The Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

[saschaw]

I recently purchased this one on ebay, just 'cause it didn't cost me much money and I thought it could be interresting, and mainly I wanted to know what he's wearing on his bar.

Now, the artist was NO falerist, and so I cannot recognize any award for sure but the Iron Cross. The name is given with "F?rst (=Prince) Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg". There were some bearing this name, but this WWI officer cannot be anyone else than this one who was born in 1882 and died in 1925 from a car crash. His rank seems to be Hauptmann, and the awards might be a W?rttemberg MMO, FO3aX, FO3a, ? and a 1911 W?rttemberg Silberne Hochzeitsmedaille --- or anything else, but this came me to mind from the combination and would make some sense from rang, too. The order on the neck a Johanniter-Ehrenritter, much more likely than a Order pour le merit with crown - if Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was a Protestant family. Any help would be appreciated. Here the seller's photos, if betters are needed I'll make some tomorow (but the awards are strange ). Thanks in advance ...

[Guest Rick Research]

WF3aX for the FIRST time 1.11.14 as Rittmeister ? la Suite, Ordonnanz Offizier 26. Inf Div.

That was RETURNED under W?rttemberg's insane wartime awards policy when he got the

WM3 12.5.15 (same job)

but he was then RE-AWARDED the WF3aX for a SECOND time (Crazy crazy crazy) when the insane rules were chnaged, getting it again 20.2.17 in the same job.

He received (Personal Nachrichten gazette dates) the ?M3K 4.11.16 and the Schaumburg-Lippe Kreuz f?r Treue Dienste 21.9.18.

Before the war he is shown with dynastic awards: W?rttemberg Crown Order-Commander with Star, amd Prussian Red Eagle Order 2nd Class with Star.

The 1917 Hof und Staats Handbuch shows him as then an Ehrenritter-Johanniter Orden

so he appears to only be wearing his "earned" awards. (Medal = 1911 W?rttemberg Hochzeit 1911 ?)

He was supposed to be "mit der Uniform Ulanen Regiment 20" which confuses me, but then maybe the sculptor got THAT wrong too!