Contribute World War I Materials

The historical collections of the Museum began years before an actual museum building existed. Immediately after the armistice of November 11, 1918, a group of Kansas Citians gathered to propose a memorial to the men and women who served in the war and to those who died. The earliest ideas for the memorial included a museum of objects from the war.

The first items in the collection were a number of posters from the war. Other materials soon followed, and the museum continues to collect today. The museum has remained faithful to the initial objective: to collect, preserve and intepret the physical objects of World War I. The  Museum is acknowledged as the only public museum in the United States dedicated solely to the history of World War I.

WE WANT YOUR WORLD WAR I STUFF!!!

Current needs (not all-inclusive):

Turkish cap, tunic

German Hussar busby

German artillery spiked helmet

Submarine objects or uniforms (European)

British soft cap “Gor Blimey” type

Items related to General Pershing

Russian cap, tunic, accoutrements

US tanker face armor

British RFC “maternity” tunic

French flyer’s helmet

German flyer’s helmet

Any Zeppelin associated objects

Painted airplane fabric, any country

Serbian objects

Trench signs

British “Dixie” cooker

Italian wire cutters

Italian Arditi (assault troops) lapel pin

Italian or Austrian glacier goggles

Italian metal gas mask carrier

Italian Farina helmet

Italian Model 1909 and 1915 grey green wool field cap

Bicycle – any country

Austrian aviator’s breast badge

Austrian field kepi

Austrian collar insignia

Austrian cap badges

The National World War I Museum is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. 

Potential donors of World War I historical objects, documents, artwork, photographs and the like should contact:

Doran Cart, Museum Curator, (816) 784-1930, dcart@theworldwar.org

Jonathan Casey, Museum Archivist, (816) 784-1932, jcasey@theworldwar.org