Military ID tags

[malj1]

I don't know how far the usage extends, but every time I see the title of this thread my first thought is of the metal ID tags worn by American soldiers: "dog tags." Don't know how far back the usage extends, either, but in the U.S. it goes back to the 1940s at the very least.

v.

I have one aluminium US military type identification tag, unsure of the age. No doubt the records could easily be checked.

During WW2 I remember my father wore two British ones, both were of fibre, one black one red.

[FosseWay]

Hmm, I underestimated the number of people in the US named Yost. It seems it's quite a common name. I found two possible candidates enlisting in the US Army in 1942 (both rather old, oddly enough -- born in the 1890s) but because this was an enlistment document, they hadn't yet been assigned their regiment and number, so there's no way of matching either to your tag.

[malj1]

A search on eBay for round US Army dog tags leading to the result of two similar tags identified as WW1, suggest this tag may be WW1

WW2 and later appear to be oblong with rounded ends.

[FosseWay]

Unfortunately, I come up against the same problem with WW1 -- the main dataset I have access to that could yield more about him is the US draft registration list from 1917, which doesn't give the soldiers' service numbers. There are numerous George F. Yosts listed. Unlike with the British armed forces, there don't seem to be records of soldiers' actual service, which would obviously include the number.

I'm sure you've done this already, but a Google search on name and number mostly yields phone numbers and hit counters for the number.

[villa66]

During WW2 I remember my father wore two British ones, both were of fibre, one black one red.

American soldiers wear (and have worn since at least WWII) the oblong type dog tags in pairs, for obvious reasons. But they're identical in appearance to one another. Any idea why the apparent color coding by the British?

Metal seems much more durable, but it's noisy. I don't know how the fiber would hold up, but it sure is a neat solution to the noise problem.

: v.

[malj1]

I managed to find images of a pair of British tags, very much the same as I remember my father wearing. No idea why the apparent color coding; perhaps red has blood group on the other side?

This fibre is almost indestructable and is used for tokens at times; one such use are the US WW2 OPA point ration coupons and Canadian meat ration coupons.

[villa66]

Thanks for the illustrations....

And different shapes, too? Really got my curiosity up--there has to be some practical reason behind it, but on the surface it doesn't seem very practical.

You're right, definitely, about how tough the fiber composition is--I'm not even sure I've seen the OPA and tax tokens delaminated, although sometimes they're difficult to read, especially in low light. But I was thinking mainly about fire and was assuming the fiber dog tags burn (or scorch beyond recognition) much more easily than the stainless steel dog tags I'm familiar with. But maybe not.

Guess tomorrow I'm going to experiment with a few fiber tokens. Sacrifice them to science....

v.

[villa66]

...You're right, definitely, about how tough the fiber composition is...But I was thinking mainly about fire and was assuming the fiber dog tags burn (or scorch beyond recognition) much more easily than the stainless steel dog tags I'm familiar with. But maybe not.

Guess tomorrow I'm going to experiment with a few fiber tokens. Sacrifice them to science....

v.

It turns out the fiber OPA tokens burn quite readily, and once set on fire they tend to remain on fire for some time after the external heat is withdrawn, and then coal for some time after that. That doesn't mean, of course, that the fiber of the British dog tags hasn't received some extra treatment to make it more fire-resistant.

v.

[FosseWay]

If we're talking specifically WW1, I wonder whether fire was considered a significant problem. I'd imagine that relatively few casualties of WW1 will either have died in a fire or have been burnt significantly after death. On the other hand, the tags would absolutely have to stand up to being waterlogged, whether in a trench/shell crater or in the sea. WW2, with the use of incendiary bombs and much more air power, might be a different story.

[malj1]

My father served in WW2 wearing these, my thoughts were the string would burn through first. Of course they may have been slightly different composition to the OPA coupons which would not need any special treatment as they were only used domestically in the US.

[villa66]

To usage, what I read is that "dog tags" (in the military ID sense) is an Americanism that entered English (or its non-standard outskirts!) from American military slang dating from our experience in WWI. (A Civil War origin is specifically excluded, from what I read).

v.

[FosseWay]

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary still (2005) says that the military sense of 'dog tag' is a specifically North American usage. I'd dispute that, though not its North American origins -- I think most speakers of British English, and probably other non-American varieties of English, would understand and quite possibly use the phrase in that context.

[malj1]

Dictionary .com says
1.
a small disk or strip attached to a dog's harness or collar stating owner, home, etc.
2.
identification tag.
3.
Informal .
a.
any tag for a suitcase, camera, or other personal possession with the owner's name or address.
b.
a tag or card with a person's name or affiliation, worn at conventions, large meetings, etc.
— n
slang  ( US ) a military personal-identification disc

...And an Aussie rejoinder to 3b "you've got tickets on yourself" 

[Mackie]

Here is what I wear all the time with my Name, DOB, Blood group and ICE.

[malj1]

I have just acquired an unissued red fibre British type dog tag 35mm.

Its as new and evidently stamped out fibre sheet, its more like a cardboard type of material than the other fibre tokens.