Prussia Identifiable-To-Be-Medal Bars Number 13

[Poulton Palmer]

Hello gentlemen,

I am a little bit shy to ask, because of all the beautifull bars in the previous topics, but here it goes:

Does this one make any chance of ever being identified or is this hopeless? (If you never take a shoot, you always miss: old dutch saying)

(I posted this one once in a topic about NC bars).

Kind regards from Flanders,

Poulton

[Guest Rick Research]

SHOULD be eminently doable-- first impression a quite senior naval Beamter. But having had a couple of nasty scares here with a new generation of clever Frankenstein bars:

Have you blacklighted this? Are the ribbons silk and not modern synthetics (white will glow electric blue if so, other colors don't matter)

[Guest Rick Research]

OK, I have him (real time results folks) and will return with the copious scans documenting The One, THE ONLY...

[Guest Rick Research]

Took longer to assemble the scans from multiple sources than to eliminate all other suspects.

The crucial, VITAL key to identifying the original owner of this medal bar—and this medal bar alone—is, as so often the case... The Unseen World.

Note the COMBATANT China Medal. That is the ONLY award on this medal bar which made an identification possible. Yet Prussian and naval Rank Lists (maddeningly) never listed campaign medals!!!

So how can it possibly be the key to identification? From PLACING a person there, actually IN China. If this had been a STEEL “stay at home” China Medal, there would be TWO suspects right now—and no clue whether that other person had a steel China or not. But one person and one person alone had these awards WITH an “I was there” China Medal--

Marine-Oberbaurat (Schiffsbau) Harry Schmidt--

and here Schmidt was in the 1900 Navy Rank List, aboard S.M.S. “Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm,”

which sailed out to the China Station 7 July to 18 August 1900, remained there 19 August 1900 to 28 January 1901, and then sailed back to Germany, arriving 31 March 1901. He was there, and known sea officers received the Bronze China Medal aboard her. Trumpets!

Born in 1865. One Year Volunteer in the Marine Infantry, retiring from that status as a Leutnant der Seewehr II-- here he was still in that nominal rank, also 1900:

Such minimal “real military service” was enormously important for visible prestige—this allowed him to wear a naval officer's sword and Portepée, distinguishing him from mere technical officials.

Here Schmidt was in the unusually detailed 1910 Naval Beamten Rank List, giving award dates and dates of all his various technical official seniorities.

[Guest Rick Research]

Note that he had not yet received his KO3, which he got 18.01.12 (1905 Ordensliste Nachtrag 7 Seite 196) as here, in the 1914 Navy Rank List

And in 1918 with all his... visible awards:

He was not alone for those awards--but he WAS the sole "I was there" China Medal recipient with these!

And finally his minimal entry in the 1914-1918 Navy Honor Rank List, which skimped big time on Beamten:

all that now tells us is that Schmidt was still alive in 1930/31.

[dedehansen]

WOW I couldn´t imagine that this one could be traceable

That´s great

Andreas

[Poulton Palmer]

SHOULD be eminently doable-- first impression a quite senior naval Beamter. But having had a couple of nasty scares here with a new generation of clever Frankenstein bars:

Have you blacklighted this? Are the ribbons silk and not modern synthetics (white will glow electric blue if so, other colors don't matter)

Hello Rick,

I have blacklighted this and no glow on the white ribbon!

I am amazed this could be id'd! Many thanks for that! But I am really amazed at the speed of your researchwork! You must be very efficient and I

have very much respect for that. It is interesting to know what our dear mr Schmidt was doing during 14-18, trying to find out.

When you are ever in Flanders, please contact me, I can show you real-time trenches (not so known ones) and we can drink a few super belgian beers!

Greetings from Flanders!

Poulton Palmer

[Guest Rick Research]

We each have hundreds/thousands of books, and after doing this for 30 years, knowing where to start looking helps speed things up.

It is very often the most "unimportant" things that are the most important--or what is NOT there. But even so, sometimes even we are surprised when something is, or is not, identifiable.

[M Hunter]

A beautiful medal bar Poulton and now you have a name to go with it!

Impressive work as always Rick!!

Best wishes

Matt

[Komtur]

this bar and again and again to the master of research gnomes.

Regards, Komtur.

[Guest Rick Research]

Thank you, but we are all of us "in this together." Without sharing our libraries and research work, none of us would have the resources on hand to do so much.

I've just now found Harry Schmidt's birthday-- 5 September (1866) in the 1914 "Geburtstagkalender der Marine." He was unmarried then and so unlikely to have ever been.

Research never really ends....

Edited August 21, 2013 by Rick Research