World War I Portrait Photograph of Dwight F. Chellis, with pencil description of war service, medals and bars
by [Michigan; WWI] Chellis, Dwight F
- Used
- Condition
- Very good condition
- Seller
-
Garrison, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
1919. Ephemera. Very good condition. Silvertone photograph of Dwight Chellis, Navy Chief in the Locomotive-Mounted U.S. Naval Railroad Batteries who fought with the American Expeditionary force in France during W.W.I.
Photo most likely taken in France showing Chellis, a former student of the University of Michigan before the war, in what might be a U.S. Marine uniform. Photo has writing in the margins: "Dwight F. Chellis/served in all the big battles/ decorated for superior marksmanship in the U.S. Marines/only naval battery on armament or swivel cars."
It is accompanied by a three page handwritten note in pencil, possibly written later by another family member who identified Chellis as a sailor, Dwight F. Chellis/February 1919/Chief Engineers mate/U.S. Naval Battery"
The note is mistaken with regard to his rating and Marine Corps service. According to The Michigan Alumnus (April 1919), Chellis had been a member of the Michigan Naval Militia which was organized at UMichigan in January 1917. He, with 37 other students enlisted or were commissioned in the U.S. Naval Batteries (USNB) and served in France by July 9, 1918. The magazine notes that he was a "CCM" (Chief Carpenter's Mate) rather than a "Chief Engineers mate" per the note.
The note is also incorrect regarding Chellis's having served with the Marine Corps. As documented in Navy Department Publication Number 6: The United States Navy Railroad Batteries in France (1922) and the Naval History and Heritage Command's Historical Summary of the U.S. Naval Railway Batteries (2018), the USNB was strictly a U.S. Navy unit and never affiliated with the U.S. Marines. Rather, it was assigned to the U.S. Army, specifically the First Army's Railway Artillery Reserve (RAR). The photograph appears to show Chellis wearing an indistinct shoulder sleeve patch. Army soldiers assigned to the RAR, wore shoulder patches featuring the Coastal Artilleries fictional mascot, the Oozlefinch (Woozlefinch), and some sources suggest that the USNB wore a variation of this patch.
Following the war, Chellis returned to New England and became a successful real estate agent in Rutland, VT.
Photo 3.25" x 4", attached to partial album page, with (3) 8.5 x 5.5" pages written in pencil. Photo in vgc, notes toned, slt ruffled. An interesting vernacular image of a W.W.I soldier.
Photo most likely taken in France showing Chellis, a former student of the University of Michigan before the war, in what might be a U.S. Marine uniform. Photo has writing in the margins: "Dwight F. Chellis/served in all the big battles/ decorated for superior marksmanship in the U.S. Marines/only naval battery on armament or swivel cars."
It is accompanied by a three page handwritten note in pencil, possibly written later by another family member who identified Chellis as a sailor, Dwight F. Chellis/February 1919/Chief Engineers mate/U.S. Naval Battery"
The note is mistaken with regard to his rating and Marine Corps service. According to The Michigan Alumnus (April 1919), Chellis had been a member of the Michigan Naval Militia which was organized at UMichigan in January 1917. He, with 37 other students enlisted or were commissioned in the U.S. Naval Batteries (USNB) and served in France by July 9, 1918. The magazine notes that he was a "CCM" (Chief Carpenter's Mate) rather than a "Chief Engineers mate" per the note.
The note is also incorrect regarding Chellis's having served with the Marine Corps. As documented in Navy Department Publication Number 6: The United States Navy Railroad Batteries in France (1922) and the Naval History and Heritage Command's Historical Summary of the U.S. Naval Railway Batteries (2018), the USNB was strictly a U.S. Navy unit and never affiliated with the U.S. Marines. Rather, it was assigned to the U.S. Army, specifically the First Army's Railway Artillery Reserve (RAR). The photograph appears to show Chellis wearing an indistinct shoulder sleeve patch. Army soldiers assigned to the RAR, wore shoulder patches featuring the Coastal Artilleries fictional mascot, the Oozlefinch (Woozlefinch), and some sources suggest that the USNB wore a variation of this patch.
Following the war, Chellis returned to New England and became a successful real estate agent in Rutland, VT.
Photo 3.25" x 4", attached to partial album page, with (3) 8.5 x 5.5" pages written in pencil. Photo in vgc, notes toned, slt ruffled. An interesting vernacular image of a W.W.I soldier.
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Details
- Seller
- Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 27702
- Title
- World War I Portrait Photograph of Dwight F. Chellis, with pencil description of war service, medals and bars
- Author
- [Michigan; WWI] Chellis, Dwight F
- Format/Binding
- Ephemera
- Book Condition
- Used - Very good condition
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Date Published
- 1919
- Bookseller catalogs
- MILITARY; PHOTOGRAPH;
Terms of Sale
Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs for up to 10 days after delivery if an item arrives mis-described or damaged.
About the Seller
Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints
Biblio member since 2009
Garrison, New York
About Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints
Booksellers for over 40 years, members of prominent trade associations (ABAA, ILAB, ANZAAB, IMCOS, ANZMS, PBFA). We are located at Garrison NY, a stone's throw from the Metro North Hudson line train, just over 1 hr. from NYC on the banks of the Hudson River. Books, maps, prints & ephemera bought & sold.