One of the Army's Dress Uniforms, the Army White Uniform,[11] was the army's equivalent to the dress white uniform worn by officers in the U.S. Navy, but unlike the navy, which mandates the owning and wearing of the white uniform throughout the summer months (year round in tropical locations) by all ranks (E-1 to O-10), the Army white uniform was an optional uniform, and was only required to be purchased by officers and sergeants major assigned to posts in the tropics and the southern United States. The Army white service uniform was phased out in 2014.
The Dress White uniform worn by General Sam S. Walker
Introduced in 1902 as a summer undress uniform, its wearing, along with the dress and undress blue, was suspended during World War I and was reintroduced in its present form, along with the modern-day dress blue uniform, in 1938.[12] In its original (1902) form the white uniform included a standing collar and white flat braid trimming the coat edges.[13] The 1938 model substituted a white coat without braid and with an open-fronted peak lapel worn with a white shirt and black tie.
With the impending hostilities of World War II, production of both the blue and white dress uniforms were suspended, but the Army white uniform itself served as a model for the Army winter service uniform, which was introduced in 1942 (replacing a belted version designed around the Sam Browne Belt) and discontinued in 1968. The shirt and trousers "class B" uniform was replaced with the Army green class "B" uniform in 1985. The post-war belt-less Army Blue Uniform, and the Army green uniform, had earlier replaced the World War II "Pinks & Greens" and pattern 1942 service coat or "Eisenhower jacket" uniforms in 1956.
Like the Army green uniform, the Army white uniform featured a main jacket with four buttons, worn with matching white trousers and service cap, but unlike the Army green uniform, no unit patches, specialty tabs, or the black beret were worn. Officers wore their silver or gold-colored rank insignia pinned onto the shoulder epaulets, while enlisted personnel wore gold-on-white rank insignia and service stripes on both sleeves as that on the Army Blue Uniform. A white dress shirt and either a black bow tie or four-in-hand necktie, for formal and semi-formal functions, were worn.
It's definitely an interesting dilemma. When it comes to the medical detachment, I can find no information on the members having any kind of white uniform and it would seem that they wore was pretty much what other members of the unit wore. Here's an informative page about WW2 Hospitals and medical personnel:
The jackets that they wear seem more like lab or work coats and they are not wearing ties as all others are. The trousers seem to be white (although that could be from over exposure due to the white shirts) and the headgear seems to be the same as the other soldiers. It seems as though they are wearing some kind of work uniform so could this be a KP uniform or maybe an Orderly uniform for a hospital? Questions, questions...
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
Nice job! Here is a picture of Stephen Long that Ralph had sent me sometime ago. I know you don't see much of his face because of the pistol. I was thinking Ralph had another picture of him, maybe Ralph will post that if he does.
Good observations about the address book. I looked through some old emails and found a couple of scans Ralph had sent me, showing some names and addresses his father had. As you can see there are some of the same names and the same handwriting.
This is the other picture of Stephan Long that I have along with his name and address from the back of the photo. My father said that both of the photo's where Stephan Long but when I compare them now they don't look to me to be the same man. I now think he was mistaken about the man holding the handgun and that the photo with the man holding the Thompson is indeed Stephan Long ,the other maybe not....Ralph
It's definitely an interesting dilemma. When it comes to the medical detachment, I can find no information on the members having any kind of white uniform and it would seem that they wore was pretty much what other members of the unit wore. Here's an informative page about WW2 Hospitals and medical personnel:
The jackets that they wear seem more like lab or work coats and they are not wearing ties as all others are. The trousers seem to be white (although that could be from over exposure due to the white shirts) and the headgear seems to be the same as the other soldiers. It seems as though they are wearing some kind of work uniform so could this be a KP uniform or maybe an Orderly uniform for a hospital? Questions, questions...
Gary
Oct 1969 while in boot camp we did a week of mess duty in the chow hall before going to the rifle range, I was a server on the chow line, I wore for that week a white jacket and white trousers so I think these men were on k p or mess duty. if the army wore white while on that duty at that time. Of course if so I wonder why they didn't change uniform's for the photo Ralph
Sorry you missed it buddy but this was mentioned earlier in the thread right after we had received our Company A photos.Ralph had called me and brought it to my attention, I hadn't noticed it at first either. He did not know the name of this soldier, but his dad told him that this guy somehow always managed to come up with a dog anywhere they went. Ralph has several pictures of this guy and he his holding a dog in everyone. Here is one of those, maybe Ralph will post more.
This is the other picture of Stephan Long that I have along with his name and address from the back of the photo. My father said that both of the photo's where Stephan Long but when I compare them now they don't look to me to be the same man. I now think he was mistaken about the man holding the handgun and that the photo with the man holding the Thompson is indeed Stephan Long ,the other maybe not....Ralph
Ralph, my friend,
Thanks so much for the photo! It puts a face to some of the information that we have and maybe will allow an identification. Any chance to get this uploaded in a higher resolution to assist in this? How about a closeup of the face, also, if possible?
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
Thanks so much for the photo! It puts a face to some of the information that we have and maybe will allow an identification. Any chance to get this uploaded in a higher resolution to assist in this? How about a closeup of the face, also, if possible?
Gary
Gary Lets see if this is any better, I' m very limited in skills at this...Ralph
Oct 1969 while in boot camp we did a week of mess duty in the chow hall before going to the rifle range, I was a server on the chow line, I wore for that week a white jacket and white trousers so I think these men were on k p or mess duty. if the army wore white while on that duty at that time. Of course if so I wonder why they didn't change uniform's for the photo Ralph
Here's a page from the 100th Infantry Division Pictorial Review showing guys on KP in white early in 1944. A little different with longer "coats", but a significant clue I think. There's also one I found from the 203d General Hospital in Paris in late 1944 showing KP staff posing.
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
Gary Lets see if this is any better, I' m very limited in skills at this...Ralph
Ralph,
Thanks. I assume you are taking a photo of the photo... any chance you could take as closeup of just the dace as possible. The helmet makes it a difficult ID without a closeup. Alternatively, what kind of resolution does your camera take photos? If it is decent resolution then you could take a photo as closeup as possible of the photo and you could email it to me (I'd message you with the email address if we go this route). I could crop it when I get it.
Thanks for your patience, my friend!
Gary
Gary L. Gates
Proud Grandson of Randall Gates
Mechanic, A and H&S Companies, 292nd Engineer Combat Battalion, 1149th Engineer Combat Group
I'm so impressed with the matching you're doing. Who would have thought you'd get this far?
I said earlier that it was a shame that we couldn't see insignia on more of the guys, but now that I'm looking at the photo more closely on my computer, I obviously there's plenty of insignia. Are you narrowing it down any using rank? I can see you found the captain. Does the lieutenant insignia narrow down the other three guys against anyone on your lists?
As for arm patches, I only see five unidentified corporals and six sergeants (luckily, the only one with an arm patch that I can't see clearly is Sterling, so we already have him identified -- I'm pretty sure he was a corporal at the time they shipped out).
Concerning the uniforms, I'd have to agree that those white coats look like the KP uniforms, although I can't make up my mind about their head gear. How odd they didn't change for the photo. As for the khaki semi-formals, Sterling got married in his. I don't have any photos of him in Class As -- but I don't have many photos of him at all. Did the NCOs and enlisted men have Class As when they shipped out? Just curious, it doesn't make any difference for our photos.
