Lukasz Gaszewski

And the close-ups:

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Here is what I've found. A photo of Dear Comrade Kim Jong Il with his generals, during the military inspection of a chicken farm (!!!). Sorry for the quality of the photos - there must be something wrong with my scanner, I cannot use the descreening filter or the scan falls to pieces. Anyway, are you able to id the ribbons on these generals' tunics? Perhaps someone will know who these gentlemen are. Note that as far as Kim himself is easily recognizable, hardly anyone knows the people from his surrounding.

Congratulations of a successful hunting! This excellent piece comes probably from between 1936 and 1939, as the TR long service decorations are already present. In 1939 new regulations were introduced, with which the Austrian Military Cross 3rd Class (and the other awards of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire) would be worn together with other WWI decorations. The Military Cross was usually placed after all German WWI decorations, directly before the "Hindenburg Cross", unless the recipient was Austrian himself. In the latter case Austrian gongs were worn before German ones, but still after the EK and HOH (if the recipient had one). Decorations of the Austrian Republic with a few exceptions were not authorized to wear.

Or perhaps he started his career as an NCO and climbed up the ladder until he got his commission. Promotions from other ranks to officers happened.

Thanks, Hunyadi - this will help a lot. All credits given of course!

Yeah, I have seen the image too. I consider it fantasy too.

Yes, I consider it fantasy too, but you can at least see which stars should go to the left and which to the right (provided you can trust the picture).

In 1976 he was already a captain!

A great finding indeed! I think most of the uniforms were destroyed after the rising had been suppressed. Thank you for the photo of the rank insignia used during the rising. I am an editor of http://www.uniforminsignia.net and the insignia used during the Hungarian Rising of 1956 have not been covered yet. Would you mind if I used the information from you to make the chart? Does the book you found mention tab colors used in other sevices as well? It is interesting that the Ministry of Defense did not decide to restore stars for non-commissioned ranks as well and kept Soviet-styled stripes on collar tabs.

I have found a photo of P?l Mal?ter, one of the heroes of the 1956 Rising, in a colonel's uniform. The photo is quite small but the stars on the tabs are clearly visible.

Here are the ribbons of some North Korean orders. All ribbons are 34 mm wide.

Order of the National Flag - 1st and 3rd Class (unfortunately I do not have that of 2nd Class):

Freedom and Independence Order - 2nd Class:

Order of Labor:

The one next to the Czechoslovak War Cross is that of the Yugoslav Order of the Partisan Star 2nd Class (with Silver Wreath).

With Hungarian bars the story was quite funny as the ribbons were (just lke today) 40 mm wide, folded in a triangle, following the Austrian pattern. However when worn as ribbon bars the width was reduced to 24-25 mm, to go with the Soviet style. A similar situation took place in Romania. In 1960s Soviet-styled pentagonally folded ribbons, 24 mm of width were replaced by straight ones, 35 mm wide. Yet ribbon bars continued to be 24 mm wide until the end of the regime.

ehrentitle, do you know why the DDR used to make the ribbon bars from paper?? only they used this material or all the Eastern Block countries too??

the ribbon bar front cover is plastic?

Besides DDR, plastic/paper ribbon bars were used in Bulgaria, Hungary and USSR from which this system descended. I am not sure about Romania - I don't remember to have seen any. This method was never used in Czechoslovakia and Poland where only cloth ribbons (without plastic cover) were in use. They were sewn onto black cloth, following the French pattern.

Excellent post, Rick! Thank you a lot.

BTW: the latest information about Cuban awards I have comes from very early 1990s. Also these rare items that occassionally pop up on internet auctions are excluively the ones established prior to 1990s, or at least I have not found any others. An interesting point: has anyone ever met a Cuban award instituted in 1990s or 2000s?

Lukasz

Thanks, Doc. It is a nice pair indeed! If Prof. Wesolowski fails, I will try to id who these two belonged to.

Best regards to all,

Lukasz

Yes, it is! Past editions had only order insignia in color. This one has also medals with color ribbons. It also has AU, CA and NZ sections. Besides it is not much different from previous editions.

Have they thought about the age disparity between people who fought and people who are alive today?

No, they haven't! They haven't thought of many other aspects either. The worst thing is that they haven't thought the law in the current form will ridicule the very idea of protecting medals. Not only folks dressing up for Halloween, but theoretically also David James Elliott (Harmon Raab) or any other actor playing a military can be arrested. The hell is supposed to be paved with good intentions.

Hi Doc,

A nice finding, - congratulations!!! And a humble request: would any information regarding Polish decorations prior to WWII, WWII (excluding the eastern front), as well as current awards be put in the "Orders, Medals & Decorations of Belgium, France and other European Nations" section rather than the "Soviet & Eastern Block Orders, Medals & Decorations" section. They do not have anything to do with the Soviet bloc, indeed! Same regards, the decorations of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Yugoslavia and other countries that found temselves on the other side of the Iron Curtain after the war.

