Mike Dwyer

I'd have to say my best acquisition (I don't have very many, not like all you guys with 15-20 medal bars!! ) is this little mini bar I got a couple of months ago.

Heiko, What a beautiful photo! Too bad it has the scratches on the surface!

I'll have to check my imperial postcard collection (it's locked up at my office), but I believe I may own a postcard of Prince Heinrich in that uniform. There's also a postcard of Prince Heinrich's son, Prince Waldemar, wearing that uniform too and I think he had the dagger on also, but I may be mistaken.

Did you mean stage right? I'm no expert, and I could be very wrong, but it looks to me that the man on the right is wearing officer's litzen on his collar and the fellow on the left has NCO lace around his collar, so if Otto is in this photo, I would think he'd be the fellow on the left.

Yes, I believe they do. I have a blue and silver 25 year lapel pin from the Grand Lodge of Georiga. In Georgia lapel pins are only given for 25, 50, 60, 70, etc. (I think 75 is as high as they've ever gone). 50 year, and above, Masons also receive a special apron too.

I was on an investigating committee once and we went to a military post and interviewed an applicant for my lodge. During the interview he mentioned that he had a band that played small parties and clubs and he felt the Masons would be a good way for him to obtain more contacts and possible bookings for his band. Needless to say, the the vote on his membership petition did not go in his favor.

Dave, I find this photo very interesting. I've always read so much about the "class consciousness" of the German military. The photo may even be "staged" with a few token other ranks thrown in, but I find it interesting that you have officers, NCOs, and perhaps a private or two in the background all together. Oh, yeah, and I love the Kaiser's picture on the wall!

Claudio, Thanks for the reply. Very, very nice photo too!

No one has answered Heiko's question yet.................. How did Wedding end up with the British Order of St. Michael & St. George?

Very, very nice, Claudio! I'm afraid my old eyes had trouble reading the first medal you posted. Was it from the Duchy of Nassau?

Since the right hand shield is in the colors of the Kingdom of W?rttemberg (black & red), and the regiment was Infanterie-Regiment K?nig Wilhelm I (6. W?rttembergisches) Nr. 124, I would guess the figure on the right is King Wilhelm II of W?rttemberg.

Beautiful, Claudio! Between the stunning medal collection you have, and your beautiful helmets, you could open your own private museum!

Dave, I think you bring up some interesting points. I'm making no claim at being an expert on any of this, but several months ago I read an excellent biography of Kaiser Wilhelm II (The Last Kaiser by Giles MacDonough) that changed some of the beliefs I'd held for years because of the "propaganda" I was taught as a child/young man. Although I'm not saying Germany was all innocent and pure, I was surprised to read about some of the rather unfriendly, war-provoking, things that were done to Germany prior to 1914 by Britain, France and the good old USA! I'd heard about some of the bad things Germany did all my life, but of course, nothing about some of the things the future allies did. As to Kaiser Friedrich III, I'm not sure how his reign might have turned out. It may be as you said, warm loving relationships with Britain, etc. If I recall correctly Prince Bismarck and a large part of the officer corps had a great distrust of Friedrich because they considered him a liberal, and a pawn of Britain because he listened to his wife too much. In MacDonough's book, Kaiser Wilhelm II is shown to have been a great lover of all things British, of his grandmother, etc. but there seemed to have been a concerted, orchestrated propaganda effort by the British government to alienate the British people from Wilhelm at every turn. It was kind of like that old saying, he couldn't win for losing!

David, This is about as close up of von Muller's face as I can get! I hope it helps you.

David, Here's a closer view of von Muller.

David, I hope this photo is a little bit better!

Please excuse my total ignorance here, but I don't believe I've ever seen this enamel ribbon on a medal before. What is it's purpose?

David, I own a postcard of that photo, but I don't have a scan of it. I'll try to scan it tomorrow (it's locked up at my office) and I'll post it here for you. Mike

Ref #64, these are indeed, US Army officer's. They are still worn today on the Army mess uniform for formal occasions, but the rank is not worn on the shoulderboards, they are plain, the rank is worn on the lower sleeve (see rather poor photo below) just below the trefoil knot for company and field grade officers, and above the oak leaf embroidery for general officers. The lady in the middle is wearing the enlisted mess jacket with rank insignia on the sleeve and service stripes on the lower sleeve. [attachmentid=18217]

Usually, in English, at least when compared to the US Army, feldwebel falls into the catagory of a very senior sergeant. Most rank comparison charts I've seen compare fedlwebel to a sergeant-major. In the current US Army you have the following enlisted ranks: Private (E-1 paygrade) Private (E-2) Private First Class (E-3) Specialist or Corporal (E-4) Sergeant (E-5) Staff Sergeant (E-6) Sergeant First Class (E-7) Master Sergeant or First Sergeant (E-8) Sergeant Major or Command Sergeant Major (E-9)

Well, I'm definitely no expert, but I thought the later made medals were silver-gilt which means the metal parts were still gold colored. Those metal parts look silver in those photos.

I have no idea who the gentleman on the piece is, but the coat of arms on the other side are the arms of the Kingdom of Serbia.

Thanks, Glenn, I was just curious when I saw the name.

This is fantastic news, Otto!

I couldn't help but notice on the edge of the cup the name von Prittwitz und Gaffron. I just received the postcard below yesterday. Same person? or just a relative??