Belt, Storage
Object number2018.132.9
Date1943-1945
MediumCanvas; Fabric; Metal; Paint
Credit LineGift of Steven W. Hays
DescriptionU.S. Army military uniform utility belt. Olive green twill belt with shiny black metal buckle at one end and diagonal cut, unfinished other end. Mounted on belt at the buckle end is green fabric storage unit with olive green trim; storage unit has three pockets each with top flap with painted tan metal snap for closure; internal top edge of the pockets is lined with stiff tan material.DimensionsHeight x Length x Depth: 3.688 x 35.125 x 0.75 in. (9.4 x 89.2 x 1.9 cm)Historical NotesPart of a collection that documents donor Steven W. Hays' father, Walter J. G. Hays, Jr.'s service in WWII. Walter J. G Hays, Jr. grew up at 5100 Bayard Street in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended Shady Side Academy. After high school he began to work at Sewickley Ice Company, which his father, William J. G. Hays, Sr., owned. Walter was drafted in 1943, trained in Bloomington, Illinois (where he met his future wife) and then was deployed to England. He trained for six months in England before participating in D-Day as well as the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded and received a Purple Heart. He ended his service in Berlin where his group was relieved by MP troops who came to keep peace in Berlin after the war. When he returned to the States he first went back to Bloomington to marry Lucille Nutgrass, who he met when he was stationed there, and then returned to Pittsburgh and his job at the ice plant. While he was in the service he worked in refrigeration repair and served in the 3712th Quartermaster Truck Company.
Previous owner
Walter J. G. Hays Jr.
Related institution
3712th Quartermaster Truck Company
Related person
Lucille Nutgrass
Related institution
Sewickley Ice Company
On View
Not on view
1941-1953
1943-1945
1944-1945
1943