"WW-I  USMC Blouse w/ Medals Attached" story -If memory serves, there was a lot of OD field jackets M51s and M65s, OG107 uniforms, civilian clothes (trench coats and those old "Elmer Fudd" plaid wool hunting coats from the 50s). In the center of that pile of stuff was this USMC Forest green wool blouse. At first we thought it was just your regular run of the mill USMC dress green wool blouse - nothing special. One of the guys grabbed it and unfolded it and Holy Finless Brown Trout! Not only was it a First World War blouse, it still had the EGA collar discs and the original owner's medals! As to how that "gem" wound up in that bale is anybody's guess but my theory is that someone passed away and their family hauled everything to Goodwill. 

Collection of World War Two Army Surplus Store Catalog prices circa 1942-1947

Brian, I used to like to go to Col. Bubbies when I would go down to Galveston. Got some nice WWII things back in the early 90's. Wonder if it made it through the hurricane. - Chantel Tennyson 
   - Let me know if it survived. - Brian

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Bannerman's is most likely the greatest army surplus venture there will ever be.
The Brooklyn, New York business, known everywhere as “Bannerman’s” was founded during the Civil War era in 1865.
Francis Bannerman's was one of the first merchants to recognize the value of surplus military goods and Bannerman's became the premier private arms dealer in the world. 

By the early 1900s, Bannerman's supply of military goods was staggering. Entire nations were his customers. 
It is estimated that "50 percent of the commemorative cannons placed in public areas were purchased through Bannerman's."
Countries outfitted whole armies through Bannerman's. 
During the Russian-Japanese war, Bannerman's filled an order for 100,000 saddles, rifles, knapsacks, haversacks, gun slings, uniforms and 20 million cartridges, as well as a shipload of assorted military goods. (1)
Francis Bannerman also contributed cannons, uniforms, and blankets to the U.S. government during World War I. 

Francis (Frank) Bannerman VI - The Father of the Army-Navy Store

The patriarch of Bannermans family business and the builder of Bannerman's Castle, Frank Bannerman VI, was a Scottish patriot, very proud of his descent from one of the few Macdonald's to survive the massacre at Glencoe in 1692. During the 1690's, the King of England demanded allegiance from the Scottish clans. Legend has it that the Macdonald clan was slow to give the British their oath of loyalty. Acting on behalf of the Crown, a rival clan, the Campbells, slaughtered all Macdonald males ages 12-70. One escaped to the hills with the clan banner -- and from that day on, his family name was Bannerman. (3)

Francis "Frank" Bannerman was born March 24, 1851, in Dundee, Scotland, and immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1854. The family moved to Brooklyn, NY in 1858 where his father established a business selling flags, rope and other articles that he acquired at Navy auctions. While he was still in school, Francis began to collect scrap from sailing ships in New York harbor. He was very successful at this. When his father joined the union army during the Civil War, 13-year-old Francis began running the business. 

At the close of the American Civil War, the U.S. government began auctioning off military goods by the ton, with most items being scrapped for their metal. Francis Bannerman was one of the first people to realize that much of what was being sold at scrap prices had a much higher market value - much higher than the scrap metal value. He increased his inventory at the end of the Civil War by buying surplus stock at government auctions and began a military surplus business near the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1865 where he purchased and sold the surplus military equipment. 

When Bannerman went to California to bid on government cartridge boxes, he avoided heavy rail-freight charges by chartering an entire clipper ship to take his purchases back to New York via Cape Horn. He acquired a huge store of army belt-plates and smelted them down in his front yard, separating the lead from the brass in the process; the salvaged metals were then sold, in what was deemed a profitable undertaking. He converted a peaceful passenger ship into a well-armed man-of-war for a South American government in one week, “a record for speed that could scarcely be duplicated,” he boasted; and in one quick turnaround he bought up thousands of Civil War carbines and sold them in bulk to a New York store that retailed the guns for sixty-nine cents apiece. If they yielded a profit at this retail price, one can only imagine what Bannerman paid for them.

Arms meant more to Frank Bannerman than profits alone. The federal government had a practice of smashing surplus arms under heavy hammers before auctioning them. This destruction scandalized Bannerman:

We remember at the close of the Civil War, making the highest bid at Government sale, on a lot of 11,000 old guns, “veterans of many wars,” part of the lot surrendered by General Lee, classified “Rebel.” The U.S. Ordnance Officer refused to accept our bid for the guns, alleging “that Bannerman would repair the guns and put them into serviceable order, and they would then enter into competition with the now obsolete guns that the Government had for sale.” So this lot of “Rebel” guns, which contained many heirlooms of patriots who had fought with Washington and Jackson, was consigned to the fire, and the old burnt locks and barrels sold to us later as scrap iron. (2)

In 1867 the business occupied a ship chandlery on Atlantic Avenue engaged in the purchase of worn rope for paper making.  Under his guidance, Bannerman's became the world's largest buyer of surplus military equipment. As more and more material was acquired, it moved several times, finally arriving at 501 Broadway, in Manhattan. 

