Hello there. I recently picked up a very interesting photo of a colonial soldier and would like your opinion on his origin. He is wearing a typical colonial khaki uniform with Kaiser crown buttons: however, his cap has two cockades instead of the usual Reich only. His medal bar has a SWA campaign on the right and a large war merit medal (Prussia) in the middle and a smaller medal in highest precedence that I can’t make out. The long service bar appears Wurttemberg. His sword appears to be Wurttemberg. Could this be a soldier sent to assist the Shutztruppe in the Hereros uprising 1904-06? Observations and opinions welcomed.
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The photo's too fuzzy to be sure on a first look:
His pre-1913 long service brooch is definitely the "Prussian" IX, as given to colonial NCOs and naval petty officers as well.
I think the folding sword guard pierced looking glob may be the Imperial "colonial" eagle.
From the size, I'd say the first medal is a Saxon Friedrich August medal in silver, but that doesn't look like the ribbon for one.
He is VERY definitely being VERY non-regulation wearing his "local" award ahead of the "Reichs" MEZ2 obviously gained in SWA, and the two cockades make me wonder if he's Back Home and just wearing his old uniform, with a self-altered hat.
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