army historian Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) Hello all I just received 2 Photo albums that belonged to a leading seaman Gerog Meinert of S.M.S. Scharnhorst 1910-1913. Here is one of the more interesting photos - can anyone identify the medals on the board? Cheers Captain Albert Edited August 29, 2011 by army historian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedytop Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 hi Captain Albert, based on the text I think, that you can see here some phantasy decorations, belonging to the crossing-the-line ceremony. "Ein Bild von der Linientaufe: Neptun mit seinem Gefolge. [Linientaufe = Äquatortaufe] Reise Labuan - Batavia, 13. Jan. 13" Uwe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudius Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yes, I see that now. At first half-second glance it looks like Aborigines, but the features are wrong and clearly the other "characters" have cartoon beards and costumes too. There are many who have forgotten more about "crossing the line" than I know, but to us Landlubbers, it refers to initiation ceremony for new sailors who have sailed far enough south to cross the equator, and into the realm of Neptune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
army historian Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yes, I thought it was a great photo - All Navies do this. They are "ShellBacks". Cheers Captain Albert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now