Who was elgible for the 1897 Prussian Centennial?

[landsknechte]

Bear with me if this has been covered elsewhere (I'm just not finding it), but who was elgible for the 1897 Prussian Centennial? Was it strictly Prussians? What were the status of recipients (active duty military, everyone with cause to wear medals/ribbons, etc.)?

--Chris

[Rick Research]

qualifying date for service on 22 March 1897 =

1) active duty Prussian army
2) active duty Imperial navy
3) active duty colonial forces
4) active duty members of non-Prussian regiments whose former or current "Chef" was the Kaiser
5) apparently semi-random members of non-Prussian units in mixed service with Prussians, as was the case at Metz and Strassburg, in XV Armeekorps

all veterans of:

6) 1870-71

Prussian veterans of:

7) the wars of 1864 and 1866


To a Bavarian (later winner of the Military-Max-Joseph Order) in mixed XV AK--

[Rick Research]

Baden's officers and officials were considered "Prussian." The later Kriegsgerichtsrat Arthur Horchler has appeared with other documents before, such as his BZ3aX.

These documents are HUGE, by normal German standards, and often find the wide empty margins cut off by the original recipients for storage. I've cropped the margins to get maximum design imagery to fit Forums scan size limits.

[Rick Research]

Saxony's (and Bavaria's, and Württemberg's) officers were NOT normally eligible for the medal unless as listed above.

Here is Reichsheer Generalleutnant Alfred Müller from Saxony, circa 1923-- and NO 1897 in all that enamel and gilt!

[Rick Research]

Made from the bronze of captured cannon, the medal was TOO large and TOO heavy-- resulting in the sort of gravity-produced ribbon fraying seen on this naval engineer's medal bar:

[Rick Research]

On the other hand, in 1901 when THIS photo was taken, AGE had not added its effects to gravity!

[Rick Research]

Then-Generalmajor Bernhard Rathgen was NOT (as his mismounted EK2 might suggest! ) a veteran of 1813-- but he HAD served in the wars of 1866 and 1870-71!

[landsknechte]

That is one serious document...

My lone example of that medal is in the ribbonbar that I just bought from the other Rick:



Thanks for the info!

--Chris

[paddywhack]

here my only one on a medal bar! got it off are very own chriastian L!

[paddywhack]

and the back!

[McCulloh]

I believe they were also awarded to military administrators-the type that wore uniforms as well as other higher bureaucrats and minor Royals. Also, I seem to remember a few gratis "diplomatic" awards to foreign consular types in Berlin.
There were about 1,000,000 awarded.

[Rick Research]

Yes, active duty Beamten are included in the military categories described.

My Old Style bars with the 1897:

[Rick Research]

My "big" ribbon bars with the 1897. Note that "pure Prussians" often wore it (and all their other Prussian awards) before non-Prussian awards, including wartime decorations and peacetime orders. The third and fourth ribbon bars are a pair to the same recipient who, although Prussian, is wearing awards in Mecklenburg precedence as regimental commander of FR 90. The bar second from bottom has incorrectly placed the 1897 before long service awards.

[Rick Research]

And the little ones. Because this medal was given to personnel who were active on 22 March 1897, it is often possible to guesstimate ages etc from groups showing rither regular or Reserve/Landwehr awards--

1) One Year Volunteers 1896-97 from the listed categories got it, so a bar with a Prussian XX Cross, for instance, shows that was a post-WW1 long service bestowal. Most chose to do this minimal duty in the year before going to college, making most of this sort of "potential reserve officer" born in 1877.

2) We often see groups to middle aged WW1 NCOs with this bar. The draftees of 1896-98 or 1896-99 or 1896-1900 (depending on barnch of service) also received this medal, and since 20 was the normal draft age, we can statistically "bet" most such recipients were born in 1876, therefore, give or take only a couple of years.

Groups do indeed reveal the biographies of their wearers!

[landsknechte]

And the little ones. Because this medal was given to personnel who were active on 22 March 1897, it is often possible to guesstimate ages etc from groups showing rither regular or Reserve/Landwehr awards--

1) One Year Volunteers 1896-97 from the listed categories got it, so a bar with a Prussian XX Cross, for instance, shows that was a post-WW1 long service bestowal. Most chose to do this minimal duty in the year before going to college, making most of this sort of "potential reserve officer" born in 1877.

2) We often see groups to middle aged WW1 NCOs with this bar. The draftees of 1896-98 or 1896-99 or 1896-1900 (depending on barnch of service) also received this medal, and since 20 was the normal draft age, we can statistically "bet" most such recipients were born in 1876, therefore, give or take only a couple of years.

Groups do indeed reveal the biographies of their wearers!

What does your crystal ball reveal about about my little bar, provided that it's even big enough to make a determination.

--Chris