Mike Dwyer

I'm with Darrell, the details are horrible. I don't know enough about it to say it's a copy, but I just don't like it. :speechless1:

All I can tell you is it's from the Venerable Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, the British version of the Order of Saint John (Johanniter Orden, Knights of Malta).

Joe, I'm no Latin scholar, but according to what I can find on the Internet it litterally means, "To Each His Own." But on one site I found it says that in this case it more closely means "To Each According to His Merits."

On page 146 of "Prussian Blue: A History of the Order Pour le Merite" there is a very large, full page, photo of Crown Prince Friedrich and the top breast star he's wearing in that photo is without a doubt the Order of the Black Eagle (I can read the motto, Suum Cuique, around the center portion) and it has what I'm fairly sure is the enamelled Garter of the British Order of the Garter entwined around the arms of the star. I can't read the enamelled ribbon, but it is dark in color. The star in the photo in the book looks just like the star in the photo posted in this thread.

James, You are quite correct, there is no Grand Cross, my mistake, there was only one class. I cannot see the ribbon going around the star so I cannot really say what it is. I have seen stars like you describe, with the enamelled Garter around it, but I've also seen breast stars with the enamelled ribbon/sash of the Red Eagle around it also. Those stars may not have been Black Eagle breast stars, I don't recall, I just know they had the white and orange Red Eagle sash entwined around the arms.

Wonderful photo!

Mark, I can't see everything he has due to items being hidden. But what I can see is: At his throat, Crown Prince Friedrich is wearing the 1870 Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. Below that you can see the chain for the special family collar of the Royal Hohenzollern House Order, but I can't actually see the cross itself. Below that is hanging the gigantic Grand Cross of the Pour le Merite with Oak Leaves. On his chest he has two breast stars and a cross. The top breast star is the Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Eagle. There appears to be a ribbon entwined around the arms which may designate the holding of another Grand Cross, probably of the Red Eagle. The middle cross, is of course, the Iron Cross 1st Class. The bottom breast star is for the Grand Cross of the Pour le Merite with Oak Leaves.

www.usmedals.com sells authentic US military medals. They also sell their own, made-up, commemorative medals so make sure you're looking at the right section. Also, if I remember correctly, you must have been a member of a unit at the time a unit citation was awarded to be able to wear the unit citation permanently on your uniform. I may have missed it, but I didn't see those two unit citations listed on your dad's DD214. For example, I served for a while in the 988th Military Police Company, and we wore the red one that you have. It was awarded to the unit in WW2 so I only got to wear it while I was assigned there, once I transferred out I had to take it off of my uniform.

Peter, I apologize for moving you to the wrong country! It was some time ago that the picture was posted, but I loved it so much I kept a copy of it on my computer.

The King of Tonga in the photo is George Tupou V, who is very much alive. His father died in 2006 and the country was in mourning for two years. King George Tupou V's coronation was August 1, 2008.

Sorry about that! First of all I didn't realize that was a PLM, I thought it was a Johanniter cross. The Grand Duke himself looks a lot older that other photos of him that I've seen and I've never seen him with glasses on either, so I was going with number 3 (although his mustache is a bit too small). Also I guess the breast star on number 3 got me confused. The Grand Duke is rather underdressed!

While not exactly a British court uniform, here's a photo I saw posted awhile back on another site relating to the recent coronation of the King of Tonga. The photo had the following caption under it: The King?s amicable nature ensures that the Tongan realm lives up to their sometime moniker of ?the Friendly Islands?; above, His Majesty meets with one of his honorary consuls to Australia.

The Grand Duke is number 3, the balding fellow kind of in the middle with the large mustache.

Thanks, Glenn. I imagined he came on the scene after the rank list was published. I wonder if that was an older brother who was in the GK regiment?

Gene, The coat may have originally been made/issued for someone in the 14th Infantry, but that regiment just had a yellow "14" on the shoulderstraps, somehow this coat has been converted to a 6th regiment uniform by changing the shoulderstraps. I'm not sure how that works. If your blue and red cap has the Bavarian cockade (white with blue center) on the lower band (I can't really see it that well), then it would be entirely appropriate for this uniform coat.

Sorry, Joe, for misleading you. I'm afraid I had no idea that was a GdC gorget, I wouldn't know one gorget from another. There's no Graf von Haugwitz listed in the GdC in the 1915 Rangliste, just the guy I mentioned. :speechless:

That would be the Royal Bavarian 6. Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, K?nig von Preu?en, stationed in Amberg, raised June 18, 1725, part of the III Bayer. Armee Korps. If that's a 9 on the shoulder strap button the owner was in the 9th company.

He's listed in the 1914 Rangliste as a Leutnant in Garde-Kűrassier-Regiment, since he's the very last one listed, with a date of rank of 23.12.13 Oo, I'm guessing he's the most junior leutnant in the regiment.

From the small photo it certainly looks like an imperial German uniform. What's on the shoulder straps?

I'm no expert, but every picture I've seen of someone dressed up in the German Auto Club uniform they were wearing a regular visor cap and they had the imperial crown on the collar.

Back -

Claudio, I have the brother to yours! (Except mine is a little bit dirtier!) Front-

I'm just making a wild guess here, but I imagine "End of War". Oops, got beaten to the punch!

I'm probably going to regret this, but I can't just let this slide by. I think you're being a bit over sensitive JJ. No one bullied you or put you down. Rick Research, one of the most, if not the most, knowledgeable person here, expressed his very expert opinion on this medal bar. Opinions were asked for and he gave his. That's the extent of it. You may not agree with his opinion, but it was freely given when solicited. If you think he's wrong, that's fine, but I'm sure he didn't mean to offend you in any way.

Great, Greg! I see you finally took the plunge! :jumping: