Item

An original WWII U.S. Army wool necktie in the standard khaki/mustard service shade. This example is soldier-marked with a stamped laundry number, "K 9948," on the reverse of the narrow blade — a nice personal touch that ties it directly to the GI who wore it. This is the plain, straight-cut wool field tie worn with the Army service uniform throughout the war.

The tie is a simple square-bottom design (no keeper, tied in a four-in-hand knot in period) in wool that displays the correct wartime khaki color. It shows honest age and wear — light toning, soft creasing, and minor staining consistent with a used wartime garment — but remains sound and displays well.

Design

The wartime U.S. Army necktie was issued in wool (and later cotton) in the regulation khaki shade to be worn with the service coat and khaki shirt. Early-war regulations had the tie tucked between the shirt buttons; the four-in-hand was worn snug at the throat for a clean military appearance. The stamped "K 9948" is a laundry mark — the system used to keep soldiers' clothing sorted through unit and base laundries. These marks were formed from the first initial of the soldier's last name followed by the last four digits of his Army serial number, so this tie belonged to a GI whose surname began with "K" and whose service number ended in 9948.

Measurement note: no scale reference photo was included, so length is given as an estimate in the standard range for a wartime tie — roughly 50–52 in (approx. 127–132 cm) overall.

History

The humble wool necktie was part of every American soldier's kit in the Second World War, worn from stateside training posts to occupation duty overseas. Small items like this are the quiet, everyday pieces of GI life that are easy to overlook and increasingly hard to find in original, marked condition. The surviving laundry number turns a simple tie into a personal artifact — a small but direct connection to the individual soldier who buttoned it on with his uniform. A great, affordable addition to a WWII U.S. uniform grouping or a display in need of the correct period neckwear.

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