DI Examples

[dallas Φ]

101st Cav. Regt. This unit was in the New York NG. The DI was approved on 3 January 1928. It is marked "IJWU" which I think stands for International Jewelry Workers Union. It is a P/B.

102nd Cav. Regt. Part of the New Jersey NG. Approved on 16 May 1931. It was made by Meyer and is a S/B.

103rd Cav. Regt. This was one of two cavalry regiments in the Pennsylvania NG. The DI was approved on 14 July 1930. It was made by Robbins Co. of Attleboro, Mass. and is a S/B.

104th Cav. Regt. This was the second PA NG Regt. The DI was approved on 18 February 1924. It is gold plated over sterling and is a P/B.

<b>The 105th Cav. Regt. was in the Wisconsin NG. The distinctive trimming was a 1/4" Dia. twisted scarlet and gold silk cord worn in a single loop around the left sleeve, passing under the shoulder strap of the coat. I have never seen one. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.</b>



106th Cav. Regt. Illinois and Michigan NG. The DI was approved on 21 July 1931. It was made by Robbins and is a S/B.

107th Cav. Regt. This unit was with the Ohio NG. The DI was approved on 19 May 1927. It is not hallmarked and is an open P/B.

108th Cav. Regt. The 108th was divided between the Georgia and Louisiana NG. This DI was approved on 3 July 1934. It was supplied by the National Guard Equipment Co. and is a S/B.

109th Cav. Regt. This regiment was allocated to the States of Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee. The DI was approved on 31 July 1939. There is no hallmark and it is a S/B

110th Cav. Regt. The 110th was in the Massachusetts NG. The DI was approved on 8 February 1930. It was made by Robbins and is a S/B.

111th Cav. Regt. This unit was in the New Mexico NG. The DI was approved on 12 July 1926. It was supplied by Dondero and is a S/B. In 1940 this unit was redesignated the 207th Coast Artillery (AAA) and was sent to the Philippines where the surviving members were captured by the Japanese.

[dallas Φ]

Joe: Your 112th Cav. DI marked 2-F was made by Frank Bros., Inc. of San Antonio, TX. The DI marked E25 was made by Emblemcraft Ltd. of New York.
Dallas

[Philip S]

There was an earlier 103rd Cav DI which is quite rare. I do not know when the change was made. The photo is from one offered for sale (not in my collection).

[Joseph Sullivan]

Dallas:

What is my pin back with the shield, bend, and horsehead? I am confused, because of thinking that the one with the 8-point dragoon star and the dragood buckle is the 1st.

j

[dallas Φ]

Joe: Is that the one that you called the 2nd Cav. in your original post? It is a generic 1st Cav. Division. Is there a hallmark on the back? The reason I say generic is because during WW II, I guess, they did away with most if not all of the specialized 1st Cav. Div. DIs and went to the same design as the shoulder patch. I am not sure if those with the rough finish like this one are actually DIs or sweetheart type jewelery. There is one for the 2nd Cav. Div. also.
Dallas

[Joseph Sullivan]

Aha. Then if I understand you, the 8-point dragoon star is the 1st REGIMENT, and the Shield is the 1st DIVISION. BTW, mine does not actually have a rough finish.It has a smooth clearcoat over it, so the matte finish shows through. It is brass, the same size as any other. No hallmark. Pin nack with the locking closure that rolls closed with finger pressure.

J

[dallas Φ]

112th Cav. Regt. This regiment was part of the Texas NG. This piece was approved on 21 November 1933. It was made by Meyer and is a S/B.

113th Cav. Regt. The 113th was allocated to the Iowa NG. The DI was approved on 26 July 1927. It was made by Plumb and is a S/B.

114th Cav. Regt. This unit was part of the Kansas NG. This DI was approved on 2 November 1927. It is not hallmarked and is a S/B.

115th Cav. Regt. This was part of the Wyoming NG. The DI was approved on 30 June 1924. It is a sterling piece and is a P/B.

The 116th was part of the Idaho NG. This DI was approved on 16 January 1928. It is a S/B and was made by the St. Louis Button Co.

[Pat Holscher]

Originally posted by Pat Holscher


115th Cav. Regt. This was part of the Wyoming NG. The DI was approved on 30 June 1924. It is a sterling piece and is a P/B.

This DI, of which Dallas' example is a particularly nice one, went on to have an interesting post war use by the Wyoming Army National Guard. At the time the DI was approved the Wyoming Guard was nearly all cavalry. After WWII the bulk of it was switched over to artillery, although mechanized cavalry continued to exist for another decade or so. The DI continued to be used by almost all the various units of the Wyoming Army National Guard, except, ironically, the 115th FA Bde HQ which had it's own DI. So, for example, various engineering units, or the 1st and 3d Bn 49th FA used the old 115th DI.

