Hendrik

A geographical indication : always useful and never to be scoffed at !? Thank you very much, Hendrik

Hello All ! As mentioned in another post (thanks again for the quick answer, JapanX) I recently acquired a Wound Badge. It came in what I assume is its original and somewhat damaged box of issue which is, however, marked in ink on both the outside and inside of the lid. Obviously, I'd love to know what is written there and so, it's over to the experts ... In case a close-up would help : and, on the inside : Thanks & regards, Hendrik

Thank you very much, Nick ! Regards, Hendrik

Hello ! A small badge, in its box of issue (?), has recently arrived with me as part of a lot containing a Japanese Wound Badge. I'm hoping one of the experts on this forum can shed more light on it ... Thanks & regards, Hendrik

Hello Numis, The medal you refer to in your original post is, as Vincent pointed out, not an official Belgian medal. Its obverse bears the head of the sovereign under which reign it was issued (i.e. Leopold II or Albert I - I can't recall seeing any other king's representation). Official Belgian lifesaving awards were created during the reigns of Leopold I and Leopold II and you might wander over to Hendrik's Medal Corner and find then in the "Other Awards" section. Regards, Hendrik

Hi, As Pat mentions in the post above, it's the French Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour), Chevalier class (knight class) of the 3rd Republic era (1870-1951) and its ribbon is plain red. At the bottom, the mark is quite likely a boar's head (indicating the cross is silver) and the mark on the ring should be "AB & Cie" with a wheel under a star, i.e. the Arthus-Bertrand maker's mark. Regards, Hendrik

Hi Nick, Not German but Belgian : Military Chaplain's Cross, a badge of office rather than a decoration. Regards, Hendrik

Hello Gordon, French manufacturers have a long history of producing unofficial medals and bars. I think the motive is financial gain rather than veterans wanting to embellish their members' medal displays but that is just my personal opinion. Regards, Hendrik

Hello Gordon, No bars were authorised for this medal. The Dien Bien Phu bar is, to my knowledge, unofficial and the Légion Etrangère bar belongs to the "National Defence Medal". Below an example of the latter on a 1st class medal : Regards, Hendrik

Bonjour Patout ? Excellent ! It may be of interest that the "Médaille d'Honneur" the good captain received was of the highest possible class : he was awarded the rare gold class of the Interior Ministry's Medal of Honour for courage and dedication. It would perhaps be interesting to know which "difficult events in several counties in the months of February, March, April and May 1906" caused such awards to be made ... Link to the entry in the Journal Officiel de la République Française : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6542783t/f2.image Regards, Hendrik

Hello Jeff, There are "Journal de Marche Officiel" of some of the batteries of the 68th Artillery Regiment available on line : https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/fr/arkotheque/inventaires/ead_ir_consult.php?fam=3&ref=6&le_id=12831 Time to brush up your French ? Regards, Hendrik

Adrian, As the citation for the Officer class of the Légion d'Honneur mentions the Croix de guerre in December 1915, it is indeed a 1914-1915 reverse one that Laborde would have received. In the end, he would have two ribbon devices on its ribbon as will be seen on his LdH Commander citation ... The latter can be found in the Journal Officiel de la République Française (JORF) at https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65378717/f28.image.r="laborde" Chronologically, he received three classes of the Legion d'Honneur as follows : Chevalier (Knight) per Decree of 11 July 1908, published in the JORF on 13 July 1908 Officer per Decree of 7 November 1915, published in the JORF on 9 Nov. 1915 and, Commander per Decree of 25 December 1929, published in the JORF on 28 December 1929 - a nice Xmas present. Regards, Hendrik

Hello Adrian, The citation you have was not for the Croix de guerre but for the Légion d'Honneur, officer class. It would fit the award made to Captain Marcel Victor Laborde ... He was made Commander in the same order in December 1929 when, with the rank of Colonel, he was commanding the 9th Zouaves Regiment. Regards, Hendrik

Hi, The 1870 date on the obverse and the hinge suspension points to the medal being awarded in the 1910-1950 era ... Regards, Hendrik

Hello Pepe864, Original "Isles Marquises" bars are indeed quite rare (most if not all Colonial Medal bars have been remade over the years). Some more information can be found on Hendrik's Medal Corner :-) The "Levant" and "Casablanca" bars belong to other medals (Commemorative Medals of Syria-Cilicia and of Morocco resp.). The "Sud-Oranais" bar is a nice unofficial bar which is not too common either, I believe. Regards, Hendrik

Hi Yank, It's the 3rd Republic model which was awarded between 8 Nov. 1870 and 27 Feb. 1951. Regards, Hendrik

Thank you very much BalkanCollector for your quick reaction to my question. The suspension inscription with its two names remains a bit of a mystery then ! Some pictures of the medal itself : Best regards, Hendrik

Hello Gents, I'm in need of a translation of both a document and the reverse inscription on a suspension plate of an Order for Bravery I recently acquired : Thank you and best regards, Hendrik

Hi, A very nice T'ai Federation Order of Military Merit you have there or, to use its French name, the "Ordre du Mérite Militaire des Sip Hoc Chau". The inscription stands for "T'ai Federation". The T'ai Federation was an autonomous zone in Northern Vietnam and Northern Laos and its people were allies to the French in their war against the Viet Minh. Regards, Hendrik P.S. Could someone move this topic to either France or Asia ?

Hi, It would appear Marsoliau's first name is "Léonce" and he did receive a 2nd class silver medal prior to the 1879 fire ... In the "Journal Officiel de la République Française" of 15 November 1875, Léonce Marsoliau is mentioned as having been awarded the 2nd class silver medal for his actions on 31 July of that year : I haven't found anything on Hacala nor on the award of the 1879 medals. Regards, Hendrik

Hi, I beg to differ : to my knowledge, the various types that saw the light of day in that short period had either no crown suspension or, again, a little cross on top of the suspension ball. The motto in the central medallion referred to Napoleon as 1st Consul on those crosses. Regards, Hendrik

Hello Ken, The absence of a little cross on top of the suspension ball seems to make this a "July Monarchy" type with altered central medallions ... Your No. 2 is a 2nd Empire type as you rightly observed. Regards, Hendrik

Many thanks Owain for your expert answer ! Regards, Hendrik

Hello ! The badge below has been described on commercial sites as a long service badge awarded to members of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie's bodyguard. Is there any truth in that and, if so, what number of service years would this light green coloured badge stand for ? Regards, Hendrik

Hello Rav, I wish ... haven't come across any yet. Regards, Hendrik