TacHel

The link below will take you to a Russian web site displaying all of the Defense Ministry's sub departments. There are quite a few. Clicking on an individual emblem will bring you to a different page with a larger image of the emblem and the name of the sub department. The site is in Russian though.

LINK TO SITE

Great set! Congrats!

I have a question though... Why is the Albecht Order so far back? I understand it is a non Prussian award but is it simply because it was given in peace time?

Commemorative Medal of the "15th Anniversary of the Federal Agency for Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons.

As mentioned in the initial post, I am still searching for the official ministerial order. The only reason I believe this medal to be genuinely official (governmental) is the fact is is suspended from a ribbon with the colours of the Defense Ministry (yellow half with black stripes).

This customs official is seen receiving the above medal. The citation mentioned his multi year active involvement in the transfer of such weapons from ex soviet republics to the main disarmament centers.

Federal Agency for Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons. A department of the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation.

Medal for Strengthening the Brotherhood of Chemical Disarmament.

I am still searching for the ministerial order and award criteria, if anybody knows where I can find them, please advise. All I've been able to discover so far is that it was instituted in 2007.

The tri colour ribbon has been used to excess by non governmental organizations, especially since the new state regulations forbid them from using colours similar to governmental awards. Also, many ministerial and departmental awards for service in the Caucasus that were replaced by the cross almost all hanged from that ribbon.

But in this case, we're talking about wearing what is one of the highest honours in the country, you'd think fiddling with the design would be a major nono... Or that at the very least, the official web site would mention this should it now be allowed.

This was a VERY GOOD month!

Top row L to R

-Medal for the Brotherhood of Emergency Services (EMERCOM)

-Commemorative Medal for 90 Years of Military Intelligence (Def Min)

-Medal for Merit in Upholding the Memory of Fallen Defenders of the Fatherland 1st class (Def Min)

-Cross for Valor (EMERCOM)

-Medal of the "15th Anniversary of the Federal Agency for Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons" (Def Min)

-Medal for Strengthening the Brotherhood of Chemical Disarmament (Def Min)

Bottom row L to R

-Breast Badge "Veteran Aviator of the MES of Russia" (EMERCOM)

-Breast badge for "Model Member of a Special Police Unit" (MVD)

-Breast Badge "For Faithfulness to Duty" (MVD)

-Breast Badge "Model Employee in Fire Prevention" (EMERCOM)

-Breast Badge "Participant in Disaster Relief Management" (EMERCOM)

Rick, I just need some help in understanding here...

Are you saying that the crown on an BMVKX is more or less a second award of the same class? Or a promotion within the same class?

I wonder if some recipients wondered who that really was on the medal

Yeah... Looks more like Celine Dion's mother than EIIR! Notice how the detailing of the crown remained, a definite hint at the horrible amount of plating used and the complete lack of quality control.

On a brighter side... The mint has regained control of Canadian military medals. No more crappy triple plated horrors like this! No more lower bidder nonsense!

Was the BMVK2XmKr/BMVK3XmKr/EK2/Kyffhäuserbund a flat bottomed hook back so the awards slide off, or were they mounted in front--permanently or with clips-- and positioned so that they were level across the bottom? If hook back, anybody could have slid anything on (or off) at any time. If mounted permanently/correctly, that would be a very interesting bar, because there is no long service award.

It was a really well done permanent court mount, the only way to remove anything would entail damaging the ribbons (at the front). The suspension rings being under said ribbons.

A BMVK3XmKr was earned by Sergeants (the German army rank term) as an initial award and by lower ranks as two separate awards-- first a BMVK3X and then the Crown added. A BMVK2X would not be surprising with a BMVK3XmKr-- just one rank up to earn that. But to go up one rank and THEN be decorated a further tieme in that same class = THREE Bavarian dceorations (worn as two) and the EK, for a (somehow) Senior Sergeant with no long service entitlement.

I honestly don't recall seeing a service award... But I must admit that my gaze was fixed on those 2 MVKs.

If I understand you correctly, one would earn an BMVK3X "before" being entitled to the crown on the same award?

So this set would be more plausible if the BMVK3X had no crown? (I'm confused now)...

In the case of the bar I saw... The fact the EK2 was 3rd and that there was a Kyfhauser medal in lieu of a frontkampferkreuz... IMHO, definitely denotes a pre 1934 bar... Isn't it in 34 or 35 that the new order of precedence came out?

