Today on Gus’ Gear, I present a few more personal items found in the soldier’s packs and haversacks.
On the left is a wash cloth carried by Frank Frankenfield, who served with the United States Army Ambulance Service. In the center is an army issue handkerchief and on the right is a navy issue handkerchief.
Every soldier carried some kind of a shaving kit. This is a Gillette safety razor in a snap closure case along with extra blades. The shaving mirror is from the Carson J. Lawrence grouping, it is polished metal and seems to age the user considerably.
Lice were a constant problem for the men in the trenches and a fine toothed comb was very useful to remove the nits from hair. This comb bears the initials C.J.L. And comes from the Carson Lawrence grouping.
This is a can of foot powder, dated 1918, used to fight foot ailments that were common in the trenches. Also shown is a chemical pro kit that is probably post war in production, but has nice graphics on the package.
Shown here is a French two compartment grease tin, used to carry lubricating grease for the rifle and polish for the boots. A bar of French Army issue soap is below it and a clothing brush to the right. The brush was used to remove dirt from the uniform and boots in the field.
Here is a bar of German soap, marked Hansa Seife, with an Iron Cross motif in the center. On the right is WWI vintage chemical prophylactic that still has the two tubes of cream and instructions for use (reorder instructions are on the back). The chemicals are so caustic that they have dissolved the lead tubes they are contained in over the past 100 years. The product name is Viro and could be ordered postage free, direct from the supplier for 30 Pfinnig for the smallest size or 1 Mark for the largest.
And a picture of Marmalade for Sabine.