocket 'English Officer' cut with notched lapel collar, epaulettes,
self-fabric belt, two pleated upper patch pockets and two large cargo lower pockets. Has bronze eagle buttons and lapel
with single "U.S." and Signal Corps officer's devices. Left sleeve has two bullion overseas service chevrons and Signal
Corps 'Hello Girls' armband comprised of black embroidered telephone mouthpiece on a white wool armband with black
soutache edge braid. Has correct matching skirt with two pleated patch pockets and bronze M1912 eagle button
closure. Skirt is unlined. Tunic has dark blue cotton lining. Both have small white fabric tape tags with "6.9.2" that
are modern additions, either a collector or museum accession tag. Condition is top-notch; there could be a small hole
or two hiding somewhere, but I have yet to find one. Sadly, no name or initials in either garment. Though this set is
not named, it is an excellent original example of an extremely rare US WWI uniform: of the 500+ women who were
accepted into the program and trained, only approximately 200 served overseas. (Actually 223 to be exact, according
to the Signal Corps Telephone Operating Units roster.) II+
$2895
WWI Army Signal Corps 'Hello Girls' Uniform Set
A276
A premier First World War Aviator's uniform group, of the quality and depth only found in the most advanced
collections. In fact, one of the country's most advanced collectors of WWI Aviation was the individual who obtained
this set from Lt. Wardle's family in the early 1980's, and elements of that correspondence is included with the group.
Lt. Herbert A. Wardle enlisted on April 20, 1917 in Memphis, Tennessee. He received flight training at Chanute Field
in Rantoul, Illinois, was commissioned, and reported to Tours, France as an instructor in December 1917. He was
assigned to 1st Army Aviation Acceptance Park in March of 1918. On June 26, he was ferrying an airplane from
England to Orly Field in France when he drifted off-course and was brought down behind enemy lines by German
aircraft and anti-aircraft fire. Spending the rest of the war as a guest of the Kaiser was not in his plans, though. He
conspired with an English officer to escape together from the window of a moving train that was transporting them to
Bavaria. The English officer eluded capture for a few days, but Wardle's hiding place was discovered after the train
backed up to the point where they made their leap. He was recaptured, severely beaten, and remained a captive until
after the Armistice. This episode was observed by another captive AEF Aviator, James Norman Hall - formerly a
pilot in the Lafayette Flying Corps, and later to author "Mutiny on the Bounty." Captain Hall wrote a detailed article
about 'Toots' Wardle's escape attempt entitled "Till We Meet Again" which was published in the American Legion
magazine. LT. Wardle's group features two beautiful custom tailored uniforms. The first is a tunic in the British
open-lapel style adopted by some US aviators; olive drab wool with bullion embroidered Second Lieutenant rank
insignias on the epaulettes, open-lapel collar has Aviation Section, Signal Corps silver wings on bronze signal flags
insignia on the right side, "U.S.[R]" device on the left, nice bullion embroidered Reserve Military Aviator wing badge
above the upper left pocket, and a very unusual First Army Aviation shoulder sleeve insignia comprised of large black
leather "A" with red and white roundel between the legs. The roundel is loose on one side. Lt. Wardle is shown in one
of the photos in his scrapbook wearing this exact uniform in this collar configuration. US M1912 eagle buttons have
English maker backmarks. Second is of French manufacture, of olive drab wool twill with bullion embroidered 2nd Lt.
rank insignias, pairs of "US" and winged prop Aviation officer's collar devices, Reserve Military Aviator wing badge
which is a nice one - bullion embroidered on dark blue wool with metal backing and pinback attachment. Tunic has
two overseas service chevrons, wool applied construction 1st Army Aviation shoulder insignia, and medal ribbon bar
including Mexican Border Service, WWI Victory with one star device, and British 1914-18 War Medal. Buttons are a
mix of originals and period replacements. Includes one pair of olive drab wool breeches, and two brown leather Sam
Browne belts. His British style overseas cap with two US eagle buttons in the front and Lieutenant rank insignia on
the side has "OLD ENGLAND HATTERS" Paris maker's mark on the quilted gold silk lining. Exterior has some
mothing but remains fine for display. Flight gear includes BroadArrow marked goggles, and brown leather flight helmet
with chamois lining and oil stains running back across the crown. Includes also a shirt and tie which I believe to be an
addition by a previous custodian of the group to complete one of the uniforms for display. His scrapbook is extensive,
and is comprised of photos from several sources, removed from acidic pages of other scrapbooks where possible.
Includes extensive documentation: paperwork and numerous photos, telegrams, forms, etc. from his training in
Illinois, many photos with great AEF aviation content, a great photo of this officer wearing his British tailored
uniform, correspondence relating to his incarceration and treatment after capture (and recapture), passes, his officer's
ID book, ferry receipts for aircraft, telegrams, even uniform receipts from French tailors. Listing all of the contents
would easily eclipse the amount of space that we have available for item descriptions. With the exception of mothing
noted on the overseas cap, the other uniform articles remain in very good condition with very little if any readily
apparent mothing or damage. A very complete, attractive, and historically interesting WWI Aviator's group! II+
$7850
WWI Aviator Herbert Wardle's Uniform Group: Shot Down and Attempted Escape
A277
Khaki canvas double trench coat has a rolled collar, shoulder straps with 1st Lieutenant false embroidered rank
insignia, right shoulder button-down rifle patch (a defining detail on any true trench coat), wrist straps, vertical welted
inset waist pockets and a matching khaki belt with brass "D" ring on which to hang equipment. Has horn buttons that
have a little worm hole damage, does not affect function. Has two gold bullion overseas service chevrons on the left
cuff and the faint 'ghost' of a unit shoulder insignia. Body lined in olive satin, the skirt in plaid cotton, with a
"
CRAVENETTE" English tailor's label. Has fading and some minor fraying on the edges from honest wear in the
front lines. A style of popular men's wear to this day, the trench coat was born on the battlefields of the Western
Front and favored by Allied officers. As universally popular as they were, very few exist today outside of period
photographs. This rare surviving example of the first generation of trench coats presents all the features that made
this versatile garment a classic. II-
$695
WWI Officer's Trench Coat
A278
Nice identified uniform coat with numbered disc and ID tags. Enlisted issue M1912 olive drab wool service coat has
"
US" and "27 / Infantry / A" discs, two overseas service chevrons, and Siberia shoulder insignia comprised of blue-black
diamond with white embroidered designation "S / AEF". Coat has sew-through vegetable ivory eagle buttons
throughout. His ID tags on the original cord are the style marked in small font stamp "GEORGE W. HAINES" with
service number and "A.27" below. His Siberian service is confirmed in the 1942 publication "Veterans of AEF Siberia:
National Roster" and a photocopy is included with the uniform. No readily apparent mothing. II+
$1150
WWI Siberian Expeditionary Force Soldier's Tunic
A279
Olive drab wool jerkin has brown composition buttons, olive cloth tape edge binding, and olive cotton interior facings.
You can see where a contract tag once was on the back. Shows very little if any wear. II+
$145
WWI Wool Jerkin
