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And now the Norwegian medal.... Owain

Gentlemen, Many thanks for your input - all information is welcome. I attach images of the Danish medal. Regards, Owain

Michael, Many thanks for your prompt response - I will amend the title of the Danish medals accordingly. The number of medals issued you note was 1953 - does this figure include awards to foriegners? Ulsterman, Thank you also for your input - all good stuff. Do I now infer the missing Orange-Nassau is a medal 1st Class? Access to the Negerat Gazetta would be nice but I suspect it is not on line! Kind regards and thank you to you both. Owain

Gentlemen, I attach an image of the reverse of the group. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, I have recently had the good fortune to obtain an interesting Ethiopian group, which although missing two medals, is a group which I should be able to complete. The mounted group consists of : Order of Menelik, 4th Class (missing and a "spare worn Haile Selassie merit medal has been substitutued) Order of the Star, 4th Class Large gilt Haile Selassie Medal of Merit Haile Selassie Jubilee Medal 25th Anniversary of Liberation Medal Norway - Medal of Olav V Greece - Order of George I, 6th Class Holland - Order of Orange Nassau, 5th Class (or possibly medal?) Denmark - Royal Medal of Recompense (Frederick IX) - 2nd Type 1965-71 Belgium - Order of the Crown, 4th Class What attracted me to the group is that it was the first time I had seen a mounted group including the Jubilee and 25th Anniversary medals, both relatively scarce, especially the Jubilee medal. It also provides some scope for research in as much as I hope to be able to track down the state visits by Haile Selassie to the overseas countries or indeed visits by Heads of State to Addis Ababa. From the grades of awards, both Ethiopian and from overseas, I would infer that the recipient was an official at the Court of Haile Selassie. Whilst I should be able to source an Order of Menelik to complete the Ethiopian portion of the group my reasoning for posting this on the Northern European Forum is to ask fellow members with knowledge of such awards: Is the missing Dutch order indeed the 5th Class of the Order of Orange Nassau or a Medal of the Order and if the latter of what grade? Was it a gilt medal removed because it was thought to be gold? Were the medals awarded to foriegners during state visits or were only orders presented? With regard to the Danish and Norwegian medals - are these particulary scarce and are they well documented? Any information on these Danish and Norwegian awards would be welcome. Finally with regard to the Begium Order of the Crown 4th Class - as it is mounted last and of the 4th Class, could this infer the increasing seniority or rank of the recipient assuming the foriegn awards are mounted in chronological order of receipt. (I am not ignoring the Greek award but it is not the subject matter of this particular forum.) Ideally what I need to do is track down the order of state visits to Ethiopia or by Haile Selassie to the countries represented in this group - perhaps a job for a wet weekend in January? Many thanks in advance for any information provided. Kind regards and festive greetings from Riyadh, Owain Raw-Rees

Gentlemen, An image of the reverse of the group. Owain

Gentlemen, I have recently had the good fortune to obtain an interesting group, which although missing two medals, is a group which I should be able to complete. The mounted group consists of : Order of Menelik, 4th Class (missing and a "spare worn Haile Selassie merit medal has been substitutued) Order of the Star, 4th Class Large gilt Haile Selassie Medal of Merit Haile Selassie Jubilee Medal 25th Anniversary of Liberation Medal Norway - Medal of Olav V Greece - Order of George I, 6th Class (thank you Emannuel) Holland - Order of Orange Nassau, 5th Class (or possibly medal?) Denmark - Medal of Frederick IX Belgium - Order of the Crown, 4th Class What attracted me to the group is that it was the first time I had seen a mounted group including the Jubilee and 25th Anniversary medals, both relatively scarce, especially the Jubilee medal. It also provides some scope for research in as much as I hope to be able to track down the state visits by Haile Selassie to the overseas countries or indeed visits by Heads of State to Addis Ababa. From the grades of awards, both Ethiopian and from overseas, I would infer that the recipient was an official at the Court of Haile Selassie. Whilst I should be able to obtain an Order of Menelik without great difficulty a challenge I have is to ascertain whether the missing Dutch order is indeed the 5th Class of the Order of Orange Nassau or a Medal of the Order and thus I will also post this topic in the European (Netherlands) forum - that forum may also be able to provide further information on the Danish and Norwegian awards. KInd regards and festive greetings from Riyadh, Owain Raw-Rees

Gentlemen, At last I have a translation of the "Best Cow" medal Obverse His Majesty Haile Selassie I King of Kings 21 First Government Era (Not sure if this is acurate or makes sense) Reverse Ethiopia International Agricultural Exhibition Second Prize - Horned Cattle 1944 Addis Ababa (if this is correct it corresponds to 1951 or so) Not quite the Agricultural Order I was hoping for but nonetheless a nice piece and much fun in the negotiation for it. Finally earlier Chris noted his annoyance at the loss/confiscation of a chocolate Victory Star - I saw one or two of these and I am 99% certain that such pieces are unfinished awards which had not been silvered for issue and were from Sevadjian stock looted/liberated after 1974. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, The reverse of the medals. Owain

