1 in 1,000: Or IS It? A Ribbon Bar Puzzle

[Rick Research]

This is a VERY strange combination!

Like Daniel's thread--

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ad.php?t=31357

it is NOT always possible to figure out WHICH award is being represented when a shared ribbon is used:

[Rick Research]

There's no problem with the first two ribbons: a Prussian Red Cross Medal 3rd Class, and a noncombatant 1914-18 Honor/Hindenburg Cross-- which indicates the recipient had served in military uniform during the war.

But those last two!!!

Mecklenburg-Schwerin brings us Ribbon Number Three. It could be their Merit Medals 1872-1918. Orrrr their Lifesaving Medal 1885-1918. Orrrr the Friedrich Franz Alexandra Cross 1912-18.

Since the latter was granted for Red Cross, nursing, etc services, that seems the most likely, doesn't it? In which case this civilian/non-frontline ribbon would also accord with the noncombatant Honor Cross, to someone with nursing service inside Germany during the war.

Buuuuuuuuut: in 1912 a one time only minting of those crosses was made: 951 were struck. STRUCK, not awarded. Presumably they didn't run out of them in 1918, and the leftovers went into the great melting pots of 1919-20 as the Weimar Republic symbolically got back at the Ancien Regime by sacrificing its artifacts on the altar of "economy."

Sooo... was this one of LESS THAN 1,000? Wouldn't THAT be a nice little medal bar to find?

Because let's not forget the last ribbon:

Hesse-Darmstadt brings us that. Now THIS ribbon could belong to the Order of Philip The Generous (down to a silver NCOs' Merit Cross grade) orrrrrrr to the General Decoration Medal with "for loyal work" reverse. Orrrrr the 1882-82 Rhine Floods Medal!

The "labor" medal seems least likely, since a worker from Hesse would be a VERY unlikely recipient of a Mecklenburg-Schwerin award. Likewise, Hesse had its own cross for Red Cross/war nursing-- but this is NOT the ribbon for either frontline or rear area service for THAT!

Which brings us to: a Prussian in a wartime Mecklenburg hospital who somehow or other got then or already had a Hessian Order/Cross... or circa 1935 was a 75+ year old retired flood relief worker...


If only these things could talk!!!

[Daniel Krause]

Oi, oi,oi,

niiiice combo!
Best to say is a "most likely"
Last cold also be a General honor award for merit (was awarded with plenty of different reverses) or as You say a Philipp merit cross. I THINK it should be a pre-WW1-award.

3rd COULD be as You say either a Merit medal or the rare FFA-cross.

No centenary, no long service, no EK....really an odd grouping!

Best regards

Daniel