Original Items: One-of-a-Kind Group. This is an extensive World War I U.S. Army Air Service officer’s uniform and field equipment grouping belonging primarily to Second Lieutenant John M. Pettingell, a trained pursuit pilot and flying instructor who served during the remarkable wartime expansion that created America’s first large military aviation force.

The grouping contains Pettingell’s officer’s uniform, named headgear, three pairs of breeches, campaign hat, field equipment, respirator, helmet, belts, personal effects, and other material associated with his wartime service. Several especially scarce aviation-related pieces are included, making this far more complete than the typical surviving WWI officer’s group.

Pettingell’s documented history adds considerable collector interest. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1890, he graduated from Newburyport High School in 1908 and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1912. He enlisted in Chicago on September 27, 1917, and graduated from Squadron 25 at the School of Military Aeronautics in Austin, Texas, on December 29 of that year. He was then assigned to the 3rd Cadet Squadron at Ellington Field near Houston.

Pettingell subsequently served as an acrobatic and cadet flying instructor at Payne Field in West Point, Mississippi, an important responsibility at a time when the United States urgently needed qualified pilots. He was commissioned Second Lieutenant on April 20, 1918, and later traveled to France, where he completed his final training as a pursuit pilot at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun.

Although Pettingell arrived overseas in September 1918 and did not enter combat before the Armistice, his service reflects the extraordinary effort required to build American military aviation virtually from the ground up. When the United States entered the war in April 1917, the Army’s aviation organization possessed only 55 aircraft, roughly half of which were operational, and none were considered suitable for combat on the Western Front. By November 1918, the United States had created a functioning Air Service, established numerous training fields, developed an aviation industry, and trained thousands of pilots and aviation personnel.

Pettingell was honorably discharged at Camp Dix, New Jersey, on February 24, 1919. His surviving equipment documents nearly every stage of that journey, from stateside officer and flight training through advanced pursuit instruction in France.

The most intriguing item in the group is a French-made musette bag bearing the names of two Air Service officers. It is named to Pettingell and additionally marked:

C.R. OBERST, 1st LIEUT., AIR SERVICE

This second name identifies First Lieutenant Claire R. Oberst, an aviator associated with the 20th Aero Squadron and credited with one aerial victory.

The 20th Aero Squadron was a First Day Bombardment Group unit equipped with DH-4 aircraft. It entered combat during the St. Mihiel Offensive in September 1918, joining the 11th and 96th Aero Squadrons in attacking German transportation, supply, and rear-area targets. Day bombardment crews operated under exceptionally dangerous conditions, flying large and relatively vulnerable two-seat aircraft against German fighters and ground fire.

The bag’s dual attribution creates an unusual connection between two very different Air Service experiences: Pettingell, an instructor and fully trained pursuit pilot who arrived too late to enter combat, and Oberst, an operational aviator connected with one of America’s combat bombardment squadrons. How the bag passed between the two officers is unknown, but the shared naming gives it exceptional research potential.

The French-made musette bag retains two small leather pouches inside. One of the strap hooks is broken, and the strap is presently secured with a piece of rope.

The grouping includes an M1911 campaign hat manufactured by Stetson and retailed by Scarbrough & Sons of Texas. It retains the officer’s hat cord and is named to Pettingell on the sweatband.

Also included is a scarce WWI Victory Medal with officer’s aviation insignia attached, creating an especially attractive and unusual Air Service display piece.

Pettingell’s M1912 officer’s visor cap is identified on the interior:

J.M. PETTINGELL
2nd LT. A.S.M.A.

The cap remains in very good condition.

The officer’s service uniform jacket retains bullion Second Lieutenant rank bars sewn to the shoulders. It was tailored by DeLuxe of New York and remains in excellent condition. Although the jacket itself is not named, it was acquired as part of Pettingell’s grouping.

A scarce American Red Cross-issued wool sweater is included and remains in very good condition. These privately supported comfort garments were widely appreciated by American servicemen facing the damp and cold conditions of wartime training camps and overseas service.

The group also retains a British-made Glengarry-style overseas cap fitted with faux braided leather buttons and a Lieutenant’s rank bar.

Three pairs of officer’s breeches are included: one wool pair matching the uniform jacket, one cotton pair, and a particularly scarce corduroy pair.

Field equipment includes a U.S. Corrected Small Box Respirator in its original carrying bag. One snap on the bag has broken away, and the mask has become stiff with age.

A British Mk I steel helmet is also present. It retains only part of its liner and no longer has its chinstrap. The helmet shows extensive service wear, and one chinstrap bale is a field replacement.

Two Sam Browne belts accompany the grouping, together with a pair of puttees.

A second WWI Victory Medal without a campaign clasp is included.

Personal equipment consists of a small ditty bag containing sewing materials and a spoon, private-purchase eyeglasses in their metal case, an Army-issue shirt, and a compact shaving kit.

A large folding canvas sheet fitted with straps at each end is also included.

The complete grouping consists of:

French-made musette bag named to both John M. Pettingell and Claire R. Oberst; one strap hook broken and secured with rope; two small leather pouches inside
M1911 campaign hat with officer’s cord, made by Stetson and retailed by Scarbrough & Sons of Texas; named to Pettingell on the sweatband
WWI Victory Medal with officer’s aviation insignia attached
M1912 officer’s visor cap marked J.M. PETTINGELL / 2nd LT. A.S.M.A. on the interior
Army officer’s service uniform jacket with bullion Second Lieutenant bars, tailored by DeLuxe of New York; not named
American Red Cross-issued wool sweater
Small ditty bag containing sewing materials and a spoon
U.S. Corrected Small Box Respirator with carrying bag; one snap missing and mask stiff with age
British-made Glengarry-style overseas cap with faux braided leather buttons and Lieutenant’s bar
Matching wool officer’s breeches
Cotton officer’s breeches
Scarce corduroy officer’s breeches
Pair of puttees
WWI Victory Medal without campaign clasp
Two Sam Browne belts
Large folding canvas sheet with straps
British Mk I steel helmet with partial liner and no chinstrap; heavy wear and one field-replaced bale
Private-purchase eyeglasses in metal case
Army-issue shirt
Small shaving kit

Complete identified U.S. Army Air Service groupings are difficult to find, particularly examples retaining multiple uniforms, named headgear, aviation insignia, training equipment, field gear, and personal effects belonging to the same officer.

Pettingell’s documented progression from military aeronautics school to cadet squadron, acrobatic and flight instruction, commissioning, and final pursuit-pilot training at Issoudun tells the story of the men who built America’s first wartime air arm. The additional attribution to Claire R. Oberst connects the grouping directly to an operational combat aviator of the 20th Aero Squadron.

An outstanding and unusually extensive early American military aviation grouping with two named Air Service connections and considerable further research potential.