China-Denkmunze History and information

[Paul C]

The China 1900 Campaign Medal was awarded for service in China during the Boxer Rebellion of 1899. It came in three versions: bronze for combattants, steel and silver for non-combattants. There are also upwards of 21 campaign bar for the China medal. According to Detlev Niemann's Orders and Decorations Germany 1871-1945, second edition the combattant version was award numbers are 40,000-50,000 and the non-combattant 4,000-6,000 times. The medal picture is from Mr. Niemann's book. Someone please correct me if I am wrong but the medal does not seem to be listed in the German Army or Navy Ranklist. What else can be added to this information? Was there a listing of officer;s who served in China?

Edited January 17, 2006 by Paul Chepurko

[HeikoGrusdat]

That`s my world...

here are the china medals, for combattants and for non-combattants, both prinzen sizes and the mini

[HeikoGrusdat]

the battle clasps were made in many different sizes, different writing types, different prongs on the reverse... some examples:

[HeikoGrusdat]

some more...

[HeikoGrusdat]

more variations...

[HeikoGrusdat]

and more...

[HeikoGrusdat]

of course there were "private made clasps" also... very different style but nice to look at!!!!

[HeikoGrusdat]

Of course I can`t show all my medal bars with the china medal on them, the year has only 365 days... . But many has been shown on this forum yet. Here is a award document for the china medal in bronze - note the signature of Prinz Heinrich of Preussen!!!! Very rare, only for higher ranks.

[HeikoGrusdat]

and the document for the non-combattant medal in steel.

[Paul C]

Thank for the pics and info.

[joe campbell]

paul-

another piece of the puzzle!!

thanks.

heiko-

very nice pieces!

thanks!

joe

[Guest Rick Research]

There were only two types, not three:

"bronze" (actually, gilt) and "steel."

The lines between combatant and noncombatant started to blur with this medal. Actually the steel was most often given to stay at homes-- the types who waved bye-bye at the departing steamers, having packed up jam or spare ammunition. I'm not sure whether steels were given to ALL of the transport ships crews, or only the officers--

documents are always lacking for that sort of odd recipient.

It is also possible, if dim memories serve, that civilians IN China who may well have gotten themselves shot at and been in mortal peril (telegraph company employees of the Post Office and so on) only got a steel. If any civilians "on the spot" got bronze medals, I've never seen any paperwork.

So somebody who got no closer to Beijing (as it now is) than Breslau might have gotten the same steel medal as somebody who barely escaped decapitation by a Boxer mob.

And on the OTHER hand, the bank guards sent to quiet, no-Boxers Shanghai (oddly enough, the 9th Company of each of the Expeditionary Force units was detached for that mixed force) all received a bronze-- with no bar-- without ever hearing a shot fired.

The design of this medal was quite politically incorrect, showing as it does the Imperial German eagle mangling the Imperial Chinese dragon. Quite rude, when the ruling dynasty dragged on until 1911!

[attachmentid=23329][attachmentid=23331]

[Ed_Haynes]

China 1900-1 is a fascinating campaign from all sides. Thanks much for this thread.

Maybe we should make trouble over on the other sub-fora and set up our own China threads?

(I am doing so on the "British" forum!)

Edited January 18, 2006 by Ed_Haynes

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Here's a photo I have on my web site I'm building for my grandfather.

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

...and the large one.

[Claudio]

Dear all,

I'd like to contribute with a close picture of the clasps of Ramsauer's China Denkm?nze. The "spange" in the middle is an unofficial one.

[Claudio]

... and here its "Urkunde":

[medalnet]

My little contribution for this topic:

[attachmentid=23466]

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

My little contribution for this topic:

LITTLE, four battle clasps for this conflict is quite the achievement. Single 'battles' were in fact long long expeditions of many battles within themselves. So four is a real workout.

Edited January 19, 2006 by Brian von Etzel

[Bluecher2000]

Hello everybody,

The silver china medal for non-combattants has once been mentioned in this forum but so far I could not find any details. Nevertheless, some specimen shown here rather look like silver than like steel.

Does anybody know more about the silver one (see attached picture)?

Thanks in advance.

Bluecher2000

[Chris Boonzaier]

Hello everybody,

The silver china medal for non-combattants has once been mentioned in this forum but so far I could not find any details. Nevertheless, some specimen shown here rather look like silver than like steel.

Does anybody know more about the silver one (see attached picture)?

Thanks in advance.

Bluecher2000

Welcome Dirk !!!!

Always good to see a new face with a serious interest.

All the best

Chris

[Stogieman]

The China Denkmunze was issued as follows:

Steel

Silvered bronze

Silver

While Nimmergutt does not assign a significantly higher value for silver, (as opposed to steel) I believe them to be extremely difficult to find. Yours looks frosted still and that would be exceptional condition.

[Guest Rick Research]

Nuh uh! It was never ISSUED except in (gilt)bronze and steel.

Silver is certainly a good idea, since the steels on this medal and the SW Africa often get rusty, but those (assuming there is also a private purchase version of the Africa medal) would have been "after market" obtained by the wearers-- like 1918 real silver wound badges.

I have never encountered a silver one in 40 years.

[HeikoGrusdat]

of course you are right Rick, they were issued only in bronze and steel, but there were used many more materials to make them... I have a real silver DSWA-medal in my collection and I know of real silver china medals too..... but no official pieces of course!!!

[webr55]

I thought this would be the proper place for a picture of the (Crusade style) monument erected for Graf Waldersee in Hannover, right across the street from where he lived:

Edited November 13, 2017 by webr55