Trooper_D

Was he a regimental colonel (Inhaber) of a KuK regiment, perhaps?

Great result, David!

Perhaps he got lost in the system and never got round to chasing it up until he was due a bar, as well? Note that he is an officer - only eligible since 2016, it would appear - and RNR so the potential for being 'mislaid' is increased over a more usual recipient.

Good news! Don't forget to update the link on the footer to your posts.

What intriguing items, Prem! Do you know where they were found, by any chance? btw I clicked on the link to your blog and, as you will know, it no longer works so your might want to remove it from your signature.

Just as a reminder, this award to v Lossow was briefly discussed by Dave Danner in this post, with the award date, 18 August 1891, given two posts earlier.

I, also, was fascinated as to how this could have come about and discovered a bit more at this link on thepeerage.com, a well-respected and usually reliable source, https://www.thepeerage.com/p41343.htm#c413424.1 Interestingly, the mother of the bride wasn't directly a Forbes of Craigievar but came from a cadet branch descending from a younger son born in the mid eighteenth-century.

Brilliant find, No one! I have bookmarked it for future reference.

Very interesting! Many thanks for this information, Solomon.

What a fascinating object to own, Solomon - congratulations! In British English (and probably elsewhere), 'police officer' is a term used for all members of the police force, even Constables and Sergeants. However, I suspect that you are using the term in the sense of commissioned officers. Was the Lippe police force a gendarmerie, i.e. was it run along military lines with a rank structure similar to the army? Do you know what its size was, typically? That it only had 25 officers suggests it wasn't very large. This seems like an interesting niche area for study!

Is it not a bit curious that the tunic buttons to the left? I did wonder, at first, whether the photo was shown in reverse but, on closer inspection, I think not.

I'm puzzled! What has previously been identified as an officer’s tactical badge, in the rather splendid display of insignia is mounted on a card marked French colonial (bottom right corner of top frame)l!! Who is right/wrong?

Those interested in more about the Tientsin Volunteer Corps (TVC) should look at the article 'The Tientsin Volunteer Corps in the Boxer Rising, 1900' which appears in pp. 179-181 of volume 36 of the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. It can be accessed, through JStor, at the link below (registration required), https://www.jstor.org/stable/44228890 The article contains the following photo of Privates F A Kennedy, A S Annand and F R Scott. The object on their head is described as a 'black lambskin cap, similar to that worn at the time by Canadian troops in Winter kit'. They were armed with the Martini-Henry. There is reason to think that Arnold Bassett Watts was the brother of James Hector Watts, also of the TVC and the hero of the Siege of Tientsin in 1900 (a James Arnold Watts - their father? - died in Tientsin, aged 59, between 1901-1905. James Watts rode through enemy territory to the Naval station at Taku and was successful in seeking a force to relieve Tientsin when the defenders were on their last legs. For his pains, he was awarded the Rettungsmedaille am Bande, a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold and was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. The TVC, as a man, refused to receive their China Medal as, being civilians, they were initially refused the 'Relief of Peking' bar awarded to the regular soldiers who took part in the defence of Tientsin. However, subsequent questions in Parliament ensured that they were properly so recognised. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1903/apr/02/medals-for-tientsin-volunteers Finally, James Arnold Watts, the putative father to Arnold Bassett Watts, was described as a pilot in the entry of his death. If his son followed in his father's footsteps, I wonder if CPS might stand for something line China Pilot Service?

I believe this to be for Arnold BaSSet Watts. The clue was here, https://www.pcgs.com/cert/35411530 FindMyPast has him as a private in the Tientsin Volunteer Corps with the China Medal to his name. His promotion seems to have been rapid!

Thanks for your answer, No One. It is nice to have a postcard in pristine condition but so much more interesting when there is writing on the other side that might provide some historical context, isn't it!?