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Poilus and Priorities
20 February 2019
The focus of this site is, of course, the helmets of the Great War. However, given the apparent dearth of exceptional helmets in the preceding year and the rather grim prospects to start off 2019, I envisioned instead the beginning of a grand multi-year undertaking which I dubbed Project Poilu. The ultimate goal of this enterprise was to be the assembly of a complete French enlisted infantry uniform from the mid to late-war period. Having finally acquired a near-perfect M15 Adrian helmet (one of the few notable finds of 2018), the next logical piece to build this collection around would have been the tunic –in this case, the Modèle 1915.
20 February 2019
The focus of this site is, of course, the helmets of the Great War. However, given the apparent dearth of exceptional helmets in the preceding year and the rather grim prospects to start off 2019, I envisioned instead the beginning of a grand multi-year undertaking which I dubbed Project Poilu. The ultimate goal of this enterprise was to be the assembly of a complete French enlisted infantry uniform from the mid to late-war period. Having finally acquired a near-perfect M15 Adrian helmet (one of the few notable finds of 2018), the next logical piece to build this collection around would have been the tunic –in this case, the Modèle 1915.
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| The Modèle 15 |
The first example of the Modèle 15 I came across, I missed out on, pure and simple. Unfortunately, this is just going to happen sometimes. It was fairly good and also fairly reasonably priced. I was just too late. C’est la vie, I suppose. The second example, perhaps a month or so later, I didn’t quite like the look of… I can’t say why, exactly; it was authentic, to be sure, but it didn’t seem to have the slim-fit elegance that is such a defining feature of the Modèle 15. I passed. Then maybe three months after that, appeared on eBay a third piece and it was good –quite good, even. However, it was just too much money for what it was. Now, I don’t think paying higher than current market value for a piece is always a terrible idea, especially if it is truly good and you intend to hold on to it for a long time. But the guy wanted about 50% more than the thing was really worth and in the end, I think I would have felt just too gouged. (I’m always talking about the value of patience in this hobby, but situations such as this prove that restraint is often just as vital.) So, again I passed. It hung around for a few weeks and eventually somebody bit which, frankly, kind-of surprised me. Anyway, that was that.
Then
I got some interesting news: my wife informed me that we were going to be
expecting a new baby –our first. As you might imagine, this has forced me to
reconsider some of the ways I might allocate the very meagre expendable income
I possess. It is thus, sadly, that Project
Poilu has had to be put on infinite hiatus even before the operation could begin.
So, what’s a Great War collector to do? Well…
Certainly, I was still interested in acquiring some pieces of this nature and it seemed to me that the French Modèle 15 didn’t necessarily have the market cornered when it came to charm. In fact, our very own American Expeditionary Forces’ 1917 Pattern Service Coat really had quite a lot to recommend it in terms of design and its relative availability –and affordability- certainly made for an intriguing alternative.
Certainly, I was still interested in acquiring some pieces of this nature and it seemed to me that the French Modèle 15 didn’t necessarily have the market cornered when it came to charm. In fact, our very own American Expeditionary Forces’ 1917 Pattern Service Coat really had quite a lot to recommend it in terms of design and its relative availability –and affordability- certainly made for an intriguing alternative.
The 1917 Pattern Service Coat of the
American Expeditionary Forces
The 1917 pattern service coat was itself based on the 1911 pattern service coat, to which it is mostly visually identical; the only significant difference being the thickness and
quality of the wool and thread used in its construction. While similar to the
British 1902 Pattern Service Dress tunic, the 1917 pattern had, in my opinion, a
stylistically-superior standing-collar design (though I do like the rifle
patches on the British tunic). For me, it’s all about the form-fitting cut of
this coat, with the darts above the chest pockets giving it particular visual
interest. Add in the dark buttons and collar discs for contrast, and the 1917 pattern service coat cut quite a striking figure that in many ways seems to prioritize fashion
over practicality (its successor, the 1918 pattern, even more so), which seems to run
counter to our more restrained American sensibilities –an aspect that I very
much enjoy.
