This olive-colored wool jacket belonged to C. W. Mayfield, an American chaplain who served with the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) during World War I. It looks like the jackets worn by other A.E.F. service members, which shows that his work was considered as important as the work of any other soldier serving on the battlefield.
Chaplain C. W. Mayfield's A.E.F. tunic
United States, c. 1917-1919
Object ID: 2023.146.2
Chaplain C. W. Mayfield had his A.E.F. tunic tailored at Goldberg's in Louisville, Kentucky while he attended the Army Chaplain School at Camp Zachary Taylor. Stitched on the interior pocket of this tunic is the maker's label: “All Measures Kept for Two Years / M. Goldberg & Sons / Louisville's Leading Tailors” with C. W. Mayfield's signature underneath.
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The outbreak of war hadn’t come as a surprise to the governments and militaries involved. But no one had anticipated how large, long and destructive this one would be: therefore no one had enough supplies or personnel, including chaplains for growing armies. (In the U.S., most chaplains were required to have at least some college credit, religious school training and ministry experience – and to be under 45 years old.) As the war ground on, other religious groups like the Y.M.C.A., Jewish Welfare Board and Knights of Columbus had to step in to fill the spiritual gaps.
A chaplain like Mayfield would commonly visit soldiers in trenches, camps and hospitals. Through daily worship services and talks, chaplains kept morale up and cared for both mental and spiritual health. They befriended the living, comforted the hurting and consoled the dying.
Many chaplains helped soldiers of different faiths and races, holding worship services across religious backgrounds no matter their own faith. This simple jacket reminds us that for U.S. soldiers facing the danger of war, men of faith provided hope, kindness and links to their lives back home.
This collections spotlight is part of an initiative of The Center for Religion, Culture and the Great War, made possible through generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc.