I remember my articling student (a Naval Reserve officer) referring to the 1977 Jubilee as "the snivellers' medal" implying that if you whined to your CO enough you got put on the list. Of course that was back in the days when few wore more than an UNFICYP or UNDOF, and CD.

Well, I guess "the snivellers' medal" sounds better than what we call the Golden Jubilee medal in the armed forces. Canada decided to award it to people who had the longest time in rank, in other words, to people who hadn't been promoted in a looooooong time. We salute them with a hand to the forehead fingering the letter "L".

:rolleyes:

What a coincidence, I was about to post the same question!

Last week at a gun show I saw for sale a WW1 Bavarian set and found it odd to see 2 classes of the Military Merit Cross worn.

The set was comprised of:

Bav. Mil. Merit Cross 2nd class with swords and crown,

Bav. Mil. Merit Cross 3rd class with swords and crown,

EK2,

Kyfhauser.

So this is actually legit??

You can't tell from this post but I'm actually in complete awe:o

I salute you Rick, an absolutely fascinating story of an exceptional character brought back to life by your "genius". Thank you for sharing this! A book of such obscure but incredibly interesting characters would probably make the best seller list! Food for thought?

At a guess with the ongoing military commitment in Afghanistan there is likely to be some kind of medal, assuming she is still on the throne of course. But would not be surprised to save money that those that were awarded the Golden Jubilee will receive a bar instead of a new medal.

Are you serious? No precedent for this... I can't imagine that happening. Then again, the award of her golden jubilee medal was soooo botched in Canada, not much would surprise me.

The only Honorary Titles of the Russian Federation worn on the small 4 corner mount with tri-colour ribbon that I know of are:

-Hero of the Russian Federation

-Pilot Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation

-Honoured Military Pilot of the Russian Federation

-Honoured Military Navigator of the Russian Federation

All other "honorary titles" (and there are many!) being represented by a similar rather plain looking uni-colour breast badge except for the actual title name inscription. (See pic below-left)

I've been spending a lot of time lately going over Russian ODM auction sites and keep coming across honorary titles all mounted on the tri-colour ribbon like the four previously mentioned (see pic below-right), but the official Russian Federation web site still shows ONLY the plain badges. Mind you, they aren't the fastest at web site updates!! To date, I have found 6 such different items.

My question is: are these actual new approved designs for wear or are they rejected prototypes?

HONOURED TEST NAVIGATOR OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

Badge at left is the approved version on the official RF web site. Badge at left is a mystery.

Can ANYBODY shed some light on this subject?

Hey Frank, nice one ...

Where do you get all these? e-bay?

eBay has its limits, which I have reached... I have a new friend in Russia now supplying me.:whistle:

I just got this beauty in!

EMERCOM's Cross for Valor.

Instituted on 30 May 2005 by ministerial order 426. Awarded to soldiers of the civil defense forces, military personnel, members of the State Fire Service or employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for bravery and courage shown in saving lives and property, flawless execution of duty, that were previously honored with government or departmental awards.

Simple blazer crest, definitely post 1952.

Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing with us!

Great collection! I truly enjoyed it! Hope you'll add to this post when you acquire some more of these superb Canadian artefacts!

Well dang, you learn something new every day!

Have you tried here Chris? CLICK HERE

Everything on the attestation says 1916. The cross should have the royal cypher of George V even if the cross is a replacement cross or if for some weird reason the next of kin was only found 50 years later. The government has large stocks of spares with all cyphers.

The Canadian Memorial Cross, also known as the Mother's Cross or Silver Cross. All three possible cyphers, GVR, GVIR, EIIR.

This is really weird my friend...:unsure:

A QEII Cross means post 1952 service death... Possibly Korea?

Barring that, it would mean a service death on an early UN mission... But judging by the other medals, if it is indeed for him, my money would be on Korea.

ADDENDA: After re reading your statement "I assume it being a QE2 cross that he died after WW2 for WW1 related wounds?" I've NEVER heard of a cross being attributed so many years after the fact. Unless there's a fine print in the award criteria that I've never seen or even heard of, this man re enlisted and succumbed to wounds received under the reign of HRH EII. The only other possibility that I can imagine is that the cross isn't for him...

Isn't there his name and serial number on the back?