Original U.S. WWI Public Health Service Lieutenant Officer’s Uniform Jacket with Gaiters & Rare Officer’s Visor Cap
In stock
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Original Item. Only One Available. This is an exceptionally unusual original U.S. WWI Public Health Service commissioned officer’s uniform grouping, consisting of an officer’s service jacket with rare PHS insignia and buttons, a matching-period officer’s visor cap with Public Health Service badge, and a pair of dark brown leather gaiters. Public Health Service uniforms from the First World War period are seldom encountered compared with Army and Navy material, making this a particularly interesting example of one of the United States’ lesser-known uniformed services.
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps had already been formally established in the 19th century and was organized along military lines, with commissioned officers wearing uniforms and holding grades corresponding generally to Army and Navy ranks. During WWI, its wartime responsibilities expanded dramatically.
On April 3, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson issued an executive order placing the Public Health Service at the disposal of the military establishment for wartime purposes. PHS officers and personnel could be detailed to the Army and Navy, while Public Health Service hospitals and facilities were made available to support military medical needs. The Service subsequently became heavily involved in sanitation, quarantine, disease prevention, public-health work around military installations, and the national response to the 1918 influenza pandemic.
The tunic has Sterling 1st Lieutenant bars, US Officer collar insignia, and very rare PHS buttons. The rare Public Health Service uniform buttons are all retained, back-marked to S.N. Meyer of Washington, D.C. The uniform is tailored by Ettenson-Winning Co. of Leavenworth, Kansas.
The tunic retains two rare Public Health Service collar insignia, but they are two different types so only one is placed on the collar, the other being placed in the pocket. They could be displayed together or you could find a match. These insignia are very hard to find on their own.
The included M1910 Officer’s visor has a rare Public Health Service front badge with a leather chinstrap held in by two Federal US buttons. The visor has a faint size tag inside for 7 ⅜. The inner lining shows heavy fraying but the leather sweatband is retained. The cap is a bit misshapen but this could be fixed by being on a mannequin head.
The set also comes with two leather leg gaiters, dark brown and in good shape. The precise identity of the original officer has not been established, and the mixture of First Lieutenant insignia, Public Health Service devices, and privately tailored uniform components warrants further research into contemporary PHS uniform regulations and commissioned-officer grades.
The combination of the Ettenson-Winning tailored jacket, Sterling First Lieutenant bars, rare Public Health Service collar devices and S.N. Meyer PHS buttons, Public Health Service officer’s visor cap with size 7⅜ tag, leather chinstrap and Federal U.S. buttons, and accompanying brown leather gaiters makes this an exceptionally unusual WWI American uniform grouping. Its significance lies not only in the scarcity of the surviving insignia, but also in its connection to the Public Health Service’s expanded wartime role in military sanitation, disease control, and the public-health emergencies of 1917–1919.
Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 8.5"
Shoulder to sleeve: 25"
Shoulder to shoulder: 16"
Chest width: 18"
Waist: 18.5"
Hip: 22"
Front length: 30.5"
- This product is available for international shipping.
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