Mecklenburg 11-place ribbon bar

[webr55]

Gentlemen,

I have a new ribbon bar from a Mecklenburger. The ribbons are quite faded, but three Mecklenburg awards are recognizable. I am not sure what these are:

1) EK2 1914

2) Mecklenburg (Schwerin?) Comb War Merit Cross

3) Bavarian, but Cross or Order?

4) Looks like Hessen

5) Mecklenburg Long Service?

6) something else from Mecklenburg?

7) War Aid Cross

8) Hindenburg X

9) Austrian Commem

10) Hungarian Commem

11) Italian Crown Order (?)

Any ideas on this one, maybe from one of the Mecklenburg experts?

Chris

 

 

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[webr55]

It is difficult to make a good scan of the back, because the bar is curved. But I think this is a Godet catch.

Edited November 11, 2017 by webr55

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

However strange this might look, the last ribbon seems to be of a Danish medal, which should not be surprising for Mecklemburg. It was probably for the Medal of Merit or the Life Saving Medal, but who knows... This ribbon was common of several Danish awards.

[Great Dane]

Yes, the last ribbon is the Danish ribbon used for several medals. Apart from Life Saving and Merit it could also be for the Medal of Recompense or the Ingenio et Arti medal.

If you find out who he was (obviously) or what his line of work was I should be able to narrow it down.

/Mike

Edited January 27, 2007 by Great Dane

[webr55]

Thanks, I didn't think of a Danish medal. I am still trying to find out what type of guy this is. Maybe not an officer, but a senior NCO with a Mecklenburg XII or XV? It should have at least been some rear area guy (Zahlmeister?), with the War Aid Cross. Or a reserve officer from the Mecklenburg Landwehr?

The backing is black, not navy blue.

[Great Dane]

He definitely seems to have been a soldier, so I think I will rule out the Danish Ingenio et Arti medal. I know that both the Danish Medal of Merit, Medal of Recompense were allowed to be worn as a 'ribbon only'. I'm not so sure about the Life Saving Medal. Anyway, the Medal of Merit or the Medal of Recompense is the most likely candidates...

/Mike

[webr55]

The navy ranklists list under "Danish awards" a "Golden Medal" and a "Silver Medal". The army ranklists show no such thing. Would that be your "Medals of Merit"?

[Great Dane]

A "Golden Medal" and a "Silver Medal" can refer to both the Medal of Merit and the Medal of Recompense. It would probably not be the Life Saving Medal because the no. of medals in gold awarded in this time period can be counted on one hand.

/Mike

[Guest Rick Research]

That is quite extraordinary! FIRST time I've ever seen this Danish ribbon in a German group!

It will be impossible unless seeheld's Mecklenburg Rolls turn him up because I agree-- with the long service award in there (weirdly placed) this was probably a senior NCO or Feldwebelleutnant type, so not in any Rank List.

Even though the purple has stayed "fresh" on the first one and the next is faded "red," the only things that make sense there are TWO misplaced Mecklenburg long services, so a "regular" career NCO who got an LD2 afterwards. I can't tell if that is a Hessian Bravery Medal or a Prussian General Decoration, but how many BAVARIAN MVKs can have gone to Mecklenburgers?

Especially if-- with all that time served--he was a Feldwebelleutnant and it was an MVK1X?

But that would be the sort of person to look for, I think.

[Great Dane]

For the pleasure of Rick and others, here are two mounted groups with the same Danish ribbon. Both are from past Thies auctions

Sorry about the picture quality and size...

/Mike

[Great Dane]

And the second one...

(again, sorry about the quality and size)

In both groups the Danish medal is the Medal of Recompense.

/Mike

[webr55]

Thanks for the pics!

The GenHonDec had not occurred to me, but that might be. I have (carefully!) tried to push the backing away a little (which also reveals the stripes on the Hungarian ribbon): #4 seems to have been white in the center, not blue. Also, #5 and #6 seem to have different center stripes, even under the backing: #5 purple and #6 light red, as Rick says. Maybe there was some weird Mecklenburg award with a light red center stripe?

If #4 is the GenHonDec, I would say Zahlmeister.

About the Mecklenburg LS: were they awarded until after 1918? And only to the Mecklenburg regiments?

[Yankee]

For the pleasure of Rick and others, here are two mounted groups with the same Danish ribbon. Both are from past Thies auctions

Sorry about the picture quality and size...

/Mike

Hi Great Dane

Awesome bar , your man was all over the place. Who was the recipient & the history if you have available.

Thanks

Yankee

[Great Dane]

Indeed they are both awesome bars, but unfortunately they are not mine . They are just pictures from the auction catalogues (both groups are in my "would be nice to add to my collection, but not my primary target" category).

None of the lots contained any description of the recipient.

/Mike

[Riley1965]

For the pleasure of Rick and others, here are two mounted groups with the same Danish ribbon. Both are from past Thies auctions

Sorry about the picture quality and size...

/Mike

Mike,

I'm having a hard time finding the medal in post # 10. Which one is it?

Doc

[Great Dane]

Mike,

I'm having a hard time finding the medal in post # 10. Which one is it?

Doc

Last one (with King Christian IX on the obverse- facing left). The second group has the King Frederik VIII version (facing right).

/Mike

[seeheld]

Both ribons are for long service crosses. This is not according the rules, but it's sometimes happens.

One possibility is also long service cross and Landwehr service medal.

I think, at the moment we have no chance to find out a name. I will see and try my best.

Some Soldiers from the Gro?herzoglich Mecklenburgischen Grenadier-Regiment No.89 are awarded with medals from Denmark...

see picture...

Edited January 27, 2007 by seeheld

[Great Dane]

Nice picture

In case anybody wonders, his Danish medal is the Medal of Recompense (Frederik VIII version).

/Mike

[Riley1965]

Last one (with King Christian IX on the obverse- facing left). The second group has the King Frederik VIII version (facing right).

/Mike

Thanks Mike. The different Kings had me confused.

Doc

[webr55]

I thought I'd bump this one up after six years -- with the Mecklenburg awards... any new thoughts?

[Dave Danner]

Closest match I can find is Oberwachtmeister Prange of the Großhergoglich Landesgendarmerie.

He was granted permission to accept the Königlich Dänische silberne Belohnungsmedaille mit Krone, AKA den Kongelige Belønningsmedalje i Sølv med Krone, AKA the Royal Medal of Recompense in Silver with Crown, on 28 May 1913.

He also had the Iron Cross 2nd Class, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Merit Cross 2nd Class, and Mecklenburg-Schwerin Military Service Cross. But he also had the Mecklenburg-Schwerin Verdienstmedaille, which normally came on a blue ribbon. Maybe someone knows if it was awarded on another ribbon which might match what is otherwise a second long service cross? Otherwise, close but no cigar.

[webr55]

Thank you! I think this is a perfect match!

I have seen pictures of the Verdienstmedaille on the standard Mecklenburg ribbon, I'll try to find them. Not sure when and why it was awarded on different ribbons.

[webr55]

Here:

[webr55]

[webr55]

The Adressbuch Schwerin 1935 lists a Polizei-Hauptwachtmeister Hermann Prange, Obotritenring 77c.

If that's him, he would have had this bar in 1935/36, just before the Polizei-LS decorations came out.

Edited September 8, 2013 by webr55