Show your French minis

[Graf]

3 hours ago, oamotme said:

Graf,

Superb pieces.

Another group - attributed to a Captain Marc Fluhr.

I detail my notes - research below.

Regards,

Owain.

 

1.      Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur - Officer, 4^th Class National Order of the Legion of Honour

2.      Croix de Guerre 1914-19 – War Cross 1914-18 with gilt, silver and bronze citation stars

3.     Croix de Guerre des Théâtres d’Opérations Extérieurs – War Cross of Theatres of External Operations

4.      Médaille Commémorative des Évadés 1914-18 – Escapees Medal 1914-18

5.      Médaille Commémorative de la Guerre 1914-18 – War Commemorative Medal 1914-18 with clasp ENG VOL “Engagés Volontaires” (Committed Volunteers),

6.      Croix Des Services Militaire Volontaire – 3^rd Class Volunteers Military Service Cross

7.      Annam – Order of Dragon – military award 1886-96, Commander (3^rd Class)

8.      Médaille d’Honneur du Ministère de l’Hygiène, de l’Assistance et de la Prévoyance Sociale – 3^rd Class Medal of Honour of the Ministry of Health Assistance and Social Providence

9.      Médaille d’Honneur du Ministère du Travail et de la Prévoyance Sociale – 3^rd Class Medal of Honour of the Ministry of Labour and Social Providence

10.  Belgium – Order of Leopold II – Knight (5^th Class)

11.  Belgium – Order of the Crown – Knight (5^th Class)

12.  Belgium - Croix de Guerre 1940-45 – War Cross 1940-45

 

 

This particular group of miniatures was purchased mounted in an old and decaying frame and stuck on the reverse was a faded typed note listing the miniatures under the heading:

 

“Decorations du Capitaine Marc Fluhr, né le 28 Juillet 1888 à Thann (Haut Rhin)”

(Decorations of Captain Marc Fluhr, born on 28 July 1888 in Thann (Upper Rhine))

 

Thann is a town located in the department of Haut-Rhin in the Alsace region the north east of France. It is to the northwest of Mulhouse near to the French Swiss border at Basel. Further to a search on the internet Marc Fluhr graduated in 1907, as one of thirty-seven graduates, from what is now known as the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Ingenieurs Sud Alsace – an establishment which was set up in 1861 to train engineers for textile industry.

 

His service during the Great War is self-evident from the awards he received and, if possible, deserves further research. It appears he was a volunteer and acted as an interpreter. Further internet research reveals that during Second World War, whilst living in Belgium, he had a link to the Belgian underground network which led resistance against the Nazi occupation.

 

In Etienne Verhoeyen’s research on the Belgian resistance network in the Limoge area reference is made to Fluhr who, living in Brussels, was the Secretary-General of the French School, Boulevard Poincaré and Director of the French Chamber of Commerce. Fluhr is noted as being a Reserve Captain and an agent of the French 2^nd Bureau and thus a point of contact for leading members of the Belgian resistance in the area. The 2^nd Bureau was the French external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. The research notes he was FFC (Forces Francaise Combattants) Captain for the Belgian ‘Mithridate’ network from early 1943.

 

In a post-war declaration Fluhr confirms that he played a role in the French 2^nd Bureau from before May 10, 1940 while living in Brussels. He had had an agent in Ostend and vaguely recalled that the 2^nd Bureau installed a transmitter on an Ostend fishing boat. The inclusion of the 1940 Belgian War Cross with a Bronze palm indicating an Army level citation would infer that Fluhr’s work during the war was formally recognised. The Belgian orders may also be from this period.

 

 

Superb

[Graf]

[Graf]

[oamotme]

Graf,

Lovely piece.

Further to my picture of Ehrsam's miniatures here are my notes.

Owain 

 

 

1.     Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur - National Order of the Legion of Honour – Commander, 3^rd Class - 5^th Republic issue

2.     Ordre National de la Merite – National Order of Merit – Commander, 3^rd Class

3.     Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 – War Cross 1939-45

4.     Médaille de la Resistance - Resistance Medal

5.     Croix du Combattant Volontaire de la Resistance - Resistance Volunteers Combattants Cross

6.     Croix du Combattant - Combatants Cross

7.     Médaille Commémorative Française de la Guerre 1939-1945 - Commemorative Medal for the 1938-45 War

8.     Ordre des Palmes Academiques – Order of Academic Palms – Officer, 2^nd Class – embellished with diamonds

9.     Ordre d’Économie National (1954-61) – Order of National Economy – Knight, 3^rd Class

10. Médaille d’Honneur du Travail du Ministère du Commerce et de L’Industrie (2^nd Type) - Ministry of Commerce & Industry Medal of Honour for Work – in silver for 40 years service.

