Warrior Women

[Guest Rick Research]

1870-71 frontline combat nurse's "noncombatant" Franco-Prussian War Medal, as worn

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reverse (pin missing or perhaps this was sewn on and off)

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scanned today from a local collection.

[Ulsterman]

Nice-but "frontline"?

Wouldn't "frontline" be a combat ribbon with a steel medal?

[Guest Rick Research]

Nope. That, idiotically, was the medal for stay at homes.

As Mister Spock would say, "totally illogical."

See von Hessenthal and Schreiber #s 391-393

"Band A f?r K?mpfer und truppen in der Heimat." ("welche die feindliche Grenze nicht ?berschritten hatten" i.e. the Stay At Homes)

"Band B f?r Nichtk?mpfer."

Now you and I would have given the frontline non-arms-bearers the combatant ribbon and steel medal and the stay at homes the steel on noncombatant...

but that is not what was done.

Steel medals on combatant ribbon stayed home.

Steel medals on "noncombatant" ribbon were at the front unable to shoot back.

[Kev in Deva]

Nope. That, idiotically, was the medal for stay at homes.

As Mister Spock would say, "totally illogical."

See von Hessenthal and Schreiber #s 391-393

"Band A f?r K?mpfer und truppen in der Heimat." ("welche die feindliche Grenze nicht ?berschritten hatten" i.e. the Stay At Homes)

"Band B f?r Nichtk?mpfer."

Now you and I would have given the frontline non-arms-bearers the combatant ribbon and steel medal and the stay at homes the steel on noncombatant...

but that is not what was done.

Steel medals on combatant ribbon stayed home.

Steel medals on "noncombatant" ribbon were at the front unable to shoot back.

Hallo Rick, with regards the medals awarded to "female" frontline non-combatant, just how close to the fighting would they have actually been? or were they like Florence Nightingale and her staff, in medical positions to the immediate rear of the fighting??

Kevin in Deva

[Guest Brian von Etzel]

Curious how many of these women were killed. Imagine male stretcher bearers brought the wounded back to the hospitals?

[Guest Rick Research]

From the medal's creation statutes, "crossing the enemy frontier" would have been all that was minimally required.

But "Travelling Women" wouldn't have sounded as catchy.