114 years ago...

[WNickel]

114 years ago a small group of marine infantry fought against troops of chief Tamasese in December 1888 in Samoa. The troops fo three ships took part and were raid by the Samoaner - troops from the ADLER, EBER and OLGA. Only the last survived a hurrican in March 1889 in Apia. OLGA was the name of the WÜRTTEMBERG Queen and so some people of the OLGA had got the silver War-merit-medal of King Karl. I think vou'll hear more from Professor Stijn......

Werner

[WNickel]

and here the complete bar - won by Kube....

[Rick Research]

Uh oh-- your scans are way TOO BIG and off the monitor screen today, Werner!

In 30+ years, I have only seen that Samoa bar ONCE, on an ugly WW1 retread Petty Officer's medal bar my guru used to have. I have a xerox.

You have to wonder, after the 30+ years that passed between when this action took place, and when the Colonial Medal was created... whether the tiny number of survivors was made even smaller by eligible recipients who never knew they could (finally!!!) get a medal!

[WNickel]

You 're on the right - SAMOA is a very rare bar and I didn't see it for many years. But last year I saw - on a bar - with the Kriegsdenkmünze 1870/71, it was no fake. In 1870 there was a small troop of marines shipping to Paris over the Seine. One of this sailors was later in SAMOA and he lived in 1913 and earned the KolonialDM.

Here a (marine)Kolonial-bar from from the last years before WW1 - I think you would search for the wearer.....

[mott5ranch]

Very Nice medal bars! Thanks for showing them.