Austria-Hungary An interesting Austro-Hungarian bar

[Hugh]

This bar seems a little unusual to me. I got it from Reg Williams of Melbourne while I was living in Singapore in about 1988. It was awarded to Doctor Friedlaender, a doctor who specialized in (ahem) certain communicable diseases. His patients included many of the crowned heads of Europe in those days; hence the proliferation of countries represented. It looks as though the kings and queens were having a good time. The following is the list of the complete group. (Griffin and House of Orange are separate; I'll post them later.)

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY/GERMAN STATES - to Friedlaender

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY - War Medal, 1914-18, bronze,

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY - Jubilee Medal, bronze, 1848-98, EF

GERMANY - HESSE - Order of Grand Duke Phillip, 4th Class, EF

GERMANY - MECKLINBURG-SCHWERIN - Order of the Griffin, Cross of Honor, Breast badge in silver-gilt and enamel, EF

GERMANY - MECKLINBURG-SCHWERIN - Military Service Cross, 2nd Class

GERMANY - OLDENBURG - Friedrich August Cross, 2nd Class, EF

GERMANY - OLDENBURG - House and Merit Order of Peter Frederick Louis, 4th Class w/Crown, Silver'gilt w/ enamel, aEF

GERMANY - SAXE-WEIMAR - Order of the White Falcon, 4th Class, Civil Division, in gold and enamel

GERMANY - SCHAUMBURG-LIPPE - War Service Cross, 2nd Class, 1914-18, EF

GERMANY-PRUSSIA - Rote Kreuz Medaille (Red Cross Medal), 3rd class, EF

NETHERLANDS - Family Order of the House of Orange, Commander (3rd Class), Neck badge in silver-gilt and enamel, 1913

RUSSIA - Order of St Stanislaus, 4th Class, Gold and enamel by Edwards,

[Hugh]

Here are the miniatures

[Guest Rick Research]

He would seem to have been an Oldenburger from the way these are mounted.

Where did the name ID come from?

I don't turn up any Dr. Friedl?nder with these pre-war awards. That, of course, is the usual outcome for civilians, but since he seems to have been young enough for 4 combat decorations he can't have been TOO old 1914-1918, despite the lack of any military reserve long service awards.

A peculiarity with reserve doctors is that quite a few ended up with high ranks... and literally almost no pre-war TIME spent in uniform. I don't find any Dr. Friedl?nder in the army or navy 1914 with these peacetime awards, though.

This is one terrific group, and certainly deserves full research!!!

[Hugh]

Hi, Rick,

I have some papers squirrelled away somewhere in the detritus of 50 years worth of collecting. I'll try to dig them out. My recollection is that, despite your Oldenburg comment, he was identified as Austrian.

[Guest Rick Research]

The 1898 Jubilee was for active Austro-Hungarian military personnel and retired officers (and a variety of then-elderly war veterans we need not worry about) but the rest of the awards and the way they are arranged indicates a German. He must have emigrated across the border. There is no 1908 military Jubilee which suggests his citizenship had altered in the intervening decade.

[Hugh]

OK, you've convinced me that I really need to root around and find the papers. I think there was an obituary among them which suggested he may have gone back to Viernna to die.

[Hugh]

OK, you've convinced me that I really need to root around and find the papers. I think there was an obituary among them which suggested he may have gone back to Viernna to die.

[Hugh]

OK, you've convinced me that I really need to root around and find the papers. I think there was an obituary among them which suggested he may have gone back to Vienna to die.

Well, perhaps I'm not terminally disorganised yet - I found the papers. The recipient is Prof. Dr. A. A. Friedlaender. He is mentioned in a letter from the Kanselarij der Koninklijke Huisorden (Chancellery of the Royal House Order?), The Hague as medical superintendant of the private clinic Hohemark in the Taunus, West Germany. He was appointed Commander of the Family Order of Orange on May 13, 1913. Perhaps the most amusing note is the following quote - "The reason for the award of the above decoration was not mentioned in the register."

His death in Bad Aussee on 19 January 1949 was written up in the Viennese Weekly Medical Journal on 11 June 1949, and clearly claims him as Austrian. He was born on 8 August 1870 and attended the Univ. of Vienna, with further work at Frankfurt a. M. and Jena. He was recognized as a German doctor at Bonn in 1903, running a private hospital and later teaching at the University of Bonn.

During WW I, he served as a medical officer serving in Warsaw and as neuropathologist on the Western Front. After the war, he settled in Freiburg, but was boycotted by the Nazis and returned to Austria in 1936. Despite the Anschluss, he stayed in Austria, but it sounds as though he was not very active thereafter. After all, he was almost 70 years old. I'll try to include a scan of him in full fig (civil). It's a rescan of a photocopy, so don't look for a lot of detail.

[Hugh]

By the way, no where in the documentation do they give his first or middle names. Bloody formal, those Germanics.

[seeheld]

Hi,

his given name was Adolf. In my roll I found following: Friedl?nder, Dr.med., Adolf

Hohe-Mark Oberursel, Leitender Arzt der Privatklinik Hohe-Mark, Ehrenkreuz, 01.01.1912

Best regards

Seeheld

[webr55]

Missed this topic. Adolf Albrecht Friedl?nder published extensively between 1914 and 1933. One interesting title is about a psychological analysis of Wilhelm II.

[Hugh]

Missed this topic. Adolf Albrecht Friedl?nder published extensively between 1914 and 1933. One interesting title is about a psychological analysis of Wilhelm II.

Vielen Dank to both of you. I appreciate the additional insight. From my initial post, you can see that I misunderstood his medical speciality. Or perhaps Reg led me astray, just to amke the bar more interesting. I'm glad to have this information. I wonder what has happened to his family? Any thoughts?