Masonic Bar?

[deptfordboy]

Evening Gents,

I today took delivery of a WW1 British group to a man from Kent, England who it seems was a recipient of the French Medaille Militaire. Attached to the ribbon of the MM was a bar inscribed with the following:

1st Deg. 21 Dec. 1919

Naturally, I first thought it something to do with the French MM, now I am starting to think it may be Masonic. I have taken it off the ribbon and it has the letters C U and what looks like a London hallmark. Can any learned gents here confirm or deny this? And if so, what is the significance?

Cheers

Gilbert

[wm5806]

Hi Gilbert

Any chance of a picture, please?

Have to say that it doesn't sound as though it has its origins in English Freemasonry.

Regards

WM5806

[deptfordboy]

Hi WM,

As requested - not a great scan but it shows enough. My logic in thinking masonic was simple - I googled the inscription and got a lot of results concerning masonic rites - it seems the 'deg' might be 'degrees' of seniority? As it has an English hallmark (I need to confirm the date) and given the fact that a lot of masons served in the Gret War, maybe our ma was a mason and this represented his initiation? Interested to hear your thoughts,

Gilbert

[wm5806]

Hi Gilbert,

Regret to say it's not Masonic. I think it's from the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes, an entirely separate fraternal organisation, but one whose regalia is often confused with that of Freemasonry.

Hope that helps,

WM5806

[deptfordboy]

Hi WM,

Well thanks for clearing that up. I know as little about the Buffaloes as I do Freemasonry, I always assumed they were an American organisation - did their tentacles spread to the UK also?

Cheers

Gilbert

[wm5806]

Hi Gilbert

Sorry, don't know a great deal about them myself, although I think their origins are here in England. There are a few websites, the most 'official' looking is here.

Similarly, lot of Masonic 'presence' on the web. Funny, really, for an organisation like Freemasonry that's supposed to be 'secret', why there's so many websites

Kindest regards

WM5806