11. Ordo Militaris et Hospitalis Sancti Lazari Hierosolymitani - Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem – Knight Commander, 2^nd Class

12. Étoile Civique – Civic Star, 2^nd Class Medal

13. Croix d’Honneur Franco-Britannique 1940-44 – Franco-British Honour Cross - Gold Cross

 

Jacques Joseph Adolphe Ehrsam was born in Paris on 22 February, 1917. Further to obtaining a degree in law at the Faculty of Law in Paris he continued his studies obtaining a Diploma from the Paris School of Business. Subsequently he worked at the Ministry of National Economy. During the Second World War he served with distinction and in later life was interviewed* and responded as follows:

 

The Légion d’Honneur is awarded for distinguished services. How did you earn this decoration?

 

“It should have been awarded to the guardian angel who permitted me to survive six years in the army, six months in the maquis and two months in the Red Army.”

 

What were you doing in the Soviet Army?

 

“The French government sent us on a mission to recuperate material from factories and ports, seized in France by the Nazis and moved to Germany and the Baltic ports, in other words inside the Soviet zone. Once we reached Kaliningrad (Königsberg), our little group of three found ourselves engaged in combat in a war zone facing an S.S. tank division. That’s when I realised the importance of luck: shells falling into the mud without exploding, bullets whizzing past without touching us. The men and material available to us seemed limitless. We didn’t repair, but replaced them. We saw carts that appeared to date from the days of Gengis Khan, there were endless convoys of camels from factories in Siberia bringing us relief supplies. I was also struck by a strange mixture of kindness and cruelty in those Soviet officers and their men. My military career terminated with the rank of Commander of the Red Army.”

 

(* “Jacques Ehrsam, commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur Un destin exceptionnel”, par Christian Barras, La Vie a Crans Monatan – Crans-Montana life, Edition No.44, Summer, 2003.)

 

At the end of WW2 Jacques was considering two possible careers – public service or to follow his family into business as an employee of Singer France – he took the latter course. From 1961 to 1972 he was General Manager and assistant to the President of Singer France and in 1972 became President of the Company following in the footsteps of both his father Maurice and grandfather Adolph. Jacques retired from Singer in 1982. From 1967 he was President of the Union of French Manufacturers of Sewing and Knitting Machines. He was also an Administrator of the Federation of Mechanical and metal processing industries. From 1967 he was a member of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and industry becoming President of the Chamber in 1979. In later life he lived in the Valais region of Switzerland and became President of the Vaud-Valais Committee of Mutual Aid between members of the Légion d’Honneur, Swiss Section and he was also Head of the Légion d’Honneur Bicentenary Commission. Jacques Ehrsam died, aged 101, on 5 June, 2018.

[Graf]

Lovely mini bar and information  Congrats

[oamotme]

Graf,

Further to my posting of an image of Fournage's miniatures I detail below some information and further images.

Owain

 

From online research Guillaume Auguste Fournage was born in the 14^th Arrondissement (Seine District) of Paris on 21 May 1901 and died at Frejus, Var, on 13 August 1991 – Frejus is a department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in South-Eastern France. He joined the French navy in 1919 and was appointed ‘Enseigne de Vaisseau’ 2^nd Class (Midshipman) on 1 October 1921 at Cherbourg. He was prompted to ‘Enseigne de Vaisseau’ 1^st Class (Sub-Lieutenant) on 1 October 1923 and on 18 January 1929 he was promoted to the rank of ‘Lieutenant de Vaisseau’ (Lieutenant). On 1 January 1932 he was at Cherbourg and later promoted to ‘Capitaine de Corvette’ (Lieutenant Commander) and thereafter to ‘Commandeant le Croiseur Auxiliaire’ (Commander Auxiliary Cruiser) X10. Fournage was appointed a Knight of the Order of Honour on 28 June 1934 – see certificate below, and his rank is noted a ‘Lieutenant de Vaisseau’ (Lieutenant). He was promoted to Officer, 4^th Class, of the Order on 11 November 1946 and his certificate – see below, when issued was dated 14 March 1947 – his rank is noted as ‘Capitaine de Frégate’ (Commander). Both certificates note his date of birth as 21 May 1901.

