Uniform Grouping For Colonel Edley Craighill -29th ID & 101st AB. SOLD

Description

Uniform Grouping For Colonel Edley Craighill -29th ID & 101st AB.

This grouping consists of:

• Ike Jacket, trousers, and webb waist belt. The jacket has plain infantry officer collar brass (Acidtest), U.S.s, both clutch backs, and colonels eagles (Shold-R-Form – MEYER -pin backs), (506th PIR) dui – no hallmark, clutch back. and 101st AB and 29th ID fully embroidered patches, and bullion overseas stripes, for both WWI and WWII. The jacket was made by “MONSKY’S”, Columbus, GA., gray stain lining,  matching trousers, and web waist belt with brass buckle.  No id on any of the items.  Fine condition.  It appears that Craighill his wearing this jacket in the photograph used for him on “Find A Grave” site.
• Summer Khaki dress coat and trouser, (OS cap, and name tag, and other paper found in pockets). Infantry and US collar brass is hallmarked MEYER, Dui are different – one Ira Green, the other a repaired unhallmarked type, both clutch back,  colonels eagles are MEYER, pin backs.  101st AB & 29th ID patches are both fully embroidered, Combat Infantryman’s Badge three rows of ribbon bars:  Bronze Star, Purple Heart, American Defense, EAME, American Campaign, WWI Victory,Army of Occupation, WWII Victory Medal.   The coat has the “Regulation Army Officer’s Uniform,” trousers has a similar but smaller tag, and a contract label dated March of 1945.  Fine condition.
• 1943 Field Jacket, size 40R.  Has a theater made 29th ID patch on the right sleeve, 101st AB patch on left. Colonels eagles are MEYER hallmarked and STERLING – pin back.  Fine condition.
• Ike Jacket, August of 1944 contract label size 40 R, with non hallmarked collar brass- clutch back;  Colonels eagles- pinback and  hallmarked “H&H Imperial.” CIB is hallmarked Sterling, and a later replacement. 3rd Armored Division and 29th ID patches are fully embroidered. ( I have not been able to find out Craighill was in the 3rd AD.)  The overseas stripes for WWI and WWII had been removed.  Fine condition.
• WWII labeled “Regulation Army Officer’s O-Coat” size 37 R.  Although the size is 37R, the sizing must be different for overcoats, as this fits nicely over an Ike jacket. The coat is in very good condition, and does show a good deal of wear with discoloration from sun, general wear, and wartime conditions. Has the original belt.

Edley Craighill, was born in Lynchburg City, Virginia on 15 July, 1894, the son of Col. Robert Edley Craighill, and from a long line of military men going back to the War of 1812.   He had entered military service in the Virginia National Guard in 1916, and during WWI had received a commission as a lieutenant in the 80th Division,  After the war he would author the “History of the 317th Infantry, 1919.”

Prior to D-Day, Colonel Craighill had been in the 116th Infantry before being assigned to the 115th Infantry, 29th ID. as executive officer.  After D-Day, Col. Craighill took command of the regiment from Col. Edward H. McDaniel.  Taken from the book, “Our Tortured Souls: The 29th Infantry Division in the Rhineland,”  “McDaniel was replaced by the 115th’s executive, Lt. Col. Edley Craighill, one of the 29th Division’s most unusual soldiers. In a division overwhelmingly populated by young men, the fifty-year old Craighill was among the 29th oldest members……Something about a middle-aged guardsman and former enlisted man, however, triggered doubt in (General) Gerhardt’s mind about Craighill’s ability to command. Three days later, the general contacted the commander of the 175th’s 3rd Battalion, Lt. Col. William Blandford, fifteen years Craighill’s junior and a member of the West Point Class of 1933, and ordered him to assume command of the 115th Infantry..”  Craighill had held command from 19 October, 1944 to 21 November, 1844.

I found little about Colonel Craighill online, but did manage to locate this short biography on a member of 29th Id, S/Sgt. John F. Drennan, Jr., serving in a Signal bn.  Shortly after landing on Omaha Beach,  on 6 June, 1844, Drennan was with Craighill near St, Claire, France on 30 June, where Craighill was wounded by German strafing, and Drennan wounded by bomb fragments.

Colonel Craighill’s son, Edley Craighill, Junior, a 1st Lieutenant in the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, was killed near the Le Barquette lock in Normandy, and as his unit crossed on the fields, an enlisted man was hit by a bullet, and Lt. Craighill dropped his weapon, and immediately went back to bring the man to safety, and was awarded the Silver Star for that action. Later, Lt. Craighill was struck by fragments from artillery fire and killed in action on 14 June, 1944, at Carentan.

I mention Craighill’s son, because when offered this lot of uniforms, I was able to see the uniform and some objects of the Lieutenant, but they were being held for another collector. All of the material was purchase by my contact back in 1993 from a active dealer in Virginia, Larry Pistol.

I assume that in the early 1950s, Col. Craighill sought to command a regiment in the 101st and did for a time have command of the 506th Infantry.  The 506th was deactivated in 1945, then was re-activated as the 506th Airborne Infantry Regiment in 1948–1949, again in 1950–1953 and finally, in 1954 to train recruits. Despite the designation “Airborne Infantry” and its continuing assignment in the101st AB, none of these troops received airborne training, nor was the “Airborne” tab worn above the Divisional patch.  Thus the reason for granting the command, and the way no airborne tab was worn.  He served with this regiment at Camp Breckenridge, Ky, and Fort Jackson, S.C.

I believe that several of these pieces were worn during Craighill’s service in the 29th ID.  All are overall in fine condition.