Mike Dwyer

I don't really think it's the Bolivian Order of Simon Bolivar either, the star isn't shaped quite right. I've looked at a bunch of orders, but I can't find anything that's shaped quite like this one.

- look at his neck order!!!

It's kind of hard to see at that angle, but it almost looks like the Imperial Order of the Star of Honour of Ethiopia, founded by Emperor Menelik I sometime in 1884-1885, but it has too many points.

Personally, I don't think it's shaped quite right for Villa Vicosa either.

Mike, that is a sweetie! How did I ever miss that????

Bob, I don't know. It was for sale on WAF and after no one snapped it up, I did!

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!

...shows Prince Heinrich in full regalia as head of this organization. He is wearing an example of this dagger.

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.

I believe this is Otto on the right, with Lt. Reuschle. No other wartime photo of Otto exists.

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.

These look really interesting, does each Grand Lodge have their own version of them?...K

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.

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Perks......In "UK Freemasonry"....Anyone looking for "perks, gain, or financial reward" through membership are in the wrong organisation...on the whole it doesn't happen and if it occurs those responsible are quickly weeded out.

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.

A Christmas gathering for Eisenbahn-Regt. Nr. 3, 1917.

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!

Hi Mike,

I can't reply to your question, since I do not have the necessary reference books with Wedding's data, but I can show you the Admiral wearing a previous medal bar (see many 20ies veterans' decorations) with already the British Order of St. Michael & St. George.

Ciao,

Claudio

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?

IR124 K?nig Wilhelm I. With embossing & gold. Don't know who the gentleman on the right is.

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!

Geopolitical realities were driving Prussia/Germany and England into rivalry, so it would be overstating the case to focus on personalities. But another interesting variant of what you note is what would have happened had Kaiser Friedrich III not died so soon. As Victoria's son-in-law, married to her eldest daughter, he was closer to her than his son Wilhelm II ever would be. Put him on the throne from 1888 to 1901, when both Queen Victoria and his widow died, and you have ten plus years where England and Germany might not have drifted as far apart.

Of course, Belgium, Romania, Greece and Russia also had German rulers or close relationships to German ruling houses, but that didn't stop them from joining the Allies.

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?

Hi guys,

this photo was taken and made into a postcard, any idea what kind of uniforms the people are wearing?

Thanks

DM

whoo I just realise what a bad photo this is, I will try and upgrade it soon

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

An interesting thread . . . on something about which Inknown absolutely nothing.

Years ago, not even sur ehow, I acquired a pair of shoulderboards. Have always assumed they were "German", but never knew. If I never ask, I'll never know, I guess.

Here they are. As I say, I have no clue. (Not the world's best scan, sorry.)

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.

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... the normal class for sergeants and feldwebel (what is this in english?)

Heiko

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)

Now, my Mama may have raised a fool....... but I sure wouldn't drop this kind of bread, for this type of piece, even if I believed the perpetual wearer's copy stories........ based on these crappy photographs!

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.