Donut Dollie wire tray (mobile canteen ephemera)

[Edward Reed]

I'm into the ephemera and downtime lifestyle of the WWII soldier and got interested in the mobile canteen aspect of it. Coffee (tea) and donuts were a common staple... Doughnuts were an easy item to make and offer through mobile canteen services trucks. I located an exact matching hand made wire serving basket as seen in these Red Cross doughnut dollies photos. Vintage baskets are hard to find, expensive and usually rusty. These modern ones are indistinguishable from those made in the 30s and 40s and perfect for WWII mobile canteen and Donut Dollie re-enactors. I added a vintage YMCA Serves Our Boys In War pin and a vintage American Red Cross Canteen Service card to dress it up.
Now I need to buy some donuts!

These exact replicas of the wire baskets used by the mobile canteens during WWII can be had at Hubert.com
They offer 2 different makes in various sizes but they have been discontinued! However they still have about 140 still in stock ready to ship. I chose the 18Lx13Wx2H as this seemed to match the size the Red Cross girl is holding in the photos.

Version 1 is handmade with rust-resistant, food-safe lacquer coating on steel wire: (hand wash only, not dishwasher safe)

https://www.hubert.com/product/9655...gular-Cabo-Steel-Wire-Basket---18L-x-13W-x-2H

Version 2 (that I purchased) is handmade with food grade STAINLESS steel and is Dishwasher Safe:

https://www.hubert.com/product/6870...-Stainless-Steel-Wire-Basket---18L-x-13W-x-2H