Meet Dr. Med. Th. Hansen

[Claudio]

Dear forumites:

I was going through my files on my computer and still enjoyed to read Rick's research on Fregattenkapit?n Dr. Med. Th. Hansen. This medal bar came from Detlev Niemann with an album full of business cards, invitations and menu's descriptions of the places where Hansen has been, sailing around in the world (especially in the far east). Unfortunately I don't have it with me and I don't have any scans, but it's really very interesting. During Detlev's update I was able also to purchase his bronze gilted KuK FJO officers' cross. Some weeks after it Stogieman very graciously contacted me and said that he had about over 100 pictures of an German Kriegsmarine Medical officer in the far east: it was Hansen's collection of photographs. Sometimes you get lucky to put together such an interesting group.

Here is Hansen career's description, researched by Rick (Lundstr?m), I cannot thank you enough, Rick! Wonderful job...

Dr. med. Theodor Hansen was born 8 September 1867. He joined the navy 1 April 1891, and retired sometime between 1908 and 1914. He was promoted Marine-Stabsarzt (=Kapit?nleutnant) 9.1.1900, Marine-Oberstabsarzt (= Korvettenkapit?n) 27.4.07 B.

He served in China as Chief Medical Officer of the light cruiser S.M.S. "Seeadler." In 1905 he was C.M.O. of school ship S.M.S. "Bl?cher" (not the battleship!), and in 1908 was ashore posted in Kiel, with no Orders as of that date.

Recalled for WW1 service, he was promoted to char. Marine-Generaloberarzt (=Fregattenkapit?n) 12/10/16. No discharge data is entered for him in the Marine-Ehrenrangliste 1914-18, but in 1937 he was calling himself "Marine-Generalarzt aD" (= Kapit?n zur See), so must have had another "bump" up in retirement.

For WW1, he served as a Senior Physician at Festungs-Lazarett Wik to December 1914, then as Chief Physician (Chefarzt) with Marine Feld-Lazeretts 1 & 2 (Marinekorps Flandern) to November 1915. He then went to the Balkans, southern Hungary and Serbia, serving without specific times until October 1918 in Kriegs-Lazarett Direktion 54, and as Director (Leiter) of Lazarett Uesk?b. For the last month of the war he was Korpsarzt of Generalkommando 53.

After retirement from the navy, he was a consulting orthopaedic surgeon in his native L?beck, living at Ratzeburger Allee 2a in 1928 and 1931 (married, member # 4242 of the Marine-Offizier-Verband), telephone # 23 911.

1935 found him as "Gesch?ftsf?hrender Arzt der Bezirkstelle L?beck der kassen?rztlichen Vereinigung Deutschlands," so apparently forced out of private practice by the Great Depression. His phone remained the same, but he had moved to Friedrich-Wilhelm-Stra?e 5 I. In 1937, when I last find him listed in the sources I have, he was there, back in private orthopaedic surgical practice.

Because he was an "au?er Dienst" officer recalled for war's duration, he is not found in the wartime Marine Ranglisten of 1916 and 1918. I have a gap between the issues of 1908 and 1914, so he left the navy in that period. Service outside German home waters was counted as double for pensions and long service awards, so he got his "XXV" Cross for less than that many years duty, or had his wartime call up service counted (not sure if "aDs" were credited that way).

Edited September 10, 2005 by Claudio

[Claudio]

Here his FJO (Franz Josef Order) Offizierskreuz, bronze gilted:

[Claudio]

Some pictures of Dr. Hansen and his comrades...

[David Gregory]

Claudio,

That is a fabulous group, brought to life by Rick's excellent research. Do you have any information regarding the award date of his Hessen cross? I have some documents to a Saxon NCO who also received the cross for front line service on the Western Front.

I also have some documents to men who fought in Macedonia and ended their service there after spending time in hospital at Uesk?b while being treated for malaria. Who knows, perhaps their paths crossed with Dr. Hansen's.

/David

[Claudio]

Sorry David I don't have the award's date for the Hessen medical cross.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Guest Rick Research]

Dr Hansen is in the middle of that first photo, his face obscured by the officer saluting. They were captioned "Giese Hansen Krause."

There were some INCREDIBLE photos in that album-- in the "St Matthias Peninsula, South Seas" with a shore party of armed colonial native police, amidships with the German Consul of Swatow with Chinese officials, beautiful, luminous large prints of Chinese scenery, the "Seeadler" at anchor... and that was in the red stripy death throes of my old scanner, so those I copied at the time look terrible.

To add one bit of NEW information Claudio-- from the 1939 MOV Directory, Dr. Hansen had died between the 1937 and 1939 issues-- his widow is listed as such in 1939. (The Vast Subterranean Archive is always adding new volumes!)

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Very nice to see this.

