Original Items: One of a Kind Set. This is an unbelievably rare WWI US Army Dentist’s Uniform, named to Major Joseph William Golding, the official dentist of the 108th Ammunition Train, 33rd Division. Dental officers were very scarce on the Western Front, with roughly only a single dental officer per regiment.

This is a phenomenal uniform group named to Major Joseph William Golding, Medical Detachment, 108th Ammunition Train, 33rd Division. The uniform is a gorgeous private purchase example tailored by English Woolen Mills Co. in the United States. The jacket has a beautiful and bright velvet 33rd Division patch, USR & Dental Medical officer’s insignia on the collar, Major rank pins on the shoulders, two overseas chevrons denoting 12-17 months overseas, and a U.S. Victory medal ribbon with two campaign stars, likely for St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. Also included in the group is his medical officer’s overseas cap with correct purple piping along the peak and a small major insignia pinned on. The overseas cap has a small streak of missing fabric on one side as shown. Also included is his Officer’s Manual, named on the interior with his unit, 108th Amm. Train. This is a phenomenal identified uniform group to one of the rarest types of medical officer./p>

Joseph William Golding was born on January 12th, 1887, in Perry, Ohio. When war broke out, Golding was already working in Perry as a practicing dentist. He joined the Dental Reserve Corps on August 11th, 1917, being promoted to Captain on May 9th, 1918. Golding went overseas with the 108th Ammunition Train on June 15th, 1918, serving as its dentist for the duration of its time overseas. Golding would receive combat credits for St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and the Defensive Sector. After returning stateside, Golding continued his work as a dentist, later becoming self-employed.

In 1944, his son, Joseph William Golding, Jr., was tragically Killed in Action while serving with the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, in Germany.

Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24”
Shoulder to shoulder: 13.5”
Chest width: 18"
Waist width: 17"
Hip width: 21"
Front length: 29"

The 33rd Division in World War I
The 33rd Division served in World War I and beyond. The division was trained at Camp Logan in Houston, Texas as part of the National state guard in Illinois. The first unit went to France in 1918. The first unit to go into France was the 108th Engineers, under Colonel Henry A. Allen.

During World War I, the 33rd Division's officers included Second Lieutenant John Allan Wyeth, who has been called the only American poet of the Great War who can stand up to comparison with British war poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Wyeth later immortalized his war experiences with the 33rd U.S. Division in the 1928 sonnet sequence This Man's Army: A War in Fifty-Odd Sonnets.

On 20 and 21 June the division went to the Amiens sector, where there was expected to be a major German attack. The division was trained by British Army and Commonwealth soldiers – in particular the Australian Corps – and was part of some of their operations.

The first major battle in which elements of the 33rd Division took part was the Battle of Hamel on 4 July. Individual platoons from four companies from the 131st Infantry and 132nd Infantry were distributed among Australian battalions, to gain combat experience. This, however, occurred without official approval as there was controversy regarding the battlefield command of US troops by junior officers from other countries. Thus, while Hamel was a relatively minor battle by the standards of World War I, it was historically significant as the first occasion on which US Army personnel had fought alongside British Empire forces, and demonstrated that the previously inexperienced American troops could play an effective role in the war. The battle was also historically significant for the use of innovative assault tactics, devised by the Australian General John Monash, were demonstrated.

The 33rd Division was in reserve behind the British Fourth Army at the opening of the August offensive for emergencies only. With the British III Corps attack stalling at Chipilly Ridge during the Battle of Amiens, the 131st Regiment of the 33rd Division was sent to assist on 9 August, which it did with distinction.[8] The following day the Regiment was attached to the 4th Australian Division and remained there until 12 August. From 12 August until 20 August it was combined with the 13th Australian Brigade in what was called the Liaison Force commanded by Brigadier General E. A. Wisdom. This was designed to hold the front from the Somme to the Bray-Sur-Somme to Corbie road to relieve the 4th Australian Division from the operation.[9] After this it returned to the 33rd US Division.

On 23 August, the division was moved to the Toul sector. The 33rd Division fought in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign from 26 September 1918 to the end of the battle on 10 November 1918. The last mission in which the 33rd Division took part was on 27 December 1918.

In total, from the 33rd arriving in France to the German armistice on 11 November 1918, the division captured 13 units of heavy artillery and 87 pieces of light artillery. Also, they captured 460 machine guns and 430 light guns. In total, the entire division gained 40,300 meters of land in World War I. The 33rd Division was the only unit in the war to have machine gun barrage enemy nests while infantry turned the position. In total, the 33rd Division received 215 American decorations, 56 British decorations, and various others.

As a result of its World War I service, the division remains the only US Army division that has fought as part of the British Army and French Army corps.