The DI is still in use although not to the same degree it was. When the Wyoming Army National Guard decreased in size post Cold War, the artillery units resumed their Korean War era designation, but went to a new, not nearly as nice, DI. Other units do continue to use this one.

There's a variant in use in the WYARNG with a different color scheme, although I'm not sure who uses it.

Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Originally posted by Pat Holscher

Originally posted by Pat Holscher


115th Cav. Regt. This was part of the Wyoming NG. The DI was approved on 30 June 1924. It is a sterling piece and is a P/B.

This DI, of which Dallas' example is a particularly nice one, went on to have an interesting post war use by the Wyoming Army National Guard. At the time the DI was approved the Wyoming Guard was nearly all cavalry. After WWII teh bulk of it was switched over to artillery, although mechanized cavalry continued to exist for another decade or so. The DI continued to be used by almost all the various units of the Wyoming Army National Guard, except, ironically, the 115th FA Bde HQ which had it's own DI. So, for example, various engineering units, or the 1st and 3d Bn 49th FA used the old 115th DI.

The DI is still in use although not to the same degree it was. When the Wyoming Army National Guard decreased in size post Cold War, the artillery units resumed their Korean War era designation, but went to a new, not nearly as nice, DI. Other units do continue to use this one.

There's a variant in use in the WYARNG with a different color scheme, although I'm not sure who uses it.

Pat

A floral DI placed in front of the old 115th Armory in Casper, WY, just before it was torn down. The old troopers opposed the armory coming down, and this was part of their effort.



Pat

[Pat Holscher]

Originally posted by Pat Holscher


The 116th was part of the Idaho NG. This DI was approved on 16 January 1928. It is a S/B and was made by the St. Louis Button Co.

Pat

This is still a cavalry unit, no horses of course, and recently served a tour in Iraq.

Pat

[dallas Φ]

One final National Guard DI is the 117th Separate Cavalry Squadron from the Colorado NG. It was approved on 1 July 1931. The original issue of DIs was made by Whitehead & Hoag during annual training in 1932. This piece was made by Meyer and is a S/B.

121st Cav. Regt. This was the second cavalry regiment in the New York NG. The DI was approved on 24 October 1929.
This one was made by Bastian Bros. of Rochester, NY and is a S/B.

122nd Cav. Regt. The 122nd was split between Rhode Island and Connecticut. The DI was approved on 29 September 1928. It is not hallmarked but the nut for the screwpost is marked A.H. Dondero, Washington, D.C.

123rd Cav. Regt. I don't know where the 123rd was assigned. Its DI was never approved. This piece is not hallmarked and it is a P/B.

124th Cav. Regt. The 124th was the second cavalry regiment assigned to the Texas NG. The DI was approved but I don't know the date. This piece is not hallmarked and is a S/B. This concludes the National Guard series.

[dallas Φ]

The Organized Reserve was reorganized in 1921-22 after WW I and the cavalry regiments were reconstituted. The 301st was allocated to the State of New York. This DI was approved on 12 March 1925. It was supplied by Dondero and is a P/B.

The 302nd Cav. Regt. was in New Jersey. The DI was approved on 4 June 1927. This one was made by Robbins and is a S/B.

This DI is for the 303rd Cav. Regt. which was also from New York. It was approved on 20 January 1926. There is no hallmark and it is a S/B.

The 304th Cav. Regt. was also allocated to the State of New York. The DI was approved on 27 September 1926. It was not hallmarked and is a S/B.

This DI is for the 305th Cav. Regt. which was from Pennsylvania. It was approved on 7 March 1925. It was made by Robbins and is a P/B.

The 306th Cav. Regt. was from the Maryland and Washington, D.C. area. The DI was approved on 15 August 1924. It was supplied by Dondero and is a S/B.

The 306th also wore a ribbon at some time during their history. I am not sure whether it was worn on one shoulder or both but most units with ribbons wore them on the left shoulder strap of the service coat.

The 307th Cav. Regt. was activated in Virginia. The DI was approved on 2 September 1927. This piece is not hallmarked and is a P/B.

This is the DI for the 308th Cav. Regt. which was assigned to Pennslyvania. It was approved on 26 July 1926. It was made by Bailey, Banks & Biddle of Philadelphia. It is a S/B.

The 309th Cav. Regt. was allocated to the States of North Carolina and Georgia. The DI was approved on 17 April 1936. It is not hallmarked and is a S/B.

This is the DI for the 310th Cav. Regt. which was assigned to the States of Tennessee and Georgia. It was approved on 15 January 1936. There is no hallmark and it is a P/B.

