ArHo

Don't know how I could miss this topic so please exclude the late reply but It is a very impressive picture, thanks for showing! To me it is especially noteworthy that von Sichart, along his military merits, was a productive writer who is until today well known and respected amongst Hanover historians for producing his opus magnum "the history of the royal Hanoverian army" (Geschichte der Königlich-Hannoverschen Armee). Always worth a read for those interested in German military history because the Guelph were very active especially in the 18th century wars from France to the balkans. Cheers

@saxcob a very nice and rarely seen picture - thank you so much for showing it!

Hi a very nice picture but - please do not get me wrong - I have to ask: is it really a Waterloo medal? The head seems very large to me and the medal quite small in relation to the ring, when compared to Hannover Waterloo medals. May it not be possible that he is wearing a Wilhelmsmedaille?

@David M wow, I think you may really have hit it - Order of Philip the Magnanimous with a little colorizing-mistake in ribbon color (yellow instead of blue rim stripes) and an perhaps privately added (?) "pearl" to keep the cross from falling of the ribbon (just a possible explanation). Thank you, sir!

Thanks for your input @David M + @paul wood, the Hohenlohe Order seemed likely to me first, too, especially regarding the blue part of the central medallion, but upon closer examination I am not so sure anymore. I made a better picture so you will notice that the outer sides of the cross arms are definitely straight while with the Hohenlohe Order they are bent inwards. This order is also not mentioned in the Hanoverian Hof- und Staatshandbuch around 1860, likely because it was very rarely awarded and no Hanoverian official got it?! So I am afraid this is not the answer. Well, the search goes on. Also I am curious of the golden "Ball" (marked by the arrow) that seems to be moveable and "hold" the ribbon together. Has anyone come across something like this on other orders before? Cheers ArHo

Very nice ? But I am not yet sure if I can trust this Santa ? Thanks for your wishes and have a goof time ArHo

Hi all, I recently got this nice early photographic portrait of an elderly gentleman, still in its original frame. I would date it to around 1860, maybe a little later. Unfortunately no provenance was given other than northeastern Lower Saxony (= Niedersachsen), there is also no writing etc. on it and I won't open the frame to have a look... The gentleman wears his nicely colorized knight's cross of the Royal Guelphic Order and a neck cross that I could not identify until now. I suspect a papal order? Well, I would be very grateful for and glad about any help in identifying the latter order so that I may perhaps be able to track the name of its proud wearer. Cheers ArHo

It has been a difficult year but I always found very good distraction in reading and looking around in this forum. Thank you all for that. Here is a picture taken in times far worse - on November 18th, 1918 (I guess the two men are bavarians from KBIR 12?). On the back it reads, amongst other things "Now the war is over and we can get back to business" and (as a p.s.) "Until now we were all spared from the [spanish] flu, thank god". I find this to be a good message from the past. Stay safe and if you celebrate christmas I wish you joy, wherever you are. ArHo

Okay - back to Hannover, well, somehow... ;-)

Well, I have nothing great to add to this brilliant (and I mean it!) thread, but I like my little group, directly from the family and almost "unused" as issued. Cheers

Thanks @Glenn J A life-story standing for so many of his generation. Humble background, from the Mark, the core of Prussia, small Unteroffizier-military career, civilian Beamter, war + "road to glory" and finally a premature death somewhere in Galicia, not during a great attack with a flag in his hands but by the way, very likely "unexpected". To complete it: here you can find the regimental history. "All quiet on the eastern front" when he met his fate... http://digital.wlb-stuttgart.de/sammlungen/sammlungsliste/werksansicht/?no_cache=1&tx_dlf[id]=13127&tx_dlf[page]=123&tx_dlf[double]=0&cHash=9395b0b8fcd43cf9864bb7df91b696ce Cheers

I would say quite likely Bernhard Böttcher, Leutnant der Landwehr, mortally wounded "by accident", 5th company Garde-Füsilier-Regiment, Verlustliste 631 of 12.8.1915. It would fit the caption of your image "II. B. (= 2nd Batallion) G. F. R." nicely - compare also the Gardestern on the Pickelhaube Eagle atop the grave cross. Cheers

@Wyomingguy Nice picture - though the quality is yet not good enough to be sure it may well be a Hanoverian veteran of 1866 who afterwards served with the Prussians in 1870/71, wearing the (small, left) Allgemeine Ehrenzeichen für Militärverdienst, in the middle the commemorative Langensalza-Medaille and to the right the Prussian Kriegsdenkmünze für die Feldzüge 1870/71. Would love to see a larger scan to be sure about it. Cheers

