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Offered here is a named and identified WWII GI grouping consisting of a U.S. Army 1918 meat can / mess kit with frying-pan handle and its period canvas meat-can pouch, extensively personalized by the soldier who carried it.
Named and identified WWII U.S. Army mess kit with period canvas meat-can pouch, extensively personalized by the GI who carried it.
This U.S. Army aluminum mess kit is dated 1918, making it a WWI-manufactured piece of field gear that was later used during WWII.
Most importantly, it is hand-scratched:
HAYES L. GIER
24TH SIG. PLATOON
35032589
Official U.S. Army WWII enlistment records identify Hayes L. Gier, ASN 35032589, an exact match to the Army Serial Number scratched into the kit. Gier was inducted at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, on April 18, 1941, months before the United States entered WWII.
Extensive Period GI Graffiti
Gier extensively personalized his mess kit, including scratching the names of places across Australia into the metal.
At least eight locations can still be identified:
MELBOURNE • BALLARAT • MT. GAMBIER • ADELAIDE • TEROWIE • ALICE SPRINGS • DALY WATERS • BRISBANE
Along with his name and ASN, the kit is prominently marked “24TH SIG. PLATOON.” Historical records independently document a 24th Signal Platoon among U.S. units serving in Australia during WWII, including a 24th Signal Platoon associated with Adelaide River in the Northern Territory.
The combination of a named GI, complete ASN, unit designation and Australian place names gives this piece unusually strong and researchable provenance.
WWI Manufacture, WWII Use
The mess kit is clearly marked:
U.S.
W.S. Co.
1918
Gier himself was born in 1918 and entered the Army in 1941. This is therefore an interesting example of WWI-production U.S. Army field gear reused during the WWII era, rather than equipment originally belonging to Gier during WWI.
His WWII-era personalization gives this 1918 meat can a documented second chapter.
Period Canvas Pouch Included
Included is the period U.S. Army M1928-pattern canvas meat-can pouch pictured with the kit.
The pouch retains its web closure strap with tongueless friction buckle, rear attachment loops and interior compartments. It shows substantial age and field wear, including staining, fading, fraying, loose threads and interior deterioration.
The mess kit and pouch are being sold together.
About Hayes L. Gier
Hayes L. Gier survived WWII and later settled in the Detroit area with his wife, Anne.
He became a television engineer with WWJ-TV Detroit, and a 1969 broadcasting trade publication records his promotion to studio supervisor.
Gier died in Detroit on April 11, 1972, at age 53.
The complete Army Serial Number scratched into this kit is what allows the artifact to be positively connected to the GI who carried it more than 80 years ago.
Condition
This grouping has been left as found and has not been cleaned, polished or restored.
The mess kit shows extensive authentic age and use, including scratches, oxidation, staining, discoloration and wear. The numerous hand-scratched inscriptions and GI graffiti have been preserved exactly as found.
The canvas pouch shows substantial age, staining, fading, fraying, loose threads and interior deterioration.
Please examine all photographs carefully. They show the exact condition of the items being offered.
A Remarkable Piece of Named WWII Militaria
This isn\'t simply another surplus mess kit.
It retains the soldier\'s full name, complete Army Serial Number, 24th Signal Platoon designation, eight identifiable Australian place names, 1918 U.S. Army markings and period canvas pouch.
An excellent piece for collectors of named and identified WWII militaria, U.S. Army field gear, Signal Corps and signal unit material, Southwest Pacific history, Australian WWII militaria, GI graffiti, trench art, mess kits, meat cans, M1928 web gear and WWI equipment reused during WWII.
You are offerding on the actual named 1918 U.S. Army mess kit and period canvas pouch shown in the photographs. Both pieces pictured are included and will remain together.
More than 80 years later, Hayes Gier\'s name, Army number, unit and the places he encountered are still scratched into the field gear he carried.
