Interesting Combination

[VtwinVince]

An unusual bar to a Bavarian with Red Cross and fire department long service. The Bavarian fire brigade cross is marked '1000' and the two loose medals were on the bar but didn't belong with the ribbons. Also, note that the Red Cross Decoration is enamelled on both sides and the eagle on the obverse is enamelled into the cross surface.

[ixhs]

A homefront guy - may be Feuerwehrkommandant, Freiwillige Krankenpflege, Beamter or something in that way.

That`s the reason, why he did not get any front decorations.

[Claudio]

Yes, I totally agree with ixhs...  It's quite uncommon to see a WWI bar with lots of WWI related decorations, but no Iron Cross 2nd class; so he must have been a 100% homefront type of guy.

Nice bar nonetheless!

[VtwinVince]

Thanks for the tips gentlemen, it is indeed a weird one.

[Chris Boonzaier]

He could well have been a medic, probably behind the frontlines, many of them did not get an EK

[Utgardloki]

How strict where the criteria for getting the Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer - did homefront guys who weren't under direct fire receive it too? How far away from the front did you have to be to only get the Kriegsteilnehmer one without swords?

Nevertheless, could it be that maybe there was a cross without swords on the bar and a pre-owner restored it with a sword one?

And again, not every soldier did get the EKII (only a third to half - approximately?)

[VtwinVince]

That is possible, as the two loose medals were on the bar, and clearly didn't belong.

[VtwinVince]

The wreath is actually silver, and apparently represented 30 years of service.

[VtwinVince]

I agree that the order of precedence isn't to statutes, but this was common on German medal bars. You should see the crazy order on my uncle's bars.