Hi @ all and thanks for your input! I changed my description according to your suggestions and made another picture of the medals but am afraid this is the best it can get... @paul wood thanks, I think Virtuti Militari is a good candidate, it is a shame that the numerals on the badge cannot be read. @Great Dane you are right - St. Stanislaus it is! How could I confuse it... @GreyC & @Bayern thanks, a nice comparison piece! I did a little research on the uniform and though I do not own any literature I found a contemporary of "john doe" - who wears an identical uniform. It is Alexander Konstantinowitsch Abramov (1836-1886) who was, as I understand, Lieutenant General (the two buttons on the shoulder boards can on my portrait be seen only on the left one). The picture is copyrighted so I will only post a link here: https://www.alamy.de/stockfoto-portrat-des-russischen-generals-alexander-konstantinowitsch-abramov-1836-1886-er-diente-unter-general-mikhail-chernyayev-wahrend-der-zeit-der-russischen-eroberung-von-zentralem-asien-am-besten-bekannt-fur-die-fuhrung-der-belagerung-gegen-usbekistan-stadt-samarkand-im-jahre-1868-84974675.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=E505D2AB-EA92-4549-AA7E-740621DBA94F&p=75935&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3drussian%20general%20uniform%26qt_raw%3drussian%20general%20uniform%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

Dear all, recently I was lucky enough to be able to add this beautiful and early CDV-photo to my little collection. I was able, I think / hope, to identify most medals / orders by myself but would be happy about corrections. I would date it to ca. 1865-1870 based on medals and photo-backside. Any help on the rank (general, army?) and the identity of this highly decorated officer are very much appreciated ? Cheers! Medal-bar, left to right (viewer): ?? Order of St. George 4th class - or - Cross of St. George ?? Virtuti Militari 5th class Medal for defence of Sewastopol Medal for Crimean campaign Medal for suppression of polish revolt 1863/64 Orders: Order of St. George 2nd class - neck cross and breast star (left breast lower) ?? Order of St. Anne 1st class - neck cross with swords and breast star (left breast upper) Order of St. Stanislaus 1st class - neck cross and breast star (right breast) Long military service badge for officers (rectangular badge below the medal bar), number of years illegible, ribbon dito

Yes, thanks to @Claudius for reposting this work of the late @Rick Research - what a useful list!

Hi, I am irritated by the very unusual form of the loop which does not seem to be a product of hasty painting. It would fit the named Nassau medal, but also the Nassau Waterloo medal - perhaps the better possibility, regarding the size (?), although the ribbon is wrong in this case, too, of course. Just my 2 cents, cheers.

@Claudius that sounds really interesting - do you happen to know a source on the highest possible number of Gefechtsspangen one could theoretically reach? Cheers!

Hi all! This gentlemen found a nice but rarely (?) seen way to display his 8 Gefechtsspangen on the 70/71 Kriegsdenkmünze. Unfortunately the picture is not sharp enough to read them ? But a nice picture anyway! Taken very likely shortly after the issue of the Zentenarmedaille in 1897. Enjoy!

Ah a shame that there is no name, but this is sadly all too often the case... I love the detail, especially the badge on his right sleeve indicating that he is the best fencer in his unit (if i remember correctly?). And also note the ring on his right index finger contrary to todays fashion ? Cheers

Now that IS nice! Thanks for showing. From the 1840s? I suppose there is no name coming with it? Cheers

Hi @The Prussian! And thanks a lot - I read a little about the Friedensrock and found out that all Infantry regiments had now, contrary to before, white shoulder straps ("Waffenfarbe"). This explains a lot (I was confused about the "white" before) and makes it very likely that IR 106 is the right candidate. The Friedensrock aspect of the picture is very interesting - I bought it because I simply "liked" it but now it will get a more special place in my collection... Cheers ArHo

And the next two pictures, from this seller ? Rare stuff, indeed... At least he changed the arrows (wonder if he is reading this thread, too?) https://www.ebay.de/itm/254722437688 The starting price is now so ridiculous that I start to ask myself if, like @Djedj wrote, this whole thing is "real". Well a bad dream for anyone who buys these... I wonder if these are pictures taken in the context of some theatrical show. Perhaps famous actors in theses days...? Stay safe

Hi all, perhaps I am simply blind, but I just cannot figure out which regiment this saxon (? - picture taken in Reichenbach im Vogtland) soldier / Gefreiter belongs to. I searched through all my monogram-lists but just cannot decide - I really appreciate any help from you all! He wears a Friedrich August Medal on the war ribbon (should be bronze as he is a Gefreiter) and a nice Kampfmesser / Grabendolch (private purchase?). Cheers ArHo