Prussia Returning medals

[Chris Boonzaier]

Thought this may be of interest... they get to keep the EK2 although this was a few years before that was officially pushed through.

[Guest Rick Research]

Yup--had to BUY Orders to keep them--or go out and buy loose new ones from the official suppliers, just to hand over. That saved ripping up medal bars anyway. These folks must have thought they might wiggle out freebie!

30 Reichsmarks in 1910 was a lot of money. At 4 to the U.S. dollar that was close to an entire week's wage for a 60 hours-week factory slave. Keeping father-in-law's rack intact required surplus income that a lot of widows and orphans faced with unexpected funeral expenses just couldn't meet.

Like bureucrats everywhere (as a reformed one myself ) there were all sorts of Official Responses. I've seen demands made for returns 3 days after the recipient died--and Javertian demands into WW2! What good was a returned KO4 to the Third Reich then?

Not-very-funny story: my late guru George Seymour made the mistake, back in the 1980s, of contacting DANISH "Officialdom" concerning the pre-1914 award date for a Dannebrog Order in a WW1 officer's medal bar. The reply was a curt and ruthless demand that Said Order (complete with long ago monarch's cipher--NOT "reusable" ) be returned, forthwith!

While George never had to hide in the Bolivian Embassy in London... I do believe he never crossed the Danish frontier thereafter....

Edited August 8, 2013 by Rick Research

[Komtur]

... What good was a returned KO4 to the Third Reich then? ...

I believe, because of the gold center.

Regards, Komtur.

Edited August 8, 2013 by Komtur

[Guest Rick Research]

But that is AMAZING!!!! Finally (FINALLY!!! ) to SEE the regulations!!!!!

[Guest Rick Research]

What is absolutely mind-boggling is the 1938 statement above that from now on (!) ONLY the illustrated awards were to be .... hunted down and either grabbed or paid for or... death watch was being kept on ALL of them for when repiration stopped!!!!.

According to that text, sleepless bureaucrats had labored through the Weimar Republic into the 5th year of the Thousand Year Reich preparing index cards on every single Prussian Orders holder, who were all to be hunted down and verified as alive/dead/or moved--and from 1938 on the local authorities would be in charge of hunting down recipients and keeping permanent records on them until they died or returned or paid for the awards.

Huff, puff!!!!!

WHERE ARE ALL THESE CARDS???? EVERY CITY, TOWN & VILLAGE IN GERMANY MUST HAVE THEM!!!!! WHERE ARE THEY NOW????

Mindboggling bureaucracy. And--when located--absolutely incredible records to account for the "rest of the story" on scores of thousands of LIVING Orders recipients.

Every 3 months: Alive? Dead? Paid for? Over and over again. Alive? Dead? Paid for? Turn in your quarterly report, sofort!!!!

Great galloping wowsers!!!!!!

Edited August 8, 2013 by Rick Research

[Marcin L]

Rick,

have you really met George Seymour? Have you seen his collection? Can I see it anyhow?

Kind regards,

Marcin

[Guest Rick Research]

George was my decades-long research mentor. Andreas Thies sold his collection after George died.

[sambolini]

Hi,

This information on the "hunt" for the orders of deceased awardees into the third Reich is mind boggling, to say the least. Crazy.

Kind regards,

Sam K.

[Claudio]

Strange prices... the 2nd classes crosses were worth the same amount of money if not more than the stars 2nd class. The 1st class star was the same price of the 2nd class star...

C

[Trooper_D]

While George never had to hide in the Bolivian Embassy in London...

To be fair to Bolivia, the Australian wretch, to whom you indirectly allude, is actually holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy. Same difference, though

[Guest Rick Research]

Would you want to be holed up in the same place as THAT?