Now,
it is a well-known fact that the vast majority of supposed A.E.F. wartime service
coats one finds (and they are fairly ubiquitous) are actually the final “walking
out” tunic issued to the soldier after
the war, just before his return to the United States. I was, therefore, looking
for something a little different: a particular variant commonly referred to by
collectors as the “rough-cut” coat, which is often considered the “true” combat coat, due to its estimated
period of manufacture and unusual ersatz construction. Consequently, these
so-called rough-cut coats are far rarer in comparison to the standard 1917 pattern service coat.
Rough-cut coats are easily distinguishable in that they are made from wool that is approximately
twice as thick as that of standard service coats –so thick, in fact, that these
coats were left unlined. They are also generally of a dark olive drab color,
rather than the medium khaki of standard coats and none of the seams were turned-under, giving the edges of the tunic a frayed,
unfinished appearance –hence the term, “rough-cut”.
Although
this example lacks a label, production of the rough-cut coats is estimated to
have been during the summer and autumn of 1917, as the massive expansion of the
A.E.F. during this period necessitated the relaxation of certain uniform
specifications to ease construction and meet the increased demand. This piece
has survived with only a single visible external moth nip on its upper-right rear
shoulder and has retained all of its original bronze buttons.
On
the upper left arm, this tunic bears the battle flash of the 7th
“Hourglass” Division, followed by the red honorable discharge chevron and two
gold-bullion service chevrons, indicating one year of service overseas.
Official regulations stipulated that the battle flash should be sewn at the top
of the sleeve near the shoulder seam, but apparently our doughboy didn’t get
the memo.
During its 33 days at the front, the 7th Division
suffered 204 killed and 1,505 wounded in action and was
awarded among its members 30 Distinguished Service Crosses. After the War, the
Division served in the Army of Occupation before returning to the U.S. in late June,
1919.
All
elements of this coat are certainly authentic, however, I
would take the insignia of any tunic without provenance with a certain degree
of skepticism, especially if the division or specialization was highly
sought-after or unusual. The 7th Division itself is really
neither,
but it’s at least something to be aware of.
There are two other things I'd like to mention: I apologize that I have no photos of the inside of the coat. This mannequin has a chest measurement of 37.5 inches and I think that this is probably a size 38 coat. Essentially, it fits perfectly -which is great, but as you might imagine, getting it on the mannequin was not fun. By the time I finally got it all buttoned up, I had pretty much decided that I never wanted to mess around with it ever again. However, I can tell you that although unlined, the top portion of the exterior pockets are reinforced on the interior with cotton canvas, as is the inner collar, probably for comfort. There are no inside pockets. Also, the coat appears much more brown in these photos than it is in actuality; the true impression is far more olive drab which, as I said before, is typical for this variant.
There are two other things I'd like to mention: I apologize that I have no photos of the inside of the coat. This mannequin has a chest measurement of 37.5 inches and I think that this is probably a size 38 coat. Essentially, it fits perfectly -which is great, but as you might imagine, getting it on the mannequin was not fun. By the time I finally got it all buttoned up, I had pretty much decided that I never wanted to mess around with it ever again. However, I can tell you that although unlined, the top portion of the exterior pockets are reinforced on the interior with cotton canvas, as is the inner collar, probably for comfort. There are no inside pockets. Also, the coat appears much more brown in these photos than it is in actuality; the true impression is far more olive drab which, as I said before, is typical for this variant.
Fall Back
So,
will Project Poilu live on as Directive: Doughboy? Well… I actually don’t
want to get too far away from the main focus of this site and I also see the textile market as somewhat more precarious than the helmet
market –or perhaps it is simply that I know far less about it, which just gives
me that impression. However, I have to say say that I’ve really been liking
this thing; there’s just something about it that I find really interesting –and
I have heard rumors concerning the possible existence of matching rough-cut
trousers… We shall see.
References
La vareuse
modèle 15. poilu67. Retrieved from: http://lagrandeguerre.cultureforum.net/t100036-la-vareuse-modele-1915.
17 March 2017.
A.E.F.
Service Coats. world war I nerd. Retrieved from: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/262023-aef-service-coats/.
3 March 2016.