The store on the 500 block of Broadway opened in 1897 to outfit volunteers for the Spanish-American War. Their storeroom and showroom took up a full block at 501 Broadway, and opened to the public in 1905. The New York Herald said of it that, "No museum in the world exceeds it in the number of exhibits." 

Banner's company bought weapons directly from the Spanish government before it evacuated Cuba; and then purchased over 90 percent of the Spanish guns, ammunition, and equipment captured by the United States military which was auctioned off by the United States government. So much equipment and ammunition was bought after the Spanish-American War that the laws of New York city forced them to look for storage outside of the city limits. Since they couldn't store the over 90 tons of explosives in New York, they bought Bannerman Island on the Hudson River near West Point. 

The Bannermans purchased Pollepel Island (known afterwards as Bannerman's Island) from the Taft family in 1900 as a safe storage site. Mr. Bannerman began the construction of a recreated Scottish castle and simple residence in 1901. Equipment of every description as well as ammunition were shipped there for storage until sold. The castle, clearly visible from the shore of the Hudson River, served as a giant advertisement for his business. On the side of the castle facing the western bank of the Hudson, Mr. Bannerman had "Bannerman's Island Arsenal" cast into the wall. 

In 1918 construction on the island ceased upon Mr. Bannerman's death. On August 1920, 200 tons of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex. 

Bannerman's sales of military weapons to civilians declined during the early 20th century as a result of state and federal legislation. However the company in general prospered until the 1970s. 

Bannerman's Catalogues

Bannerman Catalogs have been of great interest to Militaria and gun collectors, as well as sportsmen for the past 125 years.
Bannerman's catalogues educated generations of readers, both old & young alike, during the late 19th and 20th centuries. 
The Bannermans widely advertised their large, illustrated catalog in the back of pulp and sporting goods magazines in the 1920's and 1930's for 40 cents. Catalogs of their goods were routinely issued for almost one hundred years. 

Cannon? Bannerman offered them with twenty-four hundred rounds of shot “at bargain prices,” ready to be shipped within five minutes of the receipt of an order (“no red tape with our quick deliveries”).
Gatling guns? The firm stocked two hundred, with eight million rounds of ball cartridges “for any government War Department desiring to equip their army with a first-class outfit.”
A machine that could cast over a hundred thousand bullets a day? Bannerman could give you a price.
An ancient crossbow? A Zulu warrior’s lance? A Congo blow-gun arrow? See Bannerman—price: $75, $6.75, and $1.00 each, respectively. He acquired these curiosities through foreign agents and on his own frequent arms-buying forays abroad. (2)

Not only did the company offer for sale an amazing variety of weaponry and accessories, they took pride in showing the evolution of weapons and included many pages of descriptions, drawings, photos and even patent applications. 
They are a great reference resource to Militaria collectors today. 
Many collectors claim that the Bannerman catalog is the best book ever written on weapons of war. Each catalogue is a weapon history book in itself, although the quality of the printing deteriorated over the years as the staff aged and pages were reproduced. 

The Bannermans army surplus catalogs were published regularly from the 1880s to the 1960s. 
Their post 1900 catalogs can offer up to approximately 350 illustrated pages and feature a wide assortment of items from African arrows with metal barbed points to a Moroccan sheik saddle in serviceable order.  The firm also did a brisk business in martial antiques, supplying the veterans’ post wanting a front-lawn cannon, the museum seeking a suit of armor, the collector looking for a seventeenth-century blunderbuss, or the schoolboy dreaming of crossed sabers hanging in his room.

The company even had links from the famous iron chain that had been strung across the Hudson River during the American Revolution as a device to snag British ships. The links were cut into cross sections a quarter of an inch thick, polished bright, stamped “Section of chain used by General George Washington, West Point, New York, 1778.”  The last of these links to the Revolution were sold in the 1940’s for $2.75 apiece.

Bannerman also conducted a lively trade in less lethal wares. He sold surplus military uniforms to bands, fire departments, and patriotic organizations. Seventy-five years after the Civil War the firm was still offering Union army uniforms “in the original cases, free from moths and in perfect condition.” Buffalo Bill used Bannerman supplies in his act. The cast of My Maryland, a 1927 musical with a Civil War theme, was outfitted in original blue and gray uniforms from Bannerman’s. (2)
"To my generation, Bannerman's was a real evocative name," says Bob Parker, now a man nearing 70. "My brother and I used to get the catalog in New Mexico where we lived in the 1930s, and buy kepis (hats) issued in the Civil War for seventy five cents! A lot of things came in their original crates, never unpacked. It was a great place for tack, cots, tents, saddles ... I still have my kepi from 1935." Bannerman's supplied countless theatrical productions with uniforms for costumes, and many illustrators and painters with military detail. (1). 

