Trooper_D

Am I being harsh in thinking that the enamel on this example is really rather inferior, particularly when compared to the examples in post #6? I wonder how it justifies Spink's assessment very fine?

Karas Thank you for these additional details about Marquis Georgii Fedorovitch degli Albizzi, who seems to be one of those quirks of Military History which make our hobby so interesting!

Thank you, Karas, for this fascinating account of the action in which your great-uncle won the St George Cross. I must confess I had a bit of difficulty understanding the details but one jumped out at me: why on Earth was 'the Italian Marquis GF. Dalli Albizzi' present at this skirmish?

Thanks for that confirmation, Michael. It was my last hope for a rational explanation

What a thought-provoking example, Great Dane. I suppose I can persuade myself to see differences between the two crosses but, they are so alike (and I think I can see one or two additional similarities you didn't highlight), is it possible that the Chapter of the Orders misunderstand your query? Assuming for the moment that they didn't, how can we account for two crosses with almost identical flaws and dings? Do we think that they are flaws in the manufacturing process which are common to all crosses produced at the time, perhaps?

I'm certain of it, Christian. Even though the image in the auction catalogue isn't the best, by exaggerating the tones, it is possible to see most of the enamel damage on the eMedals example, as is apparent in the attached comparison. This is most obvious on the 'S' on its side shaped edge of the repair work on the upper right arm of the cross.

Thanks for this reference, Yankee, which is most helpful. I am not sure that the Benemerenti catalogues are on line so I wonder if anyone might have a scan they could post, please? [edited to add: I have now discover that they are online and I have now downloaded the catalogue for auction #9].

Hi Yankee. I am not sure how what you write contradicts Christian's observation. Could you, perhaps, expand, please? It is not just the enamel damage which Christian has ringed which is the same, I can spot perhaps five or six other commonalities, including the 'spot' under the right hilt, which is evident in the earlier black & white photo (but is covered by the red ring in Christian's comparison). I would be interested in hearing your further thoughts.

Thanks for posting these, Nick. I am always struck by the elegant simplicity of the Order of Merit of the Austrian First Republic.

Interesting story, Chris. As a matter of interest (I don't read German particularly well), who took him prisoner and why was he only released in 1920?

Good job, Alex. I am struck by how remarkable well-nourished the sergeant looks, considering it is war time and at the height of rationing!

Alan I have attached a digitally enlarged version of the image of the reverse shown in the first post. In it you can better see that the studio was located in Czernowitz, what is now Chernivtsi in western Ukraine but was then in the KuK province of Bukovina. As to when it was taken, there is nothing on the photo to indicate, sadly. Update: You can find out more about the photographer at the following website; it might help you date the photo, http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/czernowitz-photo-studios.htm

Welcome, Alan. Glad you liked the photo We know that he was a Feldwebel because of the three stars and the lace border on his collar. Google 'Rank insignia of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces' and you should find many web pages with an explanation of these badges of rank. What are you hoping to find there? I ask because I am not sure where I have put the photo and, even if I could find it, it wouldn't show you anything you can't see in the image in the first post, I don't believe

I think you are probably right. With so few of these about, it's difficult to get a sense of the value of a single, unattributed medal. However, I don't think that this is a case of rare = valuable But, all that aside, as you and others have remarked, a nice example of craftsmanship.

Asil76 This is the HAC's 350th Anniversary medal. Another example can be seen here: https://www.dnw.co.uk/auction-archive/lot-archive/lot.php?department=Medals&lot_id=168478

Welcome, Guy. I hope that this is the first of many from your collection that you will post here. If so, this looks like it is going to be an interesting thread and I, for one, am looking forward to it!

... and if he is your man, volume 2 (p. 295) of the same Navy List shows that he was assigned to the Anti-Submarine Warfare Division. Source: http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/pageturner.cfm?id=93093690&mode=fullsize

Egorka I wonder if this is your man (VD being the abbreviation for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration). Annoying that only the initial of his first name is given! Source: http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/pageturner.cfm?id=93081410&mode=fullsize

Paul To my eye, it looks like a lower case gothic or Black Letter 'n', which would make it 1928, with the maker being Garrards, of course. Source: http://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/London/Cycle 1896-1915.html

Von Thronstahl The pencil caption to the first photo says 'Wurt[t]emberg', doesn't it? That being the case, the 1866 (for example) Schematismus lists four members of the family in Austrian service. https://archive.org/stream/militrschematis02austgoog#page/n1096/mode/1up

I would never have expected to find an article setting out the experiences of a 1950s National Service officer seconded to the Royal West African Frontier Force in that bastion of post-colonial liberalism, The Guardian. I was delighted, therefore, to find this: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/oct/07/queen-commonwealth-tour-nigeria-thats-me-in-picture not least for the magnificent photograph of the Queen inspecting a RWAFF Guard of Honour, which shows very clearly the uniforms of the locally-enlisted troops and the European officers (as usual, click to see a larger version).

Thank you so much, Sommerfeld, for pointing me to this resource, which I wasn't aware of and which, after a quick investigation, I realise is an important source for anyone researching the Austria-Hungary forces in WW1. For anyone who has never seen these Verlustlisten (Casualty lists) before, they can be accessed online via the links below. Each has a slightly different interface but each had its merits. State Library of Upper Austria (colour): http://digi.landesbibliothek.at/viewer/resolver?urn=urn:nbn:at:AT-OOeLB-1723425 Austrian National Library (monochrome): http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=vll

Thanks for the correction, Wraith42.

Sommerfeld May I ask where the first image comes from, please? I note the discrepancy (LIR 84 and LIR 34) between the two sources but I imagine that the death notice is correct (perhaps a typo in the first source).

Welcome, Larissa. Here's a start for you: Franz Teucher was a Lt. Colonel (Obstlt = Oberstleutnant). Dr Joseph Kalapos was a doctor with the rank of Colonel (Ob. Arzt = Oberstarzt). In 1912 he was attached to the 60th KuK Infantry Regiment. Others here will correct or/and add to what I have stated and, perhaps, give some IDs, I am sure.