Glenn R

Can anyone tell me the whereabouts of IR 27 on 27th Sept 1916? I have an engraved Iron Cross to Oblt Hans Von Sommerfeld with this date engraved on it.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Cheers

Glenn.

Superb collection of pillow backs. Really nice to see so many examples and variants. One of my favourites. :jumping:

Naxos, what a fantastic photograph of your Grandmother. Thanks for posting it.

Glenn.

Thanks for the comments chaps. I'm very pleased with it myself. God bless Thea whoever she may have been!

It's not obvious from this photo however the engraving is quite tiny. There's a lot of script for the back of a standard sized EK1.

In keeping with my fondness for engravings I recently picked this piece up. Convex 800 marked cross. The inscription translates as "Conceal the longing in your heart with the cross on your breast. Thea"

I like the idea of a "sweetheart EK". Perhaps the recipients wife, girlfriend or mistress bought him this private purchase cross and had it engraved for him, presenting it to him prior to his return to the front?

Yeah I saw that one myself Greg. Be interesting to see if anyone bites or if it's just wildly wishful thinking!

Thanks Rick, the plot thickens! I'm told the Joanniterorden was frowned upon by HItler. Being a civilian and religious order. Perhaps an issue?

That's intriguing Rick. Excuse my ignorance on these matters but is it possible to access service records and how would I go about it?

Glenn.

Seems from an initial bit of digging that he was a holder of the Johanniterordern too.

Gents, thanks very much for all your replies and research. Much appreciated. I'm delighted with this info. I agree that the pin removal is deliberate, I don't know why either!

It will be interesting to be able to post a better picture of the home made suspension loop when it arrives.

Regardless of the damage quite an interesting history to it.

Purchased for the engraving of course. I'm intrigued at the prospect of researching Oblt Hans Von Sommerfeld. IR 27!

Research is not my strong point though. Anyone got any ideas?

Looks like some sort of suspension device has been added to the top arm. Obviously lost it's pin and catch but it's not the condition makes this one a must buy for me.

Cheers Gents,

Glenn.

Obverse......

Just purchased this interesting cross. Not arrived yet so will post more and better pictures when it does.

God bless him. A truly decent man.

Lovely little cross Tom.

HB..could it be Heinz Beans?

In my opinion, certain cross manufacturers become the "must have" cross but when you see one in the flesh you wonder why. Not so with Godet silver crosses. Absolute quality. I love them. That looks like a real keeper Rich, nice purchase.

Yes, I'd say Godet. Pin shape and core details look right to me. Very pretty!

It's a surprisingly complicated subject. A lot of manufacturers were well known Jewellers, some were retailers, some dedicated to medal production like Klein and Quenzer who originally made watch chains. A definitive list is difficult to achieve as often a new or unidentifiable mark crops up or a cross that doesn't fit into the mold. SOme marks are open to speculation as to who they relate to. There's plenty of reference about and a lot of knowledge on this site ref. makers etc. George's link above, The Kaiser Bunker, is an excellent resource.

Glenn.

Glenn - as you may already know - there are some fair to midland militaria shops nearby....

Yes, believe me they are on the list for a re-visit! If there's anything you're looking for in particular let me know.

Great find Micha. Still one of my favourite makers. Interesting to see the subtle core variations.

I'm going to Budapest again next week. We went 4 years ago and fell in love with the place.

I enjoyed the Statue Park but it did seem like it had all been dumped as far away from the city as possible.

Just seemed like a patch of waste ground by the side of the road. It's currently raining and cold here so am

looking forward to sitting under the trees on Margit Sziget with a good book watching the people go by!

I've got a tube of black lead. You know the stuff for blacking and polishing cast iron fire grates etc? Works perfectly and is indistinguishable from most finishes. I only tamper if the rust is quite invasive and threatens the integrity of the cross though. Just a dab of this stuff worked in with a fine artists paintbrush with the bristles cut down so that they are stubby and a bit stiffer works well once any loose oxidation has been removed.

Cheers,

Glenn.

Glad you found us Chris, look forward to your contributions. I'm sure you'll like it here.

I see no problems there at all. Looks fine to me. Core finish looks frosted like a K&Q, everything else looks spot on.