6th Machine Gun Battalion:
Uniforms |
Helmet, tunic & leggins belonging to Sgt Edwin Beach, 23rd Company.
Courtesy of Jerry Beach
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Helmet, said to be 6th Machine Gun Battalion,
offered recently on Ebay. |
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Tunic on offer by a militaria dealer on the Web.
Evidently not ID'd to a particular individual. Dealer's
description follows:
U.S.M.C. forest green wool tunic
from a Corporal of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion; with
unpierced standing collar, bronze eagle and anchor buttons,
pleated pockets, and pointed cuffs. Left sleeve displays
applied wool construction red and yellow Indian head worked
through with black and white thread details, on a white star
sewn to a purple velvet oval field, cuff with three gold braid
service chevrons; both sleeves with green on red rank chevrons.
Tunic also retains a silk Fourragère to the French Croix de
Guerre and a silvered M1912 "EXPERT RIFLEMAN" badge; there are
a few very small moth holes that do not detract at all.
Interior lining with Quartermaster stamp dated "1917-1918"
Thanks to Gilles Lagin
UNIDENTIFIED SERGEANT'S TUNIC,
PROBABLY
OF 6th MACHINE GUN BATTALION,
WITH COLLAR DISCS, CROIX DE GUERRE BRAID, AND FOUR OVERSEAS STRIPES
Recently acquired by
Gilles Lagin for his
Belleau Wood Museum. It is not ID'd to a particular
Marine. The tunic is unusual in several
respects. First, most authentic 4th Brigade tunics seem to lack their collar discs. Second,
the shoulder patch, instead of having a purple oval background, has one which is
blue. The 5th Marines had a square patch; the 6th Marines a diamond
patch, while
Headquarters 4th Brigade and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion had an oval
patch, black for Headquarters & purple for the 6th MGB. Thus it would seem
most probable that a blue oval patch would be 6th MGB. Moreover, in a conversation
with Mr. David Sleeper from Bangor, Maine, who recently published
the diary of Lt. Peter Wood of 81st Company, 6th MGB, Gilles learned
that the shoulder patch on Lt. Wood's tunic is exactly the same shade of
blue as is the patch on Gilles' tunic.
Together with the tunic is a pair of pants, and both tunic & pants are marked "Quartermaster
1918-1919. Other distinguishing features of the tunic, in addition to its
collar discs, are a Croix-de-Guerre braid and four oveseas stripes,
signifying two years duty in France. Collar discs became available to Marines
around the time of the Armistice. They did not receive their Croix-de-Guerre
braids until two years later (around October/November 1920). That the
owner of this tunic saw a full two years in France probably indicates
that he was a member either of the 15th or 23rd Companies, as these two units
came over to France in July 1917, as part of the 1st Division. They joined
the 6th MGB, 4th Brigade, 2nd Division, in January 1918. Most of the 2nd Division
returned to the States in August, 1919.
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