Original WWI U.S. Trench Art Named Engraved 13th Engineer Regiment Decorated M1910 Mess Kit - Railway Engineers
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Original Item: Only One Kit Available. The 1909 Infantry Board recommended a new “meat can” mess kit that became standard issue in 1910. The 1910 mess kit was similar to previous models but larger, 8 ½” long by 6 ¾” wide by approximately 1 ½” deep and was made of aluminum. Like the earlier covers, which doubled as a plate, it fit into the top of the “frying pan” portion and was secured by a folding galvanized iron handle.
Early in 1918 the American Expeditionary Force reported that the 1910 pattern top plate was too shallow and recommended a deeper configuration. A new mess kit with a lid one half inch deeper, and an appropriately corresponding folding handle quickly went into production as the model 1918.
This is a fantastic M1910 mess kit named to Valmah H. Lange, Company C, 13th Engineer Regiment, AEF. The 13th Engineers were one of the very first units sent to France, leaving New York City on July 23rd, 1917, arriving a few days later. This makes sense, as the mess kit is dated 1916 and was manufactured by the Rock Island Arsenal, or RIA. The middle of the lid and the middle of the bowl are largely stamped with 3C45, which we can discern as C for his company, and 45 for his roster number.
The 13th remained in the Verdun sector, building railways under heavy artillery fire from September 12th, 1917 until September 1918, when they were chosen to participate in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive from September 26th-November 11th, 1918.
The mess kit is engraved on the lid:
V. H. LANGE
Co. C. 13th Engrs (Ry)
#45 U.S.A.
Le Havre
Chalons/Marne
Lemmes
Verdun
FRANCE
The interior of the lid has his initials, V.H.L., and Verdun crudely engraved, which are likely the first of the engravings he did. Lange was from Byron, Illinois.
This is an incredibly scarce mess kit named to a soldier who saw over a year of combat in France during World War I. For comparison, the majority of U.S. troops didn’t arrive until mid-to-late 1918, only seeing a small bit of combat in comparison. It doesn’t get much better than this! Comes ready for further research and display!
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