I wonder if this doctor administered to my grandfather when he was wounded in China.

Horse was shot out from under him on a mountain pass, rolled over on him.

Edited September 10, 2005 by Brian von Etzel

[Bob Hunter]

Congratulations on putting that group together! Wonderful!

[Claudio]

Here's again the picture of Hansen (staying in the middle covered by the other two officers). From the other picture I am not 100% who is Hansen, because the pictures are not named or they have very short description, never about the people's name on the pictures, unfortunately.

@Bob: thanks for your compliments!

[Claudio]

Another larger picture of two people in civil attire. I guess Hansen would be the one on the left?...

[Claudio]

I have to stop posting pictures... I already reached my attachment's space limit... that sucks...

Ciao,

Claudio

[Claudio]

Finally I managed to post also this photograph showing Hansen somewhere in Africa. I guess he's the guy in the middle with the beard.

Ciao,

Claudio

[Claudio]

Is he there, Hansen or is the one taking the pictures? You can see a guy in the middle wearing all his medals... he must be the local German Consul... in China!

[Claudio]

Hansen with his comrades officers celebrating... notice the quite stiff pose of the Matrosen serving the "Herrschaften". I am not so sure to see Hansen on this one... maybe again he's the photographer?

[Claudio]

China...

[Claudio]

On deck of his boat...

[Guest Rick Research]

Dr Hansen is front right in #3 and 14, left in #10, center in pith helmet in #12 (caption on that is "St Matthias Peninsula, South Seas"-- one of Germany's obscure south Pacific colonies somewhere-- a fabulous photo for a book cover!), and I am pretty sure that is him at far left in #13 at Swatow:

pointed beard et cetera. More difficult with the smaller photos, but that looks like perhaps him at far left in #15. Seeing the sign on the "Sand Pebbles" building there, and being unable to read anything in Chinese except numbers, makes me feel like how illiterates must, looking at incomprehensible squiggles.

The jolly "Seeadler" evening is one of those "1,000 word" photos... there is the Doctor Himself at front right, toying with the table cloth, being Mister Joe Cool (and no doubt already mulling over the usual Morning After remedies)... the Matrose at back right is doing his I Am A Wooden Dummy I Hear Nothing I Repeat Nothing act...

while the other one at back left appears to be thinking "Oh, your hair is so soft and pretty" as he fingers (?) that officer's hair. Maybe the ship's barber, maybe...

And the Sleepy Drunk in front left is squashing the poor officer next to him... deeper and deeper onto the Captain's lap... while he tries REALLY hard not to notice all this... in front of the Consul!

[Bob Hunter]

File the Seeadler photo under "Memorable Moments in the Ward Room. Thankfully no strawberries are visable.

[Stogieman]

Still one of the most amazing groups I have seen in years. Thanks for bringing this one in to share with us Claudio!

[Claudio]

Thank you guys for your nice words.

Now I will try to post some more pictures...

You can see the SMS "Seeadler" on the first picture. On the pictures themselves I pasted also what's written on the back. Maybe Rick can help me decyphering some of the descriptions...

[attachmentid=10537]

transciption by RR: "Seeadler vor Hankow" and "Blick auf Amoy. Im Vordergrund Gr?berfeld."

[Claudio]

Other two pictures: the first showing a Chinese "worker" in Schanghai and the second showing Tschinkjang's Harbor on the Jangtse-Kiang. This spelling is copied from the German titles... I think these places might have different spelled names nowadays.

[attachmentid=10538]

Transcription by RR: "Arbeiter von der Werft in Schanhai (dasselbe von 325) Sud-Chinese Phot. Dr. Hansen." and "Hafen von Tschingkiang am Jantse-Kiang. Blick Flussabw?rts. Im Hintergrund die "Silbereifel" u. SMS Seeadler."

Yangtze River mouyth, apparently

[Claudio]

Chinese countryside... strange shaped rocks, pagodes,....

[attachmentid=10539]

transcribed by RR: "Felsbildungen am Abfang das Mt. 'Beaty' in der N?he von Swatow. Prov. Kuangtung." and "Lung-wa Kanal mit Pagoda Oberhalb Schanghai."

[Claudio]

I think that, more than today, for people on the turn from 19th to 20th century, to be able to travel so far and see such different people and places must have been quite an adventure. We can't even imagine nowadays, since we have all the instruments to travel rapidly (planes, cars, trains,...), to be informed (TV, Internet, radio,...) and to communicate in English almost everywhere... I am currently living in India and can't even imagine how uncomfortable could have been back then for an European to live in such hot and humid country with no comforts at all...

[Claudio]

For your reference I put also the dates on these pictures... quite impressive... these are more than 100 years old.

[Claudio]

other two nice pictures... always when there're people on it, there's no description! Arggghhhh!!!

Edited September 12, 2005 by Claudio