Major Hermann Credner

[mossop]

Wondering if anyone has any Army lists for the period 1894-1907, I just picked up a pair of British medals to this officer and it seems he served in China during the Boxer Rebellion and I'm trying to find out his medal entitlement for the German Army (or any other interesting service)

Found a list of his service as follows http://www.marine-in...ml/3_8_2_f.html

Thanks

Mossop

[Naxos]

I have a Major Credner (Major since Jan. 27, 1908) commanding the 1st Battalion of Infantry Regiment 32 in 1909. but that must be a different Credner.

Kolonial-Handels-Adressbuch 1909 Behörden in Kiautschou.

III. Seebataillon.

Kommandeur: Major Credner.

Kompagniechefs: Hauptleute:

Lieber,

v. Schoeler,

Schering,

Hink,

Graf v. Brockdorff.

Edited November 20, 2011 by Naxos

[Glenn J]

Naxos does have the right Hermann Credner. Major Credner successively served in Infantry Regiments 32 and 28 after leaving the Marine Infantry before retiring in the rank of a charakterisierter Oberst with the uniform of Infantry Regiment 112 on 17 January 1912. He served in WW1 rising to the rank of charakterisierter Generalmajor and command of the 97. Reserve-Infanterie-Brigade in 1917. He had been the first commander of Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 226.

Regards

Glenn

[mossop]

Thanks Naxos/Glenn, I didn't expect that he had gone on serving after 1909, that gives me a fair bit more to look into.

Regarding his service with the Army , then III. Seebataillon, then back to the Army, is this unusual?

Mossop

[dedehansen]

Hello mossop,

in Rangliste vom 1904 I found Major since 27.01.03 Credner

he did his service at 2. Oberrheinisches Infanterie Regiment No. 99 kommandiert als Führer der Stammkompanie des III Seebatallions and later this

year II Seebatallion mit Wahrnehming der Geschäfte beauftragt

Sorry my english is not good enough to translate this

I hoop that I could help you

Regards

Andreas

[Glenn J]

Hi Mossop,

some further information on General Credner's earlier career.

Regarding his service with the Army , then III. Seebataillon, then back to the Army, is this unusual?

Not at all.

Regards

Glenn

[mossop]

Thanks Andreas/Glenn That’s fantastic infomation!

He seem to have had an interesting service. As part of it he seems to have served with the British in India in some capacity and received two British medals, the following from the UK National Archives :

Collection 89/33 Grant of medals to properly accredited officers of foreign (German) governments attending expeditions into Waziristan and Tirah: Baron Gaertner and Captain Credner. IOR/L/MIL/7/3986 1899

This concerns the the following medals he received; India General Service Medal 1854 - 95 Bar: Waziristan 1894 - 5 and the India General Service Medal 1895 - 1902 Bars: Punjab Frontier 1897 - 98 / Tirah 1897 – 98

What exactly he was doing I don't know, possibly an observer??

He seems to have written a book also of his time in India;

Tage-Buch (Tagebuch) der Reise nach Indien vom 29. November 1894 bis 3. Mai 1895.

Mossop

[Glenn J]

Mossop

And here he is as a Major in III. Seebataillon.

Regards

Glenn

[mossop]

Glenn thats amazing!!, thanks so much

He has a fair rack of medals even before WW1!

Guessing this is Order of Red Eagle with Swords, 2 Long service, Colonial medal 2 clasps for China?, not sure and again not sure, last the two British medals?

Mossop

[Naxos]

Red eagle, long service, China medal with 2 battle clasps, Prussian 1897 Centenary Medal, Baden Zaehringer Lion KC without swords 3rd class, then the two British medals

Edited November 21, 2011 by Naxos

[mossop]

Thanks Naxos, that saved me a bit of head scratching and looks like the 2 clasps are mentioned in the history Clenn posted

Mossop

[dedehansen]

Position No. 2 ist the prussian crown order

Andreas

[Dave Danner]

Some additional bits of information:

• 30.01.09 - Left command of III.See-Btl. and attached to III.Stamm-See-Btl.
  
• 04.08.09 - Released from navy service and assigned to the staff of IR 32, I believe with effect from 1. Sept. 1909
  
• 02.09.09 - Award of Prussian Crown Order III. Class gazetted in the Militär-Wochenblatt
  
• 17.09.09 - Named a battalion commander in IR 32
  
• 16.11.10 - Transferred to the staff of IR 28
  
• 20.04.11 - Award of the Commander's Cross II. Class of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order (Komturkreuz II. Klasse des Herzoglich Sachsen-Ernestinischen Haus-Ordens) gazetted in the Militär-Wochenblatt
  
• 17.01.12 - Retired
  
• 15.01.16 - Award of the Bavarian Military Merit Order III. Class with Crown and Swords (Militär-Verdienstorden III. Kl. mit der Krone und mit Schwertern)
  
• 21.11.16 - Award of Prussian Crown Order II. Class with Swords gazetted in the Militär-Wochenblatt
  

He also received the Officer's Cross of the Netherlands House Order of Oranje at some point. It is listed in the 1910 rank list, but not 1909. I don't see an entry in the Militär-Wochenblatt, so he might have been awarded it before leaving navy service.

[mossop]

Thanks Dave, thats fantastic, was sure he would have had some later Awards also and was hoping someone could add some

Mossop

[Mike Dwyer]

A little bit off topic, but think of how many times this guy had to either buy new uniforms for the regiment he was assigned to, or get a tailor to make drastic changes to a uniform he already owned! Expensive business. :unsure:

[Ulsterman]

wow!!!

I'd LOVE to see that medal bar!

He must've left an account of Tirah somewhere.

whoops- after a quick snout round googlebooks, Credner did leave a full book on his accounts of the Afghan "troubles" and was a member of the Frankfurt geographical society.

I also see his medals were sold at Neate's auction in November, 2011 after being removed from his medal bar obviously as a Captain in IR 137) and misidentified as his Uncles"?