Original U.S WWI 28th Division Pennsylvania National Guard Uniform and Field Gear Lot - 109th Field Artillery Regiment
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Original Item: Only One Available: Here is a great example of a Pennsylvania National Guardsman uniform. This is a fantastic 28th Division uniform & field gear grouping with a French-made ID Bracelet engraved “John D. Barone AEF US Army FRANCE”, a rare hand-altered collar disc, and more. We could not find a John D. Barone in the 109th Field Artillery, so it is possible that the ID bracelet was added to the group for display.
The uniform jacket has a totally period authentic 28th Division patch (with different base background fabric, which was commonly done when patches were made en masse to distribute to thousands of soldiers), two overseas chevrons, and a discharge chevron. The collar discs are US and a hand-altered 109th Field Artillery, Battery F disc. This style of altering was popular in the 28th Division, but is very rare to find on a uniform. Also included are a gas mask and bag named to another soldier (gas masks were very often reissued or switched between soldiers), overseas cap with no insignia, full M1910 canteen, cover, and a later 1943 dated cup, as well as a M1910 mess kit.
We were unable to find a John Barone in this regiment, so it is likely that the bracelet was added to the group, however it all came together, so we are keeping it as is.
Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 24”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15”
Chest width: 18.5"
Waist width: 18"
Hip width: 23"
Front length: 31"
The 28th Division
The division moved to Camp Hancock, Georgia, in April 1917, the same month of the American entry into World War I, and was there when the entire division was federalized on 5 August 1917. From May to 11 October 1917, the division was reorganized into the two-brigade, four-regiment scheme, also known as a square division, and thus became the 28th Division.
Overseas service
By May 1918, after several months of training, the division had arrived in Europe, and began training with the British. On 14 July, ahead of an expected German offensive, the division was moving forward, with most of it committed to the second line of defense south of the Marne River and east of Château-Thierry.[16] As the division took up defensive positions, the Germans commenced their attack, which became the Battle of Chateau-Thierry, with a fierce artillery bombardment. When the German assault collided with the main force of the 28th, the fighting became bitter hand-to-hand combat. The 28th repelled the German forces and decisively defeated their enemy. However, four isolated companies of the 109th and 110th Infantry stationed on the first defensive line suffered heavy losses. After the battle, General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, visited the battlefield and declared that the 28th soldiers were "Men of Iron" and named the 28th ID as his "Iron Division." The 28th developed a red keystone-shaped shoulder patch, officially adopted on 27 October 1918.
During World War I, the division was involved in the Meuse-Argonne, Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne including the Battle of Fismes and Fismette, Oise-Aisne, and Ypres-Lys (FA) operations. During the war, it took a total of 14,139 casualties (2,165 killed and 11,974 wounded). Two individuals received the Medal of Honor: Sergeant James I. Mestrovitch, Company C, 111th Infantry; and Major Joseph H. Thompson, Headquarters, 110th Infantry. Edwin Martin wrote about the history of the division during World War I which can be found in his book The Twenty-Eighth Division: Pennsylvania's Guard in the World War.
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