A Puzzling Saxon Medal Bar

[Stogieman]

This bar belongs to one of our members and I will let him decide to speak up, or not. To my eyes, this bar is right as rain, but very perplexing. The Saxon War Merit Cross was a peculiar decoration. It was given if you held no other Saxon war-time award for WW1, but was to be returned upon receipt of a war-time WW1 award.. Since the piece is mounted and there are multiple war awards on the bar, who can explain this riddle?? Thanks!!

[Stogieman]

Bumping this up. Nobody wants to venture a discussion on this beautiful bar??

No supposition?

No brainstorms?

why, why, why??

(OK, so I'm weird and I like to know "what" and "why" on equal terms!)

The bar is fine, but very mysterious!

[Steve K.]

Rick

Maybe the War Merit Cross was given early in the war for 'homefront' duties (non-combatant), and he received the other awards late in the war, after being called to the front, never to return the War Merit after the Imperial collapse.

Just a guess!

[Stogieman]

And a good guess. But this is quite an impressive rack of combat decorations for our long-serving NCO! Now, real fast........ how many 15 Year "Other Ranks" Saxon Long Service Crosses have you seen?

[Steve K.]

Ooops, I forgot about that!! Plus no Centennial (enlisted after '97)....SO, he was somehow involved in the Boxer Rebellion Relief Efforts......

War Merit thru FAM were for Boxer Rebellion.......and the St.Henry/EKII came late 1918.

Edited January 20, 2006 by Steve K.

[Stogieman]

Nope........ No colonial service campaign medals. So no colonial service. I think the FAM,SSHM & EKwX are all WW1. He might have received that 15 in 1919/20. Maybe. I don't remember when Friedrich-August von Sachsen abdicated.

Like I said, very puzzling bar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ulsterman]

Occam's Razor-

Or to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes..."when all possible logical conclusions are eliminated, only the impossible remain".

It is not real, but put together.

Edited January 21, 2006 by Ulsterman

[Mike Dwyer]

I don't remember when Friedrich-August von Sachsen abdicated.

Stogie,

King Friedrich August III renounced the throne on 13 November 1918.

[joe campbell]

it's my bar, and thanks, rick, for posting it!

i've sent you the reverse as well, as my scanner,

like my bride, only permits certain functions.

i'm pretty confidant with the veracity of this

bar. my mentor did an awful lot of purchasing

from small shops in germany and austria in

the 60's-70's. i,too, think this is the real deal,

but still have a long way to go on the learning curve.

is it okay to say i really liked the looks of it and was

struck by what must have been an " i saw alot"

military career?

joe

[Stogieman]

Nope, Sorry UM, but in my eyes it's a perfectly legit Saxon Bar.... Not all of you may know this and I am not fond of "sounding off".... but once upon a time, The Saxon Military Order of Saint Henry was my "thing"..... as a byproduct of this pursuit and study, I learnt a great deal about Saxony, Their awards and the presentation thereof. In my eyes, this bar was made prior to 1934 and is right as rain. But I cannot explain the presence of the decoration that should not be there.......

I think this one must fall into the "Never say never" category. It's a bar I would be honored to have in my collection.

[Schießplatzmeister]

Hello Gents:

I'm with Stogieman on this one. The bar looks VERY correct. It has antique ribbons, all original awards, is of the proper mounting style, and has the awards in the proper order for a Saxon. My guess is that the fellow was wounded at some point very late in the war and was then utilized for some home-front/rear area activities, and that he then received his War Merit Cross. I have seen other War Merit Crosses mounted with other Saxon awards, but usually the entire group has non-combat awards (i.e. medical, etc.). Statutes were often changed and circumvented (especially toward the end of the war). Sometimes, after the war, anything went as far as medal bar mounting (look at all of the veteran's organization pieces that we see that cropped-up in the 1920's/30's). This one will have to remain a mystery.

Thanks,

Schie?platzmeister