Gentlemen, I attach an image of the obverse of the medals - reverse to follow. Owain

Gentlemen, Back in Riyadh - a successful trip - no hassle at at all at the airport - all very quite. The medals were in the hold luggage. I must have visted over 30 different shops and almost all had medals but the vast amount were without ribbon and in poor condition - both pre and post Selassie periods. Haggling and revisiting some shops was necessary and indeed some prices being asked - no doubt due to me being a Westerner - were ridiculous. The ability to walk away is a necessity - indeed one store had a small trunk full of miniatures and other bits and pieces but the owner wanted to charge full medal price for the miniatures and would not compromise so no deal. Also evident were many unfinished medals and parts of orders, much of which I am sure had been liberated from the Sevadjian factory after the fall of Selassie. A key issue was the lack of medal ribbons, and indeed medal ribbon bars, of which I saw only a few and all badly damaged, and thus unless the piece was particularly scarce to my mind it was not worth persuing. Anway my haul for the trip is as follows: Menelik Service Medals (small diameter) - 1st (gilt) and 2nd (silvered) at Birr 250 each ($13.89). Selassie Service Medals (large diameter) - 1st (gilt) & 2nd (silvered) at Birr 250 each ($13.89). Selassie Police Medal - 1st (gilt) (x 2 - one in original issue paper envelope) at Birr 250 & Birr 150 ($13.89 & $8.33) - 2nd Class not seen anywhere even without ribbon. Chaplains Medal - 1st (gilded base medal) - at Birr 250 (13.89) - not sure if this is a one or two class award - poorly struck (cast?) and no ribbon. Congo Medal - at Birr 200 ($11.11) UN Korea - Ethiopia issue at Birr 450 ($25.00) 1956 Silver Jubilee Medal - at Birr 750 ($41.67) the only other example I saw was without ribbon and the asking price was Birr 4,000 ($222.22) - Ha! "Best Cow" medal - some from of agricultural prize award (?) at Birr 750 ($41.67) - loop suspension but no ribbon. I wil post images of these in the next few days. I already have a number of Ethiopian awards in my collection thus I limited my purchases search to what I did not have.The only medals I did not buy which I did not have were silver Victory stars and the Korea medals in silver and silvered base metal - no ribbon was available for these and thus I passed - perhaps when I vist again. Finally one note of caution - there were a number of Order of Solomon badges for sale - on close inspection the star badges may have been Sevadjian castings but subsequently attached to crudely made suspension crowns - these were being sold as neck pendants - they should not be confused with genuine orders - one international dealer has one being offered as scare locally made variant! Anyway that is it for now and thank you for your interest and advice. Regards, Owain

Chris, No it was at one of a cluster of shops just off Churchill Avenue - I'll return there later to day. This morning off with friend to the Mercato Market - supposedly the biggest open air market in Africa - a friend is giving us his driver as a guide and apparently there may be medals there...as they say in Saudi "Insh allah"! Owain

Just back from a day of tourism & browsing. Lost of medals for sale but. I suppose inevitably, all of the common place pre & post Selassie stuff - invariably well worn or damaged and without ribbons - great fun browsing though. Once possible find is a Hero of the Republic large silver neck badge but no price yet - some of the red enamelling on the central star is missing. A star of Shebe at $500 was a definite walk away. I will go back tomorrow morning for another browse - I have my eye on a Halie Selassie Prize Medal for the Best Cow - at Birr800 or $40 I should be able to negotiate it down. So far no looose ribbons or ribbon bars but I will keep on looking. Owain

Megan, No problem. Owain

Good evening from the Radisson in Addis. Arrived this morning from Riyadh for three nights - a three hour flight, no time difference, visa easily available at the airport for $20 - all very convenient. The only real hassle was getting a yellow fever jab in Riyadh to comply with Saudi re-entry regulations. Draught St. George's beer is most welcome after the delights of Riyadh homebrew! Tomorrow off on a medal hunt to Churchill Road and I am confining my purchases, if any, to post Selassie items with a maximum cost of $10 (??)per medal - I'll report back on whether my "rules" are complied with in due course. Advice from hotel and airport staff is be modest in your purchases - a kilo of of bling will attract attention, get reciepts, and pack in hold luggage. I'll keep you posted. Off for another St. George! Owain