[dallas Φ]

The 311th Cav. Regt. was assigned to Texas. The DI was approved on 6 September 1927. The sunflower represents the unit's original location at Fort Riley, Kansas and the star is for its later Texas service. It is not hallmarked and is a P/B.

The 312th Cav. Regt. was located in Oklahoma. The DI was approved on 5 November 1925. It is not hallmarked and is a S/B.

This is the DI for the 313th Cav. Regt. which was assigned to Kentucky. It was approved on 5 August 1927. This piece was made by Robbins and is a S/B.

The 314th Cav. Regt. had its HQ in Lexington, KY. The DI was approved on 20 November 1925. This piece is not hallmarked and is a S/B.

This is the DI for the 315th Cav. Regt. which was allocated to the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut. It was approved on 13 December 1924. There is no hallmark and it is a S/B.

The 316th Cav. Regt. was assigned to Vermont. The DI was approved on 28 May 1927. This piece has no hallmark and is a S/B.

The 317th Cav. Regt. HQ was located in Chicago, Illinois. The DI was approved on 20 December 1924. This piece was made by Meyer and is a P/B.

The 318th Cav. Regt. had the third ribbon among the cavalry units. This unit was also located in Illinois. The ribbon was approved on 22 May 1924 and was worn on the left shoulder strap of the service coat. This particular ribbon was worn by 2nd Lt. Harold O. Fichte of Troop B, 1st Sqdn.

The 319th Cav. Regt. was located in Michigan. The DI was approved on 10 July 1926. This one was made by Meyer and is a P/B.

This the DI for the 320th Cav. Regt. which was assigned to Wisconsin. It was approved on 29 April 1939. It is not hallmarked and is a S/B. The armored gauntlet is superimposed on the shield.

The 321st Cav. Regt. was located in the Kansas City, Missouri area. The DI was never approved. It was made by Newcome and is a S/B.

The 322nd Cav. Regt. was assigned to Iowa. The DI was not approved. This one was made by Meyer and is a P/B.

The 323rd Cav. Regt. was based in the States of California, Washington and Oregon. The DI was approved on 26 January 1928. This one is not hallmarked and is a P/B.

The last Organized Reserve regiment is the 324th Cav. which was assigned to Utah. The DI was approved on 3 August 1938. This one was made by Meyer and is a S/B.

[Joseph Sullivan]

Dallas:

Wonderful pix, and very useful. Thank you for taking the trouble. When I look at all the variety and the sheer numbers, I am reminded of stamp or coin collections. Your pix here have rekindled an interest for me.

It there a reliable reference book for DIs?

Joe

[Pat Holscher]

This is a fantastic collection, and by sharing it with us, we now have a fantastic resource. There's a few more to go up, by the way.

Pat

[dallas Φ]

Joe: You can buy the ASMIC catalogs, even as a non-member. The Armor/Cavalry, Volume One, Part One (1999) Non-Member Price $10.00
This Volume One only covers from Unit Nos.1 to 100 so none of the National Guard or Organized Reserve would be included.

The old Armor-Cavalry Catalog (December 1973) covered everything from Unit No. 1 to 899, so all of the Cavalry units were covered. The new catalog is much more detailed, but nobody has been willing to step forward to work on the Volume Two of the new catalog because of the enormous amount of work involved. The old catalog is out of print but if you can't find a copy, I would be willing to copy mine for you.
To order a copy of the new Volume One, send $10.00 plus $3.50 shipping to ASMIC Pubs, 3415 Tilley Morris Road, Matthews, NC 28105

Another good reference is CAVALRY REGIMENTS OF THE U.S. ARMY by James Sawicki, List Price $35.00, ISBN 0-9602404-6-2. It was published by Wyvern Publications, P.O. Box 188, Dumfries, VA 22026. There are some mistakes in this book, but then most books have some.

If you are really serious, you might consider joining ASMIC. The yearly dues are $28 but you get a lot for your money. Contact the Membership Secretary George Duell, 526 Lafayette Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071-1621. There are discounts on all the publications. For example, the Cavalry Catalog is $6.00 and the Sawicki book is $28.
Dallas

[Joseph Sullivan]

Dallas:

Presume the catalogues are well illustrated -- and are they also indexed somehow? For instance, with that horseshoe and hand insignia in my layout earlier in this thread, would there be a way to look it up?

J

[dallas Φ]

Joe: Since that piece had a motto, the easiest way would be to order the motto catalog which has a list of all of the mottos known. Otherwise you would have to go through the catalogs and look at each one. I don't have a motto catalog but I am going to order one.
Dallas

[dallas Φ]

Joe: I checked out your horseshoe DI with the motto "Firm and Watchful". It is the 81st Cav. Recon. Co. It was an unapproved DI.
Dallas

[Joseph Sullivan]

How interesting. Thank you for going to the trouble.

Joe