Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous and extraordinarily scarce example of an M1895 Field Artillery swallowtail guidon used during the First World War. Guidons from WWI are like hen’s teeth, and are often mis-identified as inter-war. The best way to distinguish a First World War guidon is by its size, as M1895 guidons were very large, roughly 27½ x 41”, like this example. This example was flown by Battery F, 124th Field Artillery Regiment, 33rd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. The 124th fought in the following campaigns:

Lucey (Defensive Sector): August 28th - September 11th, 1918 
St. Mihiel Offensive: September 12 - 15th, 1918
Meuse-Argonne Offensive: September 26th - October 15th, 1918
Meuse-Argonne Offensive: October 24th - November 11th, 1918

In the United States Military, a guidon is a military standard that company/battery/troop or platoon-sized detachments carry to signify their unit designation and branch/corps affiliation or the title of the individual who carries it. A basic guidon can be rectangular, but more often has a triangular portion removed from the fly (known as "swallow-tailed").

The guidon retains its original leather tabs, and is in good condition minus the tear at the bottom which looks to have been repaired during the period. The tear is L-shaped and shows heavy stitching which is a bit crude.

This is a fantastic guidon, a perfect candidate for framing. Finding guidons actually flown by the American Expeditionary Forces is extremely difficult, so don’t miss out on this example! Comes ready for further research and display.

The 124th Field Artillery was organized at the beginning of the War from the famous old Seventh Infantry Regiment of Chicago and from the downstate squadron of the First Illinois Cavalry. The Seventh Regiment in turn had been formed from the "Hibernian Rifles," a civilian military organization formed in Chicago after the Civil War. The Seventh Regiment served in the Spanish-American War and on the Mexican border.

The 124th Field Artillery became part of the Thirty-Third Division on September 21, 1917, and in France, as part of the 58th Field Artillery Brigade, supported at various times the 89th, 1st, 91st and 32d Divisions. World War Streamers authorized are: Lorraine, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne.