Question on China Service Ribbon Bar

[matt johnson]

Hi guys,

Here is a puzzling five place China service ribbon bar that I have had for awhile.

Krieger-Verdienstmedaille
China Denkmunze
Verdienstkreuze for war help
Long Service
?

I had thought for a while that the last place ribbon was for the Saxon Treue in der Arbeit medal, which has a grass green ribbon. The more I looked at this bar though, the green is actually a dark green. This made me think it could be the Braunschweig lifesaving medal, but wouldn’t that medal be higher on the bar in precedence over the long service and war help cross? I also assumed that the first place ribbon is for the Krieger-Verdienstmedaille instead of the EK2 as there doesn’t seem to be any WWI combat service awards. Thought I would see what you guys think. Possible or off the mark?

Matt

[Rick Research]

Ah! Niiiiiiiiice ribbon bar!

I hate single color ribbons: this could ALSO be the hyphenated Saxe- Duchies (-Altenburg, -Coburg, and -Meiningen) Gendarmerie long service awards of 1913-18, OR the Saxe-Altenburg 1890 Saale Flood Medal, conceivably something foreign as well (a Turkish Lifesaving Medal, say) ...

Or... could be that you had an ex Petty Officer from the navy (*) who went back home with his discharge Zivilversorgungschein for a job with his native district's rural police, "double dipping" consecutive long service time. (* Why navy and not army? Because the Thuringian army units had their own long service awards, and the blue was only Prussian/navy. No home state award for China? Double awards were far less common for the Boxer Rebellion than for the Hottentot-Herero War of 1904-06. )

This south German style ribbon bar does show up anywhere, but chances are an Imperial era north German wouldn't have picked it. Its use WAS popular as far as the Thuringian hinterland... where NONE of the three Duchies had ANY regulations concerning mounting precedence!

Normally a military long service award would have been worn in front of the China Medal... even a Reserve-Landwehr brooch/medal: and short term army and navy enlisted ranks got an "LD2" upon discharge as credit for a "war campaign" before WW1. Since the Thuringian states had no Reserve-Landwehr awards, and used Prussia's, this man MIGHT have been a 2 to 4 year enlistee/draftee, BUT: in that case, in China 1900-01, he would have been far likelier to have gotten an Ernestine House Order Medal than a Prussian MEZ2. It would most likely have been a Militärehrenzeichen II. Medal (= MEZ2), not the mostly to "natives" in colonial service Kriegerverdienstmedaille.

NAVY, on the other hand, would have gotten Reichs award as their basic decoration....

It's neat little bars like this that make me wish the full medal bar was still with it!

Got any more? We like ribbon bars in here!

[Daniel Krause]

Hi Matt,

really nice ribbon bar! Post more!

I think the bar is made in the 20ies.

1st one is either EK 2 of WW1 or the Militärehrenzeichen. Kriegerverdienstmedaille wouldnt fit.

The green ribbon I suggest is something foreign.

If this would be something German (Braunschweig, Saxon Duchies, Anhalt...) I think he would have got the EK-equivalent from that Country in WW1.

Best regards

Daniel

[matt johnson]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the input. I really don't have that many ribbon bars, I'm more of a medal bar person. I'll post some pics of those from my collection though.

Matt