 

According to the vendor Fournage was also a lucky man as during his service in the Far East he served on the ill fated French Submarine Le Phénix. Le Phénix was a 1500 ton first class large patrol submarine - commissioned on October 21, 1932. As part of a tour, the submarine sailed from Toulon with her sister ship, the submarine Espoir, arriving in Saigon on December 16, 1938. On June 15, 1939, during an attack exercise, the submarine sank off the coast of Annam with the loss of all hands – some 72 officers and other ranks. All attempts to refloat the submarine were in vain and the exact cause of the sinking was never determined with certainty. Fournage was fortunate that his service on Le Phénix submarine was over before this calamitous event. Whilst Fournage’s chainette of miniatures does not include any campaign medals his orders and decorations attest to a distinguished career.

 

[Graf]

Very impressive Congrats

[oamotme]

Thanks Graf,

This time another LDH led group - all pieces in gold - superb workmanship - no details of the recipient but appears to be a post WW2 senior civil servant or diplomat.

Regards,

Owain

[Graf]

1 hour ago, oamotme said:

Thanks Graf,

This time another LDH led group - all pieces in gold - superb workmanship - no details of the recipient but appears to be a post WW2 senior civil servant or diplomat.

Regards,

Owain

Impressive  Yes for sure it is post WW2 VIP mini bars

[Graf]

[oamotme]

Graf, Superb selection of beautiful pieces - well done! Owain

Graf,

 

The group illustrated below was sold to me as a early / mid-19th century LDH trio........close inspection reveals otherwise! 

 

Owain

 

1.      France – the Decoration of the Lily

2.      Spain – the Order of Isabella the Catholic

3.      Brazil – the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross

 

[922F]

Great trio, Owain--centers may migrate, enamel ribbons not so much.  Often crown shape or type indicative but not always.

[Graf]

2 hours ago, oamotme said:

Graf, Superb selection of beautiful pieces - well done! Owain

Graf,

 

The group illustrated below was sold to me as a early / mid-19th century LDH trio........close inspection reveals otherwise! 

 

Owain

 

1.      France – the Decoration of the Lily

2.      Spain – the Order of Isabella the Catholic

3.      Brazil – the Imperial Order of the Southern Cross

 

Great trio

[oamotme]

Gentlemen,

Another LDH led group acquired in the last few years - no research done and I doubt if much is possible other than  to provide a summary of each award. The recipient of these awards was, I suspect some manner of late nineteenth and/or early 20th century senior diplomat or colonial administrator with much service in Indo-China.

Owain

[Graf]

Just now, oamotme said:

Gentlemen,

Another LDH led group acquired in the last few years - no research done and I doubt if much is possible other than  to provide a summary of each award. The recipient of these awards was, I suspect some manner of late nineteenth and/or early 20th century senior diplomat or colonial administrator with much service in Indo-China.

Owain

Splendid

[Graf]

[Graf]

my latest addition

[Graf]

[Graf]

[Graf]

Extremely rare 1st Monarchy miniature

 

Sadly not mine

[Graf]

[oamotme]

Graf, Lovely mini chain - possibly a diplomat? Owain

[oamotme]

Graf,

 

Something different - silver Medaille Militaire earrings - found in a bric-a-brac/antique shop in Boston, USA.

 

Owain 

[Graf]

7 hours ago, oamotme said:

Graf,

 

Something different - silver Medaille Militaire earrings - found in a bric-a-brac/antique shop in Boston, USA.

 

Owain 

Hi Owan That is really fantastic On the other hand they damaged two rare miniatures tp make the ear rings. Well i have seen similar things mainly as pendants, cuff links and tie clips This miniature on the middle without ribbon was sold as pendant Interesting both central medallions are reverse type and  from Second Empire

 

 

 

 

[oamotme]

Graf,

I don't think the MM earrings were made from solid miniature pieces, rather they are cast hollow silver items. Perhaps this was done as hollow pieces would be lighter to wear from the earlobe?

Owain