2 portrait questions.......

[HeikoGrusdat]

Unfortunately I am not able to "read" the uniforms and ranks as good as I want to.... so here are 2 portraits, please can you tell me what rank the officers have and for the Mecklenburg picture maybe a unit???

First:

[HeikoGrusdat]

and the second one with a lot of bling-bling from Schwerin...

[Guest Rick Research]

They are both Beamten of some sort.

What does the name and year say on the lower right of the second one? I can't read that. Year would help searching.

I'd suspect from the 1897 Medal that Herr von Etwas there was a military official, but he does not seem to have the crowned shield device on his epaullettes. ... ?

[Chip]

The top photo looks to me to be a navy man. The bridal on the epaulettes is typical of certain ranks of the navy. The uniform in the second photo is somewhat perplexing. What interests me is the plain collar. He must be some sort of official, as Rick has said. Are any of those medals down the front of his tunic, non-German?

Chip

[Great Dane]

The lowest decoration on his jacket is - I believe - the Thai (Siamese) Order of the Crown (old type) or Order of the White Elephant...

/Mike

[HeikoGrusdat]

yes you are right..... it`s Siam crown order, danish dannebrog and Russia St.Anne..... the other one I am not shure and of course Mecklenburg Wendische Krone....

I think the written words say: Adolf 1908

[Great Dane]

Where do you see the Mecklenburg Wendische Krone?

The order around his neck seems to me to be that German Johanniterorden thing (with matching breast cross)...?

/Mike

[NavalMark]

No.1 is a Maschinen-Ingenieur, Paymaster oder special branch officer with rank Premierleutnant (retired) of the early imperial german navy. A Naval Officer would have golden fields in the epaulets, here we have black velvet oder dark blue cloth. On the epaulets could be a cogwheel on anchor, a silver anchor, an "F" or an anchor crossed with an early mine.

He is not an official, officials had no stripes on the cuff in that time.

Regards

CSForrester

[HeikoGrusdat]

Where do you see the Mecklenburg Wendische Krone?

The order around his neck seems to me to be that German Johanniterorden thing (with matching breast cross)...?

You are absolutely right, sorry I was a bit confused because of the photographer from Schwerin...... sometimes you see the things not as they are... :wacky:

[Great Dane]

OK... I decided to give the second photo a try...

Hmm... he is a Dannebrog Commander... so I tried the Danish "Hof & Stat" for as close to - and before - 1908 that I could get (I had the 1904 edition).

Started to look for anybody who was a Commander 2. class and had "Adolf" in his name...

There was quite a few and still a lot of uncertainties... did he receive his Dannebrog between 1904 and 1908? Was his name indeed "Adolf"? Was he listed without his first name? (about 5% of them are)

Then use the "Adolfs" as entries to the DOA 1908/09 and...

Grf. v. Bassewitz, Adolf, Kherr., Ritterg.Bes., Ob.Ltnt. a. D., Prebberede, Mecklbg. (Wesselsdorf 20. 12. 67):

PrRA3 * PrKr3 * SchwbEK1 * DnD2b * RussA2 * SiamWE3

- Preussen Roter Adlerorden (3. Klasse)

- Preussen Kronenorden (3. Klasse)

- Schwarzburg Ehrenkreuz (1. Klasse)

- Denmark, Dannebrog orden, (Commander 2. class)

- Russia, Order of St. Anne (2. Class)

- Siam, Order of the White Elephant (Commander 2. class)

His Johanitterorden is not on the list, but still...?

/Mike

[Ulsterman]

Very interesting.....

I have a CDV of the same chap in #1-got it @ 9 years ago.

[HeikoGrusdat]

Very interesting.....

I have a CDV of the same chap in #1-got it @ 9 years ago

....... then please show it :jumping:

[Ulsterman]

I just tried, but it was 250 KB! I'll have to resize it. We discussed it a LOOOOONG time ago on the WAF.

[HeikoGrusdat]

Grf. v. Bassewitz, Adolf, Kherr., Ritterg.Bes., Ob.Ltnt. a. D., Prebberede, Mecklbg. (Wesselsdorf 20. 12. 67):

PrRA3 * PrKr3 * SchwbEK1 * DnD2b * RussA2 * SiamWE3

thank you for this good shot - sounds really good !!! Any information about this man when he was in service or when he retired?

[Komtur]

Any information about this man when he was in service or when he retired?

From Wer ist?s, Herrmann Degener, Unsere Zeitgenossen, 1914. As written there Graf von Bassewitz is to be found in the rank list 1998 in the Th?ringisches Husarenregiment Nr. 12 as Premierleutnant and Adjutant without any decoration.

Best regards, Komtur.

[Komtur]

And here we find his Johanniter Ehrenritter: Gothaisches Genealogische Taschenbuch der Gr?fliche H?user 1917 IMO he is wearing on the foto above the uniform of the Johanniter!

Edited August 25, 2008 by Komtur

[Guest Rick Research]

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT work! 3 :cheers:

[Ulsterman]

resized:It's a small world sometimes-

Edited August 26, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Guest Rick Research]

No Name on EITHER of those for the ancient fellow? Appears to be wearing 1870/71 medal in Steel and the 1864 Danish War Medal.

Looked up Adolf Graf von Bassewitz in the Mecklenburg-Schwerinischer Staatskalendar for 1913 and found exactly same awards, with notation that his St Anna was with Brilliants. Between 1913 and 1914 he added a Russian St Stanislaus 2nd Class with Star.

And here he is from the same in 1916, still among the Diensttuender Kammerherrn:

Notice that conspicuously absent is anything whatsoever from Mecklenburg!!!

In 1916 he was listed as one of the Landherrliche Kommissare f?r den Aushebungsbezirk zu G?strow (auf Prebberode) in the Innere Verwaltung of the Kriegsorganisation der Landesverwaltung. He had also been elected for 3 year terms in 1912 and 1915 as the Ritterschaftliche Deputierte der Engere Ausschuss von Ritter- und Landschaft zu Rostock aus dem Wendischen Kreise.

Any mor ejigsaw puzzle bits?

[Great Dane]

IMO he is wearing on the foto above the uniform of the Johanniter!

I guess that would explain the prominent position of those insignia (compared to the Schwarzburg Grand Cross).

BTW, the award date for his Dannebrog Commander 2.class was 03.03.03 (3. March 1903).

/Mike

[Glenn J]

A little on Count Bassewitz's military career:

He entered Husaren-Regiment Nr. 12 as an avantegeur (Fahnenjunker) on 22 April 1888 and was promoted to Portepee-F?hnrich on 13 December 1888. Commisioned as a Sekonde-Lieutenant on 21.9.89 and promoted to Premier-Lieutenant on 27.1.98. He retired with Pension on 17 December 1898.

Regards

Glenn