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US ARMY SERVICE TROUSERS, MOUNTED PATTERN 1911 –
MEXICAN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION UNIFORM ITEM:
One
of the pieces of early Twentieth Century US Army
uniforming commonly associated with the 1916 Mexican
Punitive Expedition, this is a pair of 1911 Mounted
Service Trousers.
As described in William Machado’s description of the
Pattern 1911 Service Uniform in his informative
Uniforms and Equipment of the Last Campaign 1916,
these Service Trousers with the reinforcing extra layer
of cloth inside surface of the legs, were the common
trousers issued during the Punitive Expedition.
Replacing the earlier mounted trouser pattern introduced
earlier in the 1902 Uniform Regulations, the army
decided the reinforced seat was no longer necessary in
the 1911-1914 time frame and it was deleted from the
specifications, retaining only the reinforcing extra
layer of material on the inside of the legs.
Manufactured of the same wool as the service coat, this
pair of trousers has all five aluminum buttons on the
fly, each embossed with the correct “ * U S A * “ logo.
The combination maker and Quartermaster Depot tag is
sewn to the underside of the right front pocket liner,
and although worn, the imprint of the Philadelphia
Clothing Depot is still legible.
There are two front pockets with a watch pocket over the
right hand front pocket, two rear pockets, and all of
the belt loops are present and intact.
While this pair of trousers is a solid specimen, it does
show evidence of issue and wear in the field. The
quality of the material is very good with no weak seams,
open tears, mothing or faded or bleached areas.
There are five points of
repair as seen in the photographs below – at the crotch,
on the right thigh below the front pocket, the same
location below the left pocket, and below the right rear
pocket – that have all been well stitched over during
the period of use. All of these areas are typical wear
points and the soldier did not allow them to enlarge or
weaken the trousers, instead having them properly
repaired to preserve the service life of his pants.
None of these repairs are particularly unsightly, well
executed with the proper colored thread which blends in
well with the material.
The rear seam on the back
of the trousers has been reinforced with a piece of
heavy canvas bias tape, again during the period of use,
and it appears it was done to provide a bit more room in
the seat rather than being a split seam as there is no
damage to the edges of the material. This seam is not
weak and the reinforcement was very neatly done. The
eyelets on the leg gussets are all present and the
lacing strings are full length and complete with the
brass tips.
This pair is a very respectable specimen, which will
display well with a cavalry display focused on the era
of the Punitive Expedition through World War One.
(0429)
$185
NOTE: Photographing wool material
presents some interesting challenges in lighting and
contrast. It results in a trade off between trying to
maintain the accurate and consistent coloring between
photographs and providing sufficient detail of specific
features. Any variations in the coloring you see in the
photographs below is due to the limitations of the
photography and is not due to fading, bleached areas, or
discoloration of the material.
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