Carol I

It could be a full ambassador having served in Serbia/Yugoslavia and Poland(?). Could you post a better image of his awards?

Here are two photos I have found on the net of Romanian diplomats wearing uniforms. They show the differences between diplomatic ranks. The first one shows Nicolae Titulescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the General Assembly of the League of Nations, and and the second one WWII diplomat George Duca, at the beginning of his career. http://www.roembus.org/english/romanian_links/history_of_romanians.htm http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/6198

I think there is a protocol that states that at state visits or similar high profile events one should wear first the awards of the visiting state as a sign of courtesy. Unfortunately I did not find a thorough description of the award, but it just came to me that one could ask more questions to the Patriarchy of Jerusalem. I would guess that the badge in the photo is a commander's cross or equivalent. Here are two links to images of the star of the order. http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=G108 http://www.emedals.ca/catalog.asp?item=G115 It could be a diplomat's uniform, but unfortunately I do not know that much about them to comment on this particular one. However, I doubt that the person was a military attache since his Order of the Crown of Romania was the version for civilians.

Please post images of Romanian WWII order awards certificates. I guess most of them would be to Romanian or German officers, but I am curious if any certificates to Soviet officers had survived. It would be quite interesting to see the details of the awards like dates, decree numbers and especially the motivations for the awards. I would therefore appreciate images with enough resolution to avoid straining the eyes when reading them. Thank you in advance.

The neck badge is that of the Order of the Orthodox Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. The order was established in the end of the 19th century and was awarded by the Patriarchy of Jerusalem approximately up to the 1940s and then again from the beginning of the 1980s.

Another item for this thread (from eBay)

I am also concerned about this ribbon. The Maritime Virtue Medal had three blue stripes, not two... :unsure:

I'm a bit circumspect regarding this bar. First of all, the ribbons are significantly narrower compared to other bars, even the bar in your first post. Secondly, the swords on the ribbons of the Order of Michael the Brave and the Sanitary Merit Cross... Thirdly, the absence of the gold edges on the ribbon of the Sanitary Merit Cross. By the way, the second ribbon is most likely the Order of the Star/Crown of Romania with swords on Military Virtue Ribbon.

Lilo, I think there could be several candidates for the award, with two that come first. The first one could be Medalia Serviciu Credincios (Faithful Service Medal) that was a general award of the state for deeds that did not qualify for awarding an order. A second candidate could be Medalia Bărbăţie şi Credinţă which has many translations but a good one would be Medal for Valour and Loyalty. It was intended as a medal for police force, but it could also be awarded to civilians who were involved in restoring and preserving public order. Saving lives may not be "restoring and preserving public order", but it could be described as an act of civil valour.

Hi Christer, you can find some information in the topic Romanian Reference Materials.

The first ribbon is that of the Order of the Crown of Romania (type II).

Just an addition, the Military Virtue ribbon was used only for the Order of the Star of Romania and the Order of the Crown of Romania.

All orders with swords through the middle of the cross had a war ribbon to distinguish them from peacetime awards (without swords). As Megan said, the war ribbons were similar to the peacetime ribbons, but had gold edges. The Military Virtue ribbon was an additional sign for frontline activities, i.e., in direct contact with the enemy.

Yes, the cross with laurel wreaths was the insignia for officers and commmanders (with differences in size). In the beginning of WWII (for Romania that was in 1941) rules were set up for awarding the wartime insignia. You can read them here. I have taken a look on your site and noticed that you describe the 1st type insignia with swords as for WWI service. That is not entirely true. There is evidence that type I insignia was also awarded for WWII service in the beginning of the war. Good luck in your search, Megan!

Something is not right. The officer's cross was not awarded with bars on the ribbon. It was only the knight's cross and the golden cross.

To me it seems related to civil defense against chemical warfare, but who knows...

To me the style of the medal resembles the 1930s, so the topic would better be suited in the section on Central & Eastern European States: Non Communist Era.

I have to give some details to avoid confusions. Bessarabia had been under the control of Russia between 1812 and 1918, when it reunited with Romania. It was Bukovina that had been under the control of Austria, but that province had also reunited with Romania in 1918. The 1919-1920 campaign in the east was against the bolshevik provocations along the border.

Yes it does and no it does not (respectively): Bicaz-Stejaru Hydro Power Plant

King Carol II. Grand Cross of the Order of Carol I

Romanian Eagle Honour Sign - decoration awarded to MPs

The insignia being of type I, in use before 1932, I would say it is from the former period, 1927-1930.

Thanks for the image, Rob. It confirms the previous observations: both rosettes are made of the ribbon of the Order of the Star of Romania and the materials of the rosettes appear to be different from those of the ribbons. This indicates some sort of tampering that could date from the making of the bar or from a later repair, but also from a modification intended to deceive?

Now that you pointed it out, I took a closer look at the ribbons and the rosette of one of the Orders of the Crown of Romania is made out of the ribbon of the Order of the Star of Romania. Also, the material of the rosette appears to be newer than the ribbon. Is it an indication of an innocent later repair or of something more frightening?

Hi Rob. The small differences between the two crosses indicates most likely different manufacturers, not different designs. But it would be quite difficult to identify them as to my knowledge there is no systematic study of the different manufacturers of the Romanian orders. As to the period, both of them are WWI-related awards.