Posted 9 years ago
Wisconsinv…
(1 item)
My Great-Great Grandfather, Clarence Pierson, served in World War I and acquired this belt while serving in the war.
This belt is from a German soldier who served in World War I. The belt was made in 1917. We believe Clarence traded and collected buttons and badges from other soldiers and brought the belt home as a souvenir. This is called a Souvenir Belt. We identified all buttons and insignia, except for three items.
Silver Wheel?
Rank Pip?
Brass Locomotive?
The buttons and badges we identified on this belt are:
United States Army
United States Army Ordinance Corps
British Army Kings Crown
French Army
German Army
Russian Imperial Army and Guard
German Prussian Officer
Belgian Regimental Army
United States General Officer
Turkish Garde Imperial Ottoman Empire
German Imperial Bavarian Army
United States Bronze Victory Veteran Lapel Pin
Napoleonic Wars of 1803-1815 French Engineers Coat
United States National Army
German Imperial Navy
German Imperial Army
Great WW1 souvenir belt!
These are often called "hate belts" by collectors, but they are usually found with both friendly and enemy insignia; so souvenir belt is more appropriate.
I don't usually collect/ deal in non- US insignia, so I cannot help out. The locomotive is unusual-- not something I have seen before.
Give it some time and you should get some answers on here.
Thanks again for sharing and joining CW.
scott
Thanks Scott. These belts are also referred to as "Grave-Digger Belts" but, my daughter, who wrote a report on the belt for her class, wanted to call it a souvenir belt versus a hate or grave digger belt. The reality is, it could be a little a little of each. Martin
wonderful!!!!!!!!!!
Just FYI - it's Ordnance, not ordinance!
Thanks Celiene. Spell check didn't catch it :)
Thanks Sean.
It is great that it has stayed in the family and that your daughter has an interest in it!
scott
Another word for these belts is "Trophy Belt." "Hate Belt" seems to be an American term, and many of our British and Commonwealth friends disagree with it because they usually contain more friendly insignia than enemy.
I think you are right about the item you think is a rank pip. The center looks like the Imperial German Eagle, but I've never seen a pip quite like it, so I can't verify
The wheel and train might be French railway insignia. American troops were shipped via rail car and one of my trophy belts had a French railway button so getting railway insignia for a souvenier was not unheard of.
sorry not to be more help
Chris
Thank you, Chris. You provided some leads. Apparently, the Unit my Great-Great Grandfather was in, landed in France. French railway insignia makes sense. I agree the rank pip looks like an Imperial German Eagle. Further research leads me to believe it's a Imperial Prussian eagle with the Hohenzollern family crest from 1888 Kaiser Wilhelm II Deutsche Reich period. Unable to verify uniforms or insignia from this period.
Martin