Bulgarian Order of Civil Merit to Belgian diplomat

[love4history]

Hello gents

In the group to a Belgian diplomat I just acquired there were a number of foreign awards. One of them is this medal which I think is the Bulgarian order of civil merit. As this is not my cup of tea, could anyone determine the time period and degree of the award from the characteristics?

Thank you!

l4h

[922F]

Need Image; would like to know all items in his group.

[love4history]

Yes, obviously, my apologies, I thought I had posted the pictures. Will add the list of all awards in the group later at home. Thank you for the help!

[BalkanCollector]

Could you please post a separate thread with photos of all of his awards if it's not a problem to you? I see you've also posted his Finnish Order of White Rose so I think it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to this man.

[love4history]

Hi BalkanCollector. Don't mind posting a photo of all his awards. Here they are (only the wearable awards, I did not photograph the one Australian table medal that was in the group), together with a picture of the man himself. Note that not all the medals in the group are in the photo or vice versa. His mounted group has changed as well (second from right now is the British Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal from 1953 while in the photo it is another medal, possibly French Legion D'Honneur?)

The Grand-Officer grade on the left is the Belgian Order of Leopold II but alas damaged. Will check prices out to have it repaired.

[BalkanCollector]

Beautiful set! Thank you very much for sharing it!

[Graf]

The Bulgarian Order for Civil merit, without the size details, looks like 4th Class -Officer with missing ribbon.

The correct ribbon has a rosette If you provide the size of the cross, especially the width this can be confirmed the The correct size/width is 50-51 mm  for this Class We need the size.It look early King Boris Period  -around 1920-1930

It is a pity that the GO of L2 i has a missing central medallion. Very likely this central medallion has a French text only typical for the before 1951 pieces.  Any maker marks on the back? It looks like piece of Fernand Heremans. Usually the central medallion by this maker does hot have decorative trim surrounding it

 

Regards

Edited August 9, 2019 by Graf

[love4history]

Thank you Graf!

Exact width of the cross is 64 mm. What does that mean?

The Belgian GO Leo II came in a Fonson case. (Not that that proves anything)

I have no paperwork tying the man to Bulgaria. What I have is:

°Antwerp 1889

Antwerp 1911 obtains a master degree in "commercial and consular sciences"

1912 to Havana, Cuba

1915 (vice)consul in New York + marriage in NY

1921 Consul in São-Paulo, Brazil

1925 Consul in Helsingfors/Helsinki

1931 In Nairobi. Consul for Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar and Tanganika

1934 in Köln. Consul for a # of German states

1938 in Sydney. Consul for the Commonwealth of Australia incl. Papua, New Guinee and both the British and French possessions west of 180°

WWII (1943)  in Australia

1947 in Pretoria. Consul for South- and North-Rhodesia, Nyassaland as well as for Mozambique (Portuguese)

1949 in South-Africa

1953 Consul in Australia

 

[Graf]

Hi,

That mean that this cross is not an Officer bu 1st Class   and the  Emission is as i suspected early King Boris 1918-1932 Period  From the information you gave us it looks like he was high ranking Diplomat It can explain the high Classes awards including the Bulgarian

The Cross Badge  is worn on a Sash therefore comes only with ring ( no ribbon loop) The Star of this class is -95 mm in diameter

In 1933 King Boris of Bulgaria introduced  The Grand Cross  The Cross Badge is similar as the one of the Diplomat, however the Star is different it is diamond cut type

I doubt  that this Diplomat was awarded this Class simply because it was given in a very special  occasions and to a very very high ranking persons

 

It is very interesting fact that this Diplomat never had a post in Kingdom of Bulgaria.

Either this Cross came from somewhere and was added to the Group or he was awarded for his contributions to Bulgaria without being there, however involved in some way

Did the Group come directly from the family?

 

More research is needed

 

Here are the two Emissions i just described

1 Th 1st Class - early King Boris Emission 1918-1932 picture from a book

2 The Grand Cross 1933 King Boris Emission - in the box from my collection

 

Regarding the GO Star of L2 The crown is typical Heremens

It can come in any box The Box looks early Fonson not late made one

Here is GC by Fonson You can see the crown on the Star  It is from my collection

Edited August 9, 2019 by Graf

[Great Dane]

Is that the Order of the German Eagle around his neck?

If so, was probably awarded during his service in Germany - right after it was instituted in 1937.

[love4history]

@Great Dane. That's very interesting. Thank you for the input!  I was already wondering what that award might be round his neck. It is not in the medal group I acquired. It certainly does look like the Order of the German Eagle and indeed would fit the time-frame for the award being made as he was in Köln in the mid to late 30's. Will see if I can narrow the date of the photo down. He would not have been wearing this award anymore after 1940....  A very interesting detail is that his wife was of German AND Jewish decent! Can you imagine what her feelings and her husbands must have been witnessing life/living in Germany in the late 30's !!!

Thank you Graf for identifying the award. It certainly does look like the Bulgarian award does not originally belong to the group. It's not on the photo and I don't have any proof of him being in Bulgaria yet. Theoretically there still is a gap in his career between '25 and '31 where he could have been posted there and there were strong (family) ties between the Bulgarian Royalty and the Belgian one which might perhaps have played a role as well but so far no proof of anything. I will try to find out more.

On analysing the photo further I have come to the conclusion that the mounted group on the photo shows from left to right the Officer's Grade of the Order of Leopold I, the National Committee First Class Medal, the Knight's grade in the Order of the Crown (rather the a French LdH as I thought first. The Knight's grade Crown Order came with the group as well but was badly damaged. In the mounted group as it is now it has been replaced by the higher Commander Grade in the Order of the Crown) and finally the Cuban Merit Medal for the Red Cross. 

Round his neck I think we indeed see the German Eagle Order, the Finnish Order of the White Rose and the Portuguese Commander in the Order of Christ together with the matching silver breast star.

Can you agree with this chaps or do you see something else?

 

 

[Great Dane]

I think you're right wrt. the promotions through the Belgian orders. That would explain the reshuffling of the bar.

Also, if the photo is before 1940, he of course wouldn't wear the 1953 coronation medal on it.

Edited August 10, 2019 by Great Dane