Glenn J

David, this from the Offizier-Stammliste of Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 17. He was serving in 1. Kompagnie in 1840. Regards Glenn

The MGSS badge was introduced in February 1916 for the Saxon Army. What is slightly unusual is the fact that he is still wearing the "einjähriger" cord as the practice of enlisting one year volunteers ceased in October 1914. War volunteers were not entitled to the one year cord either. Regards Glenn

Rick, I believe we concluded that he was the later Major d.R. Karl v. Plehwe, the Oplm winner of 2. Garde-Reserve-Regiment, although I have been unable to confirm his award of the Portuguese Order of Industry & Agriculture. Listed as a Kammerjunker and estate owner at Dwarischken in the 1914 Prussian Court and State Handbook with a Johanniter and a LD2. Regards Glenn

Beau, Major a.D. Walter Lührs. Entered Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 10 as a Fahnenjunker, was promoted to Fähnrich on 27.1.05 and to Leutnant on 19 Oct 1905 (19.10.05 Ww). He attended the course at the Military Technical Academy commencing 1 Jan 1907 and at the outbreak of war in 1914 was a Leutnant and Regimental Adjutant. He was promoted to Oberleutnant on 5 September 1914 and to Hauptmann on 18 September 1915 (18.9.15 B2b). In 1919 he was a General Staff officer on the staff of XV. Armee-Korps and was transferred to the newly formed staff of the Reichswehr Gruppen-Kommando 2 on 7 September 1919. He did not remain there long, returning to his parent regiment - FußAR 10 on 22 September 1919. He presumably retired shortly thereafter and was promoted to charakterisierter Major on leaving. Regards Glenn

I can only concur with Dave as I have checked the same sources. One has to accept that there will always be cases when it will be just about impossible, given the paucity of surviving Prussian records, to pin down something as simple as a given name, especially for a prewar 2nd Lieutenant who only served in one regiment or independent battalion which does not have a published Stammliste or was garrisoned in a city without an available Adressbuch. Even then, many officers chose to only be listed by their rank and surname in those Adressbücher that are available. As Andy and Dave know all too well, it can take years to even eventually stumble across the first names of Majors and Colonels! Regards Glenn

Charles, Correct. In this case General v. Glasenapp had previously been awarded the Crown Order 3rd Class with Swords. Regards Glenn

Charles, a nice shot of Generalleutnant Franz v. Glasenapp wearing the Crown Order 2nd Class with Swords on Ring. Regards Glenn

Andreas, very nice; here is a later photograph of Rudolf v. Wachs as a General officer. Regards Glenn

Andreas, I would love to see the whole photograph! Thanks Regards Glenn

Andreas, there is no candidate serving in the Prussian Hofstaat in 1914 with that combination of awards. Similarly I could not find a match in 1908, 1911 or 1913. I do, however agree that this combination of awards is typical of a lower ranking official at the court such as a Kammerdiener, Büchsenspanner, Hoffurier etc. The Stallmeister were somewhat senior in rank, holding either the rank of a counsellor IV or V class which put them in the category of the "Höheren Beamte". As such they were typically festooned with "officer" grade decorations. Regards Glenn

And before his award of the Württemberg Friedrich Order Commander's Cross (permission to wear published in the 5 March 1902 edition of the Militär-Wochenblatt). Regards Glenn

Andreas, I think most definitely Wachs. Sometime after his award of the Rumanian Star in 1900/01 and before that of the OV2b and JM3 1902/03. Regards Glenn

Marcin, I do not know if your photograph is an original. What I am saying, is that the same image was reproduced in the regimental history of FAR 201. Regards Glenn

Marcin, confirmed from a copy of the same photograph in the history of FAR 201 (and his signature plus the HOH3X and China Denkmünze!) See also this small Wikipedia article: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Fletcher Regards Glenn

Hi Marcin, Major Alfred Fletcher(1875-1959) of FAR 52 and II./FAR 201. Later commander of the Baltische Landeswehr. Regards Glenn

Nick, I don't have the exact date to hand but between May 1899 and May 1900 as a Major in Fuß-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 2.. Regards Glenn

Nick, Oberstleutnant z.D. Julius Wienrich, Artillerie-Depot in Metz in 1912/13. Wearing the uniform of Fuß-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 2. Regards Glenn

Nick, According to Trost: Instituted on 15 April 1887 in two classes. 1st Class Cross of Merit (Yuko Sho) 2nd Class Medal (Shain Sho) The medal of silver with a flying bird (Hoo) over the red cross surrounded Paulownia and Bamboo branches. Red ribbon with two blue outer stripes on each end and a blue rosette. Awards of the Japanese Red Cross Medal were not shown in the Prussian Army Lists or the Berlin-Adreß Kalender, consequently Pol.-Lt. Kusserows' award is "invisible". Regards Glenn

Gavin, the Germans were certainly more relaxed in this respect than the British and all foreign awards and decorations could be worn following the gazetting of such after approval by the sovereign etc. The only restriction on the Double Dragon was that subaltern officers of the Army and Navy (Leutnants and Oberleutnants and their equivalents) were to wear even neck grade orders on the medal bar until promotion to Hauptmann/Rittmeister/Kapitänleutnant etc. Regards Glenn

Post #17 Johannes Kusserow - Berliner Schutzmannschaft. Regards Glenn

NIck, strangely, Trost makes no mention of the Erinnerungsmedaille. Here are two scans from the 1908/09 Deutsche Ordens-Almanach. As can be seen, here, like the naval medical officers' list, Dr. Nenninger is shown with the Erinnerungsmedaille. The Verdienstmedaille has the abbreviation ChnVM. Regards Glenn

The German naval officer in post #4 is Korvetten-Kapitän Herwarth Schmidt von Schwind, 1866-1941, a later Vizeadmiral. At the throat he is wearing a Braunschweig Henry the Lion Commander's Cross and a Third Class, 1st Grade Double Dragon. His two Russian Commander's Crosses; Anne and Stanislaus are clearer in this thread from 2008. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php/topic/27173-henry-the-lion-commander-cross-pic/ Regards Glenn

Nick, Just to add to the last posting: the Deutsche Ordens-Almanach of 1908/1909 lists both the Chinese Erinnerungsmedaille and the Verdienstmedaille. It would appear that both were very similar in design. Regards Glenn

Nick, just checked L.J. Trost's "Die Ritter- und Verdienstorden des XIX. Jahrhunderts" published in 1910. It states that the Verdienstmedaille (Kung-p'ai) was awarded to both men and women and was awarded in four classes: 1st Class in Gold 2nd Class in Gold 1st Class in Silver 2nd Class in Silver The ribbon is described as a light blue moiré patterned ribbon with a rosette for the 1st Class awards. Regards Glenn

Nick, that is the description in the Stammliste des Marine-Sanitäts-Offizierkorps of 1906: CgM: chinesische goldene Erinnerungsmedaille. The CDIII1 is a Double Dragon Third Class, 1st Grade. See also this photograph here of a Saxon NCO wearing what was gazetted as a Chinese Silver Merit Medal in the Saxon Militär-Verordnungsblatt for comparison: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paranoid_womb/7217297280/ Regards Glenn