Rich

Thanks for that information and clarification, Bill; much appreciated. I can only then assume his other medals were never mounted - if issued.

The officer is wearing a Colonial Medal with one bar for overseas campaign service. Most likely for Morocco during this time period.

I have just received the service papers for FARMER from the archives. Very impressive results; took a long time but free and worth the wait. It shows he re-enlisted several times. He was additionally entitled to the WW2 Victory Medal (obviously), the Navy Occupation Medal with Asia bar, the China Service Medal (was aboard the USS Besugo, which patrolled off the Chinese Hainan Island during the Korean War) and the National Defense Medal. Plus a Combat Action Ribbon (retro award) and Submarine Combat Badge with one star. Is it possible he never bothered to get these awards mounted and just kept his 'top five' to wear? Could he have got through 6 more years including the odd parade without getting them added to his rack? Otherwise one would assume he'd have had to get them remounted in one row of 3 and a bottom row of 5? Also, if anyone has a period mounted bar with the above four medals mounted on them I'd be very interested in them, to complete his entitlement. Thanks Richard

Thank you for posting this interesting website. Much appreciated. Very interesting if they have a blue ribbon for rescuing animals and red for (presumably) rescuing people. Does anyone know if there is any list of recipients and the reasons behind their awards?

Hello all Is it possible to research (ideally online) awards of the SOCIÉTÉ ROYALE ET CENTRALE DES SAUVETEURS DE BELGIQUE? Thanks very much Richard

Interesting document, thank you for posting it.

Thought I'd share this interesting lot. A "Mort Pour La France" casualty award of the Medaille Militaire and Cross of Military Valour awarded to a paratrooper of 3rd Company 9th Chasseurs Parachutistes who was killed in action on 29 April 1958 at Souk Ahras, on the Djebel El Mouadjene massif. It seems the 3rd Company, under a Captain Beaumont, were landed by helicopter and were surrounded and had to fight a very intense action during the afternoon and early evening against overwhelming numbers of Algerian rebels/freedom fighters crossing into Algeria from Tunisia. The Company lost 27 killed and 28 wounded during the course of approximately 3-hour long engagement; the battalion itself lost a total of 33 dead and 68 wounded during the engagement. Seems to have been quite a famous action. It is told here, in French: https://www.algerie360.com/bataille-de-souk-ahras-il-y-a-58-ans-tombaient-au-champ-dhonneur-639-martyrs/ Richard Some research.

Hello all I have this rather lovely St Helena document named to a Corporal of the 12e Legere regiment. When I did a search for his muster book entry he came up as being in the 44e infantry 1810- 28 March 1812. The details for this man in the muster book match up with same date of birth and notes his promotion to corporal on 16 June 1812. Indeed, it seems to have been a unique name (or unique in those that have been scanned so far). The muster books also show he was made a prisoner of war by the Russians on 27 November 1812. Now this poses a few questions that I'd be grateful if someone could help me with. 1) What determined the unit put onto the diploma - was there a policy such as first unit, last unit etc? 2) Would he have another muster book entry for his service with the 12e Legere (I assume these were Voligeurs?), or any other service records? 3) I cannot find a trace of the 12e Legere having been at the fight on the river crossing in Russia where the chap was noted as having been captured. The 44e infantry were a part of the Grande Armee, but it shows him as having left that unit in the March. 4) Can anyone work out what the writing in the third column of the muster sheet states? Photos attached. Thanks very much Richard

Hi Hucks Thanks very much for the information about Thurau and his unit and also for checking the German database. I am assuming they were pretty much being used as infantry for much of this period. Would you have any idea what 158 were doing specifically around the time he won his EK2? They were very much an 'example of' rather than a collecting theme. I always work under the assumption that unnamed awards with paperwork have probably been paired up after so many years, at some point along the line. I'm not a Third Reich militaria expert - although I have a working knowledge and have handled plenty of German stuff over the years - but I am aware of the huge issues with very good fakes on the market, so as long as all are original items I'm happy enough. I am assuming there is probably a wound badge certificate at a minimum out there too (assuming he'd sent these award documents home for safekeeping). Interesting to see that both qualified for/received the Ostmedaille within days of each other. Thanks Richard

Hi Tony - thanks for taking time to look. Very kind of you. Yes, I think it might be job when I am on leave!

Hi Hendrik Thanks again for your advice; yes, I feel it might take a bit of digging to find the man out of the many. I will have to spend time looking at the Matricule Registers! Cheers Richard

Hi Hendrik Thank you for replying and also for the war diary. That's an amazing find. He has a common surname, similar to 'Wood' in English, so there are many of them!. Here is a photo of the diploma and medals. I only have the photo the vendor listed: Paid less than 20 euros so I cannot complain. It has the original two medals; I assume he also qualified for the later Croix du Combatant. Best, Richard

Hello all I have just purchased a commemorative diploma and two medals to a WW1 soldier, Emile BOUSQUET of the 63rd Chasseurs Alpines. No middle name(s) or region is shown on the diploma. When I went onto the GrandMemorial I found 190 entries, some of which link to regional websites where i would once again have to put in all his details. I also looked on Family Search, Geneat (guest privileges, not a subscriber) and Ancestry (worldwide) but without much more success. https://www.culture.fr/Grand-Memorial/Resultats-de-recherche?grand_memorial_search[lastname]=bousquet&grand_memorial_search[exactLastname]=1&grand_memorial_search[firstname]=emile&grand_memorial_search[exactFirstname]=1&grand_memorial_search[townAll]=&grand_memorial_search[startYearAll]=&grand_memorial_search[endYearAll]=&grand_memorial_search[townBirth]=&grand_memorial_search[startYearBirth]=&grand_memorial_search[endYearBirth]=&grand_memorial_search[townRecruitment]=&grand_memorial_search[startYearRecruitment]=&grand_memorial_search[endYearRecruitment]=&grand_memorial_search[townResidence]=&grand_memorial_search[townDeath]=&grand_memorial_search[startYearDeath]=&grand_memorial_search[endYearDeath]=&grand_memorial_search[documentType][]=registre+matricule Is there a simple way to search for him by his regiment, as there is on the British equivalent? Or do I have to go through them all, hoping to find him? Thanks very much Richard