New Militaria Collectors today often ask about why their seemingly NOS (New Old Stock) clothing and articles of uniform are marked "Bannermans". Many people do not realize how much original NOS military surplus from the Cival War, WWI, and WWII in the form of uniforms, clothing, patches, silk maps, blood chits, and accountrements was procured by theatrical companies, costume shops, and movie studios. These private civilian entities often added their own sewn-in or iron-on labels, or they stamped their own company name in permanent ink right on the garment, patch, or accounterment. Kaufmans Surplus and Max Berman & Sons were two other companies besides Bannermans who sold and/or rented NOS and used clothing, jackets, flight jackets & patches, and accounterments to theatrical companies, movie studios, and sold or rented them directly to the public as well. (scroll down to section #5 and scroll down to: "Kaufman’s supplies Broadway:")

It is uncertain when the first Bannerman's catalogs were printed, but it was very likely soon after they started business. All of the known catalogs are dated, but only a few of them are numbered. The early catalogs had no illustrations. The 1888 Bannerman catalog is representative of their early catalogs. It is a small 12 page booklet that has a brief description of a few military items and a blank space to write in the price of each item. The lack of a printed price allowed for a price change without reprinting the catalog. This also indicates that this catalog format was probably used between 1865 and 1888. The first illustrated catalog was produced in 1889. This catalog had 25 pages and was approx. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" in size. In 1907 the catalog was 7" x 10" in size and had grown to 259 pages. In 1910 Bannerman's produced their first full size catalog, which was 9" x 11 1/2". 

Here is a list of the known Bannerman's catalogs.  If you have further info on Bannerman's catalogues, please email me.
1888, 1889, 1900, 1903, 1904, 1907, 1910 (first large catalog), 1913, 1917, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1933, 1936, 1940 (#25 - 75th anniversary), 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1954 (#28), 1955, 1966 (100th anniversary)

Bannerman's 1904 catalog states: "This catalogue contains illustrations, descriptions and history of the largest stock in the world of Military Goods from Government Auctions, and is considered by many as the authority on Military Weapons, giving information found in no other catalogue or book."  It also states "Some of our customers think this catalogue is worth its weight in gold.", which is something that still holds true 108+ years later.

Bannerman Island & Bannerman's Castle

Bannerman Island, is the site of Bannerman's Castle (also known as  Pollepel Island) is about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City and about 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Hudson River's eastern shore. It contains about 6.5 acres (26,000 m2) — most of it rock.

The principal feature on the island is Bannerman's Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse. It was built in the style of a castle by businessman Francis Bannerman VI (1851–1918). One side of the castle carries the words "Bannerman's Island Arsenal". 

Francis Bannerman purchased the island in November 1900, for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business. In the spring of 1901 he began to build an arsenal on Pollepel Island to provide a safe location to store thirty million surplus munitions cartridges. Bannerman designed the buildings himself and let the constructors interpret the designs on their own. Most of the buildings were devoted to the storage of army surplus,  but Bannerman also built another castle in a smaller scale on top of the island near the main structure as a residence. There he often used items from his surplus collection for decoration. 

The castle, clearly visible from the shore of the river, served as a giant advertisement for his business. On the side of the castle facing the western bank of the Hudson, Bannerman cast the legend "Bannerman's Island Arsenal" into the wall.

The castle today
The island and buildings were bought by New York State in 1967, after the old military merchandise had been removed, and tours of the island were given in 1968. However, on August 8, 1969, fire devastated the Arsenal, and the roofs and floors were destroyed. The island was placed off-limits to the public. 

Today, the castle is still the property of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and is mostly in ruins. While the exterior walls still stand, all the internal floors and non-structural walls have since burned down. The island has been the victim of vandalism, trespass, neglect and decay. Several old bulkheads and causeways that submerge at high tide present a serious navigational hazard. 

On-island guided hard hat tours were recently made available through the Bannerman's Castle Trust. The castle is easily visible to the riders of the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson line and Amtrak. The sign is easily visible to southbound riders.

Sometime during the week prior to Sunday, December 28, 2009, parts of the castle collapsed. Officials estimate 30-40 percent of the structure's front wall and about half of the east wall collapsed. It was reported by a motorist and by officials on the Metro North Railroad, which runs along the edge of the Hudson River.

For more info on Francis Bannerman,  Bannerman's Island, and Bannerman's Castle, see:
www.bannermancastle.org/history.html
www.hudsonriver.com/bannerman-island
www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60346&st=20

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Shelves full of military vehicle engine, transmission, and differential parts still packed in cosmoline protectant. 