Best regards,

Lukasz

The reverse:

Our friend JP Leblanc put te information on his excellent medal site (http://www.jeanpaulleblanc.com) regarding the first type of the Order of Canada (Medal of Service) on an ebay auction. You can read the article here: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/166384

I have allowed myself to cite the article from The Toronto Star as I guess it gives interesting information regarding the medal. But don't feel so happy, gentlemen - the medal has been withdrawn form the auction, so you will not get it any more! I am also adding the photos of the medal, as they are somewhere in an external link and they may disappear any moment. The first type of the Order of Canada is such a rarity that few individuals have probably seen it. I once had a photo but I lost it somewhere. Thank you for the information JP - I hope you will not object having repeated it here:

December 29, 2006

Lauren La Rose

Canadian Press

TORONTO ? A click of the mouse and deep pockets are all that's separating online bidders from a chance to own a rare piece of Canadian history that ranks among the country's most prestigious honours: one of the earliest Order of Canada medals.

The medal, awarded to noted Quebec historian Gustave Lanctot nearly 40 years ago, surfaced eight days ago on eBay. Lanctot died in 1975.

The Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community, and service to the country.

As of 5 p.m. ET Friday, nine bids had been registered on the popular auction site for the sterling silver medal, with the highest bid posted at US$510, or about C$590. Bidding is slated to end Jan. 6 at 12 p.m. ET.

Born in 1883 in St-Constant, Que., about 30 kilometres south of Montreal, Lanctot was a well-known historian whose historical works ? including Francois-Xavier Garneau, Histoire du Canada and Montreal sous Maisonneuve ? spanned some 40 years.

After studying at the Universite de Montreal, Oxford in England and the Sorbonne in Paris, he went to work in 1912 for the Public Archives of Canada, today known as the National Archives of Canada. He retired in 1948.

Lanctot later served as a historical adviser on five Canadian short films in the 1960s, including Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Selkirk of Red River.

In the eBay description of the medal, the seller, identified as dalida44 from Montreal, writes that the "very rare medal of service" was recently acquired in an estate sale.

The posting also features photographs of the medal, a six-pointed snowflake with a Maple Leaf in the centre, adorned by a crown overhead.

But it is the engraving of the word "service" which reveals the rarity of the decades-old medal.

Lanctot was awarded the Order of Canada's medal of service just five days after the order was established on July 1, 1967.

The medal of service was only handed out between 1967 and 1972. The name of the award has since been changed to officer of the Order of Canada.

"It's quite scarce," said Christopher McCreery, author of The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development.

"There are only 389 awarded, of which there are only about 125 that are still in existence because the remainder were exchanged for the officer insignia and melted by the Royal Canadian Mint."

McCreery said even the seller was unaware of the value of the medal, as he initially listed the item as simply a "Canadian medal" on eBay a week ago. The seller later relisted the item after being contacted by someone who told him about the medal's rarity, McCreery said.

"The guy had no clue what he had," he said.

Today, 64 individuals are appointed each year as officers to the Order of Canada.

McCreery said while it's not a common occurrence, medals occasionally to turn up for sale.

"It isn't something that happens all that often, but it's not unusual," he said Friday from Ottawa. "These sorts of things tend to come up ... one every couple months ? not necessarily on eBay, but in auctions in Canada and in the United Kingdom."

Rideau Hall spokeswoman Marilyne Guevremont said families or successors of late order recipients can choose to return the award, keep it as an heirloom or donate it to a museum, but it remains in theory a property of the Crown.

"It's also hoped that such insignias, medals or decorations are treated with the appropriate dignity and respect, and disposal by selling and buying them is highly discouraged," Guevremont said.

McCreery is throwing his hat in the ring for a shot at the medal. He's hoping to add Lanctot's medal to his collection of Order of Canada insignias, which he said will eventually go to a museum.

"They're just interesting to have, and it's the stories behind the people who were awarded them that sort of tells the story of the nation," he said. "I just sort of think of myself as a caretaker for them temporarily."

"Lanctot is a really neat guy. He did a great deal to create the modern National Archives that we have. That's my interest in it."

A good idea indeed... But how about the other civilian orders? The Order of the Bath (civilian), Order of St. Michael and St. George and Royal Victorian Order, although less frequently awarded, have not been dicontinued as far as I know. And the military awards? The military are occassionally seen in an attire other than a uniform!

It is the Hungarian Long Service Decoration for Soldiers (Leg?nys?gi Szolg?lati Jel) 3rd Class (for 6 years of service) on the early ribon of the Order of Freedom, so it proably dates back to the times right after 1946. Ribbons of both awards used the same color pattern. Interesting mounting, probably home-made. Hunyadi is right! Here is a photo of the order from the excellent Hungarian website http://www.akm.externet.hu/rendjel/adatok/tildy.htm

Great New Year 2007 to all of you too!!!

Lukasz

Must have more time to have a closer look, but it seems very interesting. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Lukasz

Just look and admire...

Order of Kim Il Sung (Kim Il Sung Hunchang)

Here is a pic of this order, according to the same source.

Ch.

Pic : Lukasz Gaszewski.

A slightly better photo of the Order of Kim Il Sung:

And the reverse: