Original Items: Only One Lot of 10 Available. Necessary items to survive in the field during WWII. These are items that were given to the soldiers by the Red Cross, or items bought by soldiers at the Post Exchange. Everything you need to complete a great barracks and field display. These “creature comfort” items would have aided in the mental breaks soldiers needed while fighting a war such as WWII. Something as small as getting to use shaving powder made a world of difference and served as a brief “ civility getaway” from the conflict.

The Items In This Lot: 
- “We’re In The Army Now” Diary: While the diary portion itself was never filled out, luckily the young soldier who owned it wrote his information in the provided spaces:

Name: Pvt. Ernest Bassett
Home Address: Barre, Mass.
My Army Serial No: 31259436
Branch of Service: Signal Corps (Note: He crossed out “Signal” to replace with “Air”, so units may have been switched)
Rank: Private

We were not able to source much information regarding his service, we did uncover that he enlisted on February 1, 1943 with an unknown discharge date, leaving this open for more research to be done!

- Swiss Made “PX Watch” by Misalla Ltd: The watch is unfortunately in non-working condition and is being sold simply as a display item or restoration candidate. There is corrosion present on the back around the seam of the back plate and the watch case itself. The only real issue with the watch besides it currently not working is the fact that the crown is missing entirely, leaving us unable to test wind the watch. The band is original but in a very delicate state missing the buckle with tearing present.

- Sewing Kit by All-Best Specialties Corps (incomplete): Ever hear an old timer say “I learned to sew in the Army”? Well for the most part this is a rather true statement. When it comes to uniforms and field gear, the importance of keeping your belongings in serviceable condition was a matter of life and death. While it may not look like much, this versatile kit could have been used for pretty much any type of garment repair as well as gear such as a simple haversack. The military prides themselves on proper military and professional appearance and this kit would have aided in that. The kit does appear to be missing a few components but the key items are still present; needle, thread and buttons all housed in a lovely khaki cloth wrap.

- Foot Powder by Clark-Cleveland Inc: Trench foot was first reported in 1812 by the French army surgeon Dominique Jean Larrey when Napoleon’s army was retreating from Russia. It was also a problem for soldiers engaged in trench warfare during World War I, particularly during the winters. Official statistics put the casualty figure for the condition at around 75,000 for the British and 2,000 for the Americans. Amputation was avoided if at all possible and the incidence of trench foot had greatly reduced by the winter of 1917–1918 through improvements to the trenches, modification of soldiers' footwear, and the provision of greases—chiefly whale oil—to prevent damage from excess moisture. It was also discovered that a key preventive measure was regular foot inspections.

To combat and help prevent trench foot cases, soldiers aside from going through foot inspections regularly were issued foot powder to help keep their feet dry. A soldier lives on his feet, so caring for them was amongst top priority for ground troops, especially the infantry.

This can of powder is unopened and appears to have never been used in any capacity. 

- Remington Rand Shaving Powder Stick: All branches of the U.S. military currently prohibit beards for the vast majority of recruits, although certain styles of mustaches are still allowed, originally based on policies that were initiated during the period of World War I.

Excluding limited exemptions for religious accommodation, the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps prohibit beards on the basis of hygiene and the necessity of a good seal for chemical weapon protective masks. The official position is that uniform personal appearance and grooming contribute to discipline and a sense of camaraderie.

This shaving stick appears to have never been used and was manufactured by Remington Rand Inc for the Electric Shaver Division. The powder stick is in good condition and shows no signs of use.

- Brown Shoe Polish by Shinola: At the end of the 19th century, leather shoes and boots became affordable to the masses, and with the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the demand for large numbers of polished army boots led to a need in the market for a product that would allow boots to be polished quickly, efficiently and easily. The polish was also used to shine leather belts, handgun holsters, and horse tack.

This can of shoe polish is for brown wax and produced by Shinola. Shinola is a defunct American brand of shoe polish. The Shinola Company, founded in Rochester, New York in 1877 as the American Chemical Manufacturing and Mining Company, produced the polish under a sequence of different owners until 1960. It appears to have only been used moderately as the majority of the wax is still present, though with noticeable swipes taken from a cloth.

- “V For Victory” War Savings Bonds/Stamps Advertising Matchbook: This is a lovely example of an unused matchbook that encourages the purchase of War Savings Bonds and Stamps. On top of posters visible in the public eye, daily necessities such as a matches were used as a means of advertising, encouraging the user to think about it every time a match was needed.

War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are also a means to control inflation by removing money from circulation in a stimulated wartime economy.

- Listerine Toothpaste With Box by Lambert Pharmacal Co.: “It wasn’t fun, going through that stuff,” stated Lawrence Schaub when interviewed about his dental experiences in World War II. He proceeded, “Boy, we did complain a lot, but they did a good job with what they did. If we didn’t have good dental health, it was damn near impossible to do what we had to do. And now, we know that dentists are more important today than we ever did back then.”

Already away on the importance of dental care, each soldier was expected to take care of their personal hygiene such as their teeth. This tube of Listerine Toothpaste is in good condition and does show signs of having been used. The contents have been long dried up, so it is recommended that no attempt be made to use it.

- Vaseline Camphor Ice (Unused): Vaseline became a staple for the American soldiers fighting in Europe. Ideal for soothing sore feet in the trenches, it was in such high demand that many young men would write home, asking their families to send more.

During WWII, soldiers sustained serious injuries from burns, so Chesebrough Manufacturing Company was commissioned by the Surgeon General to produce a sterile antiseptic dressing containing petroleum jelly.

This tin of Vaseline is in good condition with all details still present on the tin. The interior contains the “block” of vaseline still wrapped in the original foil. We made no attempts to see if the block was actually used, but to mitigate the risk of causing any damage we left the foil in place.

- Prophylactic “Pro-Kit” Packet: During the Second World War, the spread of sexually transmitted infections became a significant concern for both the government and the public. As military maneuvers increased, soldiers and sailors on assignment overseas were faced with loneliness and sought female companionship, resulting in multiple sexual partners and a consequent surge in venereal diseases. In the Great War, venereal diseases caused the United States Army to lose as many as 18,000 servicemen per day. However, by 1944 this number had been greatly reduced to approximately 606 servicemen incapacitated daily, owing to the Army's efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of poor sexual hygiene and the significant advances in medicine. By late 1943, a case of gonorrhea required hospitalization for 30 days, and syphilis treatment still remained a 6-month ordeal. However, by mid-1944, the average duration for gonorrhea treatment had drastically reduced to 5 days, and many patients were able to remain on duty during treatment.

The Prophylactic packet is not opened and it goes without saying that THE PACKET IS NOT SUITABLE FOR USE.

A lovely assortment of items ready for further research and display.