I hope my notes below help.....Owain The Medal of Liberation of the Senoussi Army Obverse Reverse Obverse In the foreground the flag of the Senoussis, black with crescent and star, superimposed upon the rising sun above the sands and on either side a sundered chain. Reverse In the centre the Arabic inscription, “Medal of Liberation of the Senoussi Army” and the date “9 August 1940”. In the exurge beginning at the three o’clock position the inscription from the Koran “And those who believe and adopt exile and fight for the Faith, in the cause of God, as well as those who give them asylum and aid – these are all in very truth the Believers: for them is the forgiveness of sins and a provision most generous,” (Chapter 8, Verse 74). Ribbon 12.5mm red ribbon with a central 5mm band of four black and three white stripes. In June 1940 Italy entered the Second World War as an ally of the Nazi Germany and many Libyan exiles, an estimated 14,000 in Egypt alone, saw this involvement in the war as an opportunity to free their country from Italian rule. Under the leadership of Idris support for the British war effort became mobilised and in Cairo, in August 1940, the exiles passed resolutions calling for participation in the war alongside the British forces and under the banner of the Senoussi. “A recruiting office was opened in Egypt and five infantry battalions of volunteers were eventually mustered as the Libyan Arab Force. These troops made a marginal contribution to the allied war effort in North Africa. Some were present during the fighting in the Derna-Tobruk sector in early 1942, but the Libyan Arab Force was as a whole, only a gendarmerie, fulfilling police and guard duties as ‘base troops’ well behind the lines, and thereby relieving front line units of these routine but very necessary tasks.” (John Wright, Libya A Modern History.) Following independence the veterans of the Senoussi Army formed the nucleus of the Royal Libyan Army. I would suggest that this medal was instituted to recognise the service of the members of the Libyan Arab Force or Senoussi Army. (Manufactured by Bichay of Cairo.) The symbolism of the ribbon’s colours can be equated to the symbolism attaching to the flag of the Kingdom. A popular Libyan poem reads, “Our deeds are the colour of white, Our battles of black, Our meadows of green, And our swords of red.”

Dear Moheb, In haste and away from my data base, I can advise that of the Egyptian manufactured pieces for the monarchy - to date I have no evidence of other manufacturers - for the period 1915 to 1952, have the reverse of the orders, 5 classes, marked as follows: A - Lattes in Latin script and occasionally in Arabic script. B - Bichay (Tewfic Bichay) in Latin script. C - Bichay (Fahmy Tewfic Bichay) in Arabic script. Whilst the design of the order is constant the early pieces by Lattes have silvered rather than gilded rays on the body of the star. Some pieces - all manufacturers, have the crown suspension and central circular ring in gold as opposed to the usual silver gilt. I hope this helps. Kind regards, Owain. P.S. The Republic order of the same name whilst retaining the ribbon colours, consists only of a collar and a grand cordon class and are of a different design.

Emmanuel, Whilst this medal is scarce for collectors its award appears to be fairly commonplace as most if not all senior officers I have seen have the ribbon on their uniforms. It may well be that as Saudi medals are a relatively recent institution - early 1970's that they have yet to come on the market. Even though I live in Riyadh obtaining Saudi medals is very difficult. Regards, Owain

Dear Auseklis & Paul, This is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Military Appreciation Medal, established in 1971, and comes in three classes - this particular piece appears to the the 1st Class in gilded base metal and made by Bertrand of Paris. The ribbon is yellow with a narrow green stripe inset from either edge of the ribbon. In the centre of the ribbon there is an embroidered gold, silver or bronze palm tree and crossed swords. The medal is awarded for commendations for distinguished service during military operations or normal duty or as a result of being wounded on duty (this latter aspect has, I believe, become obsolete with the institution in 1987 of the Honour Medal which is wound specific). 1st Class is for Commanding Officers and above; 2nd Class for officers and NCOs; 3rd Class for enlisted men. Kind regards, Owain

Dear Chris & Ilja, This a great example of how GMIC serves us all. With regard to these medals I am sure that the late Bichay would despair as to the quality of these pieces. I obtained my two medals at separate occasions in the souk in Riyadh at about $25 each - the quality is really quite bad. The quality of Egyptian medals deteriorated drastically on the issue of the 1973 War Medal which is atrocious but I recall Bichay telling me the contract went out to tender and due to "commercial considerations" it went to a badge company or similar with no experience of making medals. Ilja's Sinai 25th Anniversary Medal appears to be of better quality and I will now have to keep an eye out for one for my collection. I wonder if these medals were actually issued or or whether entitlement to the ribbon was given and then the recipient had to buy the medal? Do either of you have images of the Sinai Liberation Medal or the Navy Day Medal? Regards, Owain

Chris, I attach images of the aforementioned medals - enjoy! Owain

Chris, Nice photo. I would concur with your suggestions: Row 3, #3 could be the "25th Anniversary of the October Victory 73-97" Row 4, either #1 or #3 is the "Gold Jubilee of the 23 July Revolution 1952-2002" As the ribbons are the same for the latter the ribbon device would indentifiy which one. Regards, Owain

Michael, Unfortunately no paperwork, but the medal dates from the early years of the "Jamahariyah" as opposed the Republic ("Jumhuriya"). The case is nice as it clearly states "Nowt" (Decoration) Second Class. Regards, Owain

I would concur with Chris's response and advise that from my experience of collecting Arabic awards for now, dare I admit it, over twenty years, that I have not seen any Arab fire service awards. Kind regards, Owain

Michael, Yes, these are images of the medals in my collection. With regard to the photograph of the presentation to de Marco, the badge being affixed to his jacket appears to be the star of the Order of the Great Fatah. In Arabic the designation on the order is "wissam" (order) and the designation on the medal is "nowt" (decoration) and thus I believe them to be separate but quite probably related awards. Kind regards, Owain