EK 1914 Book on Colonial Iron Cross

[Guest Schutztruppe]

I have just joined this forum and wish to advise that I have towards the end of last year published a book on the Colonial Iron Cross that was awarded in German South West africa during the campaign here. also included in the book is the 'Hildegard Orden' that was also awarded in the colony.

[Mark M]

Schutztruppe

Welcome aboard. Can you give any more information about your book? Such as where it can be obtained?

Thanks,

Mark

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hi,

Welcome. Lookforward to hearing more about the book.

Here is a shameless plug to a related site...

http://www.imperial-research.net/sandfontein.htm

[Chris Boonzaier]

Any chance you are in that area?

[joe campbell]

i would be very much interested in such a book.

please leave particulars here to find it.

thanks!

joe

[HeikoGrusdat]

Of course I would be very interested, too... please give us more details!!!

[Stogieman]

Schutztruppe, welcome to the forum! If you have a website on this book, please post a link in the book forum as well!

[Glenn R]

I'd be very interested in seeing the book too. Keep us updated and welcome to the forum.

[Guest Schutztruppe]

The book deals with the whole history of the awarding of the Iron cross in the Colony of German South West africa during the first World War. A name list of those who were awarded the Iron cross is also included in the book. Of intrest is the chapter dealing with the founding and awarding of the so-called 'Hildegard Orden', the only official veriant of the 1914 Iron Cross. This chapter deals with the reason why it was brought into existance as well as a name list of those awarded the 'Hildegard Orden. The 'Hildegard Orden'was exchanged for an Iron Cross when the German Colonial soldiers arrived back in German after the war. A further chapter tells how those colonial soldiers still remaining in the by now ex-colony received their Iron Crosses remembering that the country was now administered by the Union of South Africa and was nmo longer a German Colony.

The book can be purchased from my publisher - The Namibian Scientific Society. The E-Mail address is:- nwg@iway.na.

I am sure that this book is a valiable addition to any collector of the Iron cross, especial those that collect 'colonial' Iron crosses.

[Mark M]

Schutztruppe

Thank you for the contact information. I sent an email to them and they provided the following information:

thank you very much for your interest in the book For Valour.

Gordon McGregor

This book hopes to fill the much neglected area of both the German and Namibian medallic history and research namely the so called colonial Iron Crosses and Wound Badges that were awarded in the German colony of South West Africa during the 1914 ? 15 war. The book will also give the reader the background and events that led to the awarding of the ?Hildegard Orden?, the only official variant of the 1914 Iron Cross, in German South West Africa. Also included is the history of both the Iron Cross and Wound Badge that were awarded for the 1914 ? 15 campaign in the German colony as well as name lists of those that were awarded these decorations.

A name list of the few persons that were awarded the ?Hildegard Orden? is also included for the very first time. Of particular interest is the section dealing on how the former German colonial soldiers, still residing in the country after the war, got their awards remembering that the country was now administered by the Union of South Africa and no longer by Germany.

The book also contains copies of various interesting documents relating to the ?Hildegard Orden?, the Iron Cross and the Wound Badge that have been uncovered by the author during his research work for this publication. This is a book that is a must on the book shelves of every historian and colonial collector dealing with the former colony of German South West Africa.

Softcover

148 x 210 mm

128 pages

20 colour photos

28 black/white photos

Please contact our partner in Germany for an order:

Namibiana Buchdepot

Herrn Ulrich Ender

An den Graften 38

27753 Delmenhorst

Telefon 04221-1230240

e-mail: buchdepot@namibiana.de

Please contact us for further information.

Kind regards.

Tanya Kriel

Manageress

Namibia Scientific Society

P O Box 67

Windhoek

Namibia

Tel: + 264 - 61 - 225 372

Fax: + 264 - 61 - 226 846

e-mail: nwg@iway.na

www.kuiseb-verlag.com

They were also kind enough to send a photo of the book. I hope this helps everyone who is interested in purchaseing a copy.

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[Mark M]

FYI - The book costs 27.50 Euros and shipping to the US is 3 Euro's for standard speed, 9 Euro's for Airmail. The publisher's website is: www.namibiana.de The book is available now but will not be on their website until next week sometime. You can order it from them now by sending an email to them at the following address: buchdepot@namibiana.de

Mark

[Mark M]

Here is a direct link to the book in case anyone wishes to purchase it.

http://www.namibiana.de/index.cfm?action=V...ils&itemid=1836

[PKeating]

What an interesting book! I believe that there were some awards of the Iron Cross in East Africa too. The 1951 film The African Queen touched on this often forgotten aspect of WW1. There was apparently an East African who served with Commonwealth forces in WW2 and wore his WW2 British medals, so the story has it, afterwards with his 1914 EK2 mounted on the end.

PK

[Stogieman]

Hi Prosper. I seem to recall seeing a photo of that bar floating around the net last year. I cannot remember where it was! ??

[Gordon Williamson]

What an interesting book! I believe that there were some awards of the Iron Cross in East Africa too. The 1951 film The African Queen touched on this often forgotten aspect of WW1. There was apparently an East African who served with Commonwealth forces in WW2 and wore his WW2 British medals, so the story has it, afterwards with his 1914 EK2 mounted on the end.

PK

Prosper,

The guy you are thinking of was RSM Chari Maigumeri of the Nigeria Regiment. The Nigerian Army actually named one of its barracks in Lokoja after him. He was decorated with the Iron Cross by the Germans for fighting against the British in Northern Cameroon. When that area came under British occupation, he was recruited into the WAFF in 1917 and fought against the Germans in East Africa. He subsequently got the MM in Ethiopia fighting the Italians and was I believe mentioned in dispatches for actions against the Japanese in Burma. A holder of the BEM, he was made an honourary Captain when he retired in 1953.

[Chris Dale]

QUOTE(PKeating @ Jan 26 2006, 01:59 ) ←

What an interesting book! I believe that there were some awards of the Iron Cross in East Africa too. The 1951 film The African Queen touched on this often forgotten aspect of WW1. There was apparently an East African who served with Commonwealth forces in WW2 and wore his WW2 British medals, so the story has it, afterwards with his 1914 EK2 mounted on the end.

PK

Prosper,

The guy you are thinking of was RSM Chari Maigumeri of the Nigeria Regiment. The Nigerian Army actually named one of its barracks in Lokoja after him. He was decorated with the Iron Cross by the Germans for fighting against the British in Northern Cameroon. When that area came under British occupation, he was recruited into the WAFF in 1917 and fought against the Germans in East Africa. He subsequently got the MM in Ethiopia fighting the Italians and was I believe mentioned in dispatches for actions against the Japanese in Burma. A holder of the BEM, he was made an honourary Captain when he retired in 1953.

I think this story has got mixed up somewhere along the way. According to "Askari und Fita-Fita" by Thomas Morlang Maigumeri was awarded the Kriegsverdienstmedaille for African soldiers, not the Iron Cross.

Cheers

Chris

PS I have just read "For Valour", an excellent read with everything I needed to know about the Iron Cross in South West Africa. If only someone would write a book about the Iron Cross in the other colonies!