Shelves overflowing with military vehicle water pumps, belts, hoses, lines, and electrical parts still packed in cosmoline. 
 

I also made trips to visit Roy Van Wicklin of 4wd by Van, and Phil MacDonnald of Highland Truck Parts (now closed).  Phil always had great stuff - he's retired to Canada last I heard. Van always had stories. If I was at Van's in Calabasas for 2 hours, I knew Van would fill the time with 3 hours worth of stories. If I had 4 hours, then Van would come up with 5 hours worth of stories. Funny thing about Van, he's got a story for everything. He's quite a character. I never bought much there, as he usually wanted way too much money. Eventually he too closed up shop in LA and retired to Las Vegas. Terry was the mechanic at 4WD by Van's. He was a good guy too. Eventually he left Van's and teamed up with Kerry from Surplus City to start a small WWII jeep operation. They called themselves "The Outcasts".  I bought 3 Ford Script body tubs from them and a few boxes of miscellaneous parts from them.  They were also involved in the infamous Cuervo Gold tequila induced "Brian & Kerry's Stretcher Bearer Taxi Service" at the Woodson Bridge rally about 1988 or so. In this incident one of the Ford Script GPW body tubs previously mentioned landed on top of me when I tripped, fell, and slid under it, knocking the 4 jerry cans it was sitting on out from under it. So even today, I can with great certainty inform you that Ford Script body tubs are both heavy and have pointy poky things sticking out of the bottom. These pointy poky things, when combined with the weight of the tub, can and do cut, scrape, and otherwise bring to an end the fun & frivolity of a jeep camp out evening of running around the park with another like minded individual offering free stretcher rides to people out for an evening stroll. It took me a decade to live that episode down. Oh, to be 26 again. 

I outlasted my 2 competitors in Southern Calif., Surplus City & 4WD by Van. Maybe they had sense to get out of the crowded LA basin and go to a place where there aren't so many people and a jeep can run in real dirt. There's almost no dirt left in Orange County, Calif. It's all houses & malls. 

Piles of NOS WW2 Jeep and MV parts that were originally destined for combat in the ETO, PTO, MTO, and CBI. 

Stacks of crates full of WWII Army Surplus waiting to be opened and have the cosmoline removed to reveal parts that haven't seen the light of day since they were made while WWII raged all over the World. 

Stacks of sheet metal body parts and military vehicle axles and crated engines.

The 2nd time I went to Pueblo Auto Parts I went far better prepared. The first time I went not believing the stories I had heard.  The first time I went unprepared. I didn't make that mistake again.  I was going in for the long haul and going in loaded for bear. It was me against the pigeons and their poop, the spiders and their irritating webs, the dust bunnies/dust rats, and the various dirt, trash, and broken glass. I came with several sets of gloves, extra batteries, flashlights, backpack & canvas bags, dust mask, a headset walkie talkie, and 2 bottles of water in a butt pack. I ate before I went in.  I was working my way through crawl spaces where gravity could be my undoing if a shelf unit decided to give way and finish the trip it started towards the ground. CRIKEY! <tipping hat to Steve Irwin> I loved it!. I spent 8 hours in there. They kicked me out at closing. I got a hotel room down the road because I wasn't done yet. I loved it even more the 2nd day!  Hundreds more $ spent. Ohh, but they were deals. A couple of years later I was back again for more. I am glad I did it and I am sorry I can't ever go back there to do it again. It's gone!    ;-( 

Downtown fixture Big Four Auto Parts waits for progress to bring a buyer. (The Pueblo Chieftain) Dec. 20, 1995

The Big Four auto parts building looks every bit its 110 years; and its windows are full of shiny auto parts.
And even closer still to the hotel site, the store still maintains a small, unsightly outdoor storage lot surrounded by a crinkly tin fence. <Link>

Nov. 30 -- Decades worth of inventory at the Big 4 Auto Parts store Downtown on Santa Fe Avenue will be auctioned Saturday. The sale, beginning at 10 a.m., marks another step leading to the demolition of most of the buildings on the west side of the 200 block of North Sante Fe Avenue to make way for parking for the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. <Link>

Dec. 4 -- Charles Miller was like a kid in a toy store when he walked into the Big 4 Auto Parts store Saturday morning. "This is awesome," said Miller of Denver as he perused box after box in aisle after aisle of the 70-year-old auto parts store.  "I haven't been this excited about stuff since I was a kid," he said. "I don't plan to leave here without at least a couple boxes of stuff."  Miller joined hundreds of other auto part, antique or simply nostalgia lovers who gathered at the Big 4 store at 201 N. Santa Fe for a gigantic one-day liquidation auction.  Everything ...   <Link>