Andy, that is excellent detective work and very kind of you to take the time to look. I had not thought of that. It could well be she (re)married the surviving Mr Motschmann and hence the Cross was in her new married name It is such a pity that the certificates did not bear the name of the person in whose name they were awarded. Best regards Richard

I should imagine that would require looking at the original decree surrounding the award, in order to be certain. Is that available in the public domain? In the case of the British and Commonwealth, for example, soldiers who died of war-related injuries in the years immediately after the war were treated as military deaths and received the usual plaque and scroll in addition to the campaign medals.

Thank you both very much for your input. Once again, it is much appreciated. Thanks also for the link to the landesarchiv. In which case I do wonder whether he died later on from his wounds/illnesses and thus his wife qualified for the widows' cross? I have tried to find his death registered on Ancestry but not found him. Alternatively, perhaps it could be a cross given to the widow of a relative? Too much of a coincidence for them to be together, with the same surname and place of residence. Richard

Hi Thanks very much - how intriguring! I noted he was in a convalescent company in the 112th so I felt he might have been injured. I wonder whether the WIdow's Cross is to a relative? Or could perhaps he have died of WW1 injuries after the war, hence the cross? Here is page 10-11 as requested. Thanks Richard

Hello all I have just received another Miltarpass, apparently to a soldier who died in WW1 as his widow(?) received his Honour Cross for WW1, which is still with its cellophane wrapper. Not being a German expert, I have a few questions please. 1) Is it likely that a Miltarpass was handed to next-of-kin for fallen soldiers? 2) I cannot see any mention of his death in the booklet. I have also looked at the German WW1 casualty list and can find some entries for this name, but none from after April 1918, the date of the last entries. I even tried looking up the widow's details in the hope of finding more details about him, but nothing. The pass comes with the original sleeve, but I cannot see any mention of him dying. 3) The handwritten entry for orders/decorations seems to say Kreuz, unless I am mistaken. Could that be an EK2? Any help would be much appreciated. Richard

Nice simple pair of an Iron Cross 2nd Class with document and same for the Ostmedaille. I don't collect much in the way of German material, much less Third Reich material for a number of reasons, but I do like to have a few identifiable examples that come with paperwork. Upgrading to Ancestry worldwide paid off within minutes after searching the German casualty roll for WW2. Friedrich THURAU, born 1911 in Klein Fredenbeck Stade, was killed in action at Beschkovo, Poland, on 9 February 1944 whilst still serving with the 158 Pioneer Battalion, but was by then an Obergefreiter. Cause of death listed as 'Gefallen. A G. K', which I believe means killed after receiving a head injury from artillery (although I stand to be corrected). No idea if he had any other awards - I would think a General Assault Badge at a minimum; perhaps a wound badge or two? I also assume he (well, his family) must have also received a gold wound badge.

Hi Tony Yes, I was really impressed with the information that they were able to provide - I couldn't even read half of the entries in the book. I know to look for 'G.G.' and a date as it equates to the 'GSW' found on British records for bullet wounds. Richard

I mainly collect British medals, but I have always had a soft spot for the paperwork that comes with the medals from other nations, mostly WW1 and the German side most especially - I think it was from watching All Quiet on the Western Front so many times when I was younger. The Militarpass is a remarkably good document. It's unfamiliar territory for me, but I've been amazed what can be unearthed about the individual soldiers.

Thank you both - remarkable help from all involved and much appreciated. So, Otto Semrau was injured 22.11.14 by a rifle bullet at Alexandrow, which would have been right during the Battle of Lodz, in which the 175th Regiment was involved. Confirmed on the casualty list published some weeks later, which Andy shared. (The German list shows a remarkably similar delay between injury and reporting to the official lists in the British Army during WW1.) Received the Wound Badge in July '18 after it had been established.

Thank you very much. Semrau did seem to have a very busy war to come through it unscathed. That list of battles and frontline duty is immensely long. So he was with 343 IR for much of the war, 1915-18, in the mortar section? He had a very early EK2 award, so it is a pity it does not elaborate about why he received it. I wonder what he received the Wound Badge for - presumably not for the abrasion or the dental treatment? - EDIT: Thanks Andy, I have just seen the casualty list you posted. I assume he got the medal retrospectively when it was introduced in 1918. I also wonder whether he received the EK2 following being WIA (presumably at the Battle of Lodz)? And, for completeness, here are the medal certificates that came with the book. Unfortunately no Iron Cross or Wound Badge certificates with them.

Thanks everyone for the help, here is the rest of the Militarpass over several uploads - has a very long list of where his unit was stationed inside it, glued to the pages. His name was Otto SEMRAU. I can find one entry for someone of that name who was married in 1912 in Wissek, Wirsitz, Posen, West Prussia - ties in with the 175th's recruitment area. Born 4.4.1887. Cheers Richard And the remainder. I also have his certificates for his German, Austrian and Hungarian awards. No EK2 or Wound Badge papers, unfortunately.

That's marvellous. Thank you both. I'm not a native German speaker, so contemporary handwriting, especially when untidy, is a real killer to decipher!