The Prussian Rote-Kreuz-Medaille of 1898

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A 15 mm miniature medal, worn from a chain. For some reason, some kind of gray paint was applied to the medal and has partially come off again. I decided to leave it as it is:

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Worn by a Prussian non-combatant participant in WWI, here is a miniature medal bar combining the Prussian Rote Kreuz-Medaille III. Klasse with the Prussian Kreuz für Kriegshilfsdienst and the Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer. Again, the red stripes on all three ribbons have faded to a pale orange:

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A very neat miniature medal bar, again combining the Prussian Rote-Kreuz-Medaille III. Klasse with the Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer:

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Two additional scale reference shots to illustrate the quality of the miniatures:

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On to ribbon bars, -bows and such. A ribbon bar and a ribbon roll [Bandrolle] for civilian wear, the latter on a nice mother-of-pearl button. (Since the two classes were worn together and the second and third class had the same ribbon, a single ribbon stood for the third class):

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A two-place ribbon bar combining the RKM with the 1914/18 Ehrenkreuz für Hinterbliebene, [Honor Cross for Next-of-Kin]. Judging from the pin assembly, it's a Godet piece:

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A nice six-place ribbon bar. It shows its age with wear, patina, stains and fading from sunlight exposure, the latter being particularly heavy on the last ribbon.

The decorations are, from left to right:

• Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer [Honor Cross for Participants in the War] (Germany)
• Rote-Kreuz-Medaille 2. Klasse [Red Cross Medal 2nd Class] (Prussia)
• Rote-Kreuz-Medaille 3. Klasse [Red Cross Medal 3rd Class] (Prussia)
• Kriegserinnerungsmedaille [War Commemorative Medal] (Austria)
• Magyar Háborús Emlékérem [Hungarian War Commemorative Medal] (Hungary)
• Медаль за участие в Европейской войне [War Commemorative Medal] (Bulgaria)

This bar was worn by a person serving in a non-combatant role in World War I; apparently a medic, physician or even nurse of the German Red Cross, as the ribbons for the German and Austrian decorations don't have swords devices and the Hungarian and Bulgarian ones are the distinctive ribbons for non-combatants (which are much rarer than the combatants' ribbons).

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Here is a neat little piece, which is interesting for its unusual mounting style: It's a tiny five-place miniature ribbon bar for wear on the lapel of a civilian suit, made from the 8 mm ribbons more commonly used for ribbon bows/rolls.

Tightly sewn down over a one-piece metal frame/button, the ribbons represent the 1914 EK II, the 1914/18 Ehrenkreuz, the Prussian Kreuz für Kriegshilfsdienst, one of the various Prussian or German long-service decorations sharing the same blue ribbon and the Prussian Rote-Kreuz-Medaille III. Klasse:

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Some ribbon bows [Bandschleifen] for civilian wear. Two single bows...:

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...and two two-place bows, combining the Red Cross medal with the 1914/18 Ehrenkreuz, on the left, the cross for Kriegsteilnehmer [participants in the war] and on the right for Hinterbliebene [next-of-kin]:

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I have saved the best for last: A grouping that apparently belonged to a Prussian WW 1-era Red Cross nurse. (Unfortunately, nothing is known about the original wearer of these decorations.) She was decorated with the second and third class of the Rote-Kreuz-Medaille and the Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer. First, a view of the whole grouping:

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Now for a closer look at the individual components.

The Rote-Kreuz-Medaille II. Klasse is actually a rare piece. It's the final model of this medal, manufactured by the Oertel company of Berlin and made from silver-plated Tombak (rather than the genuine silver from which earlier pieces by the Berlin Mint). Oertel was only commissioned to manufacture these medals in the post-WW1 period and made only 1,020 pieces between 3 February and 13 May 1921:

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The Rote-Kreuz-Medaille III. Klasse. This, too, is the final model, made from a poor-quality zinc-based "war metal" alloy also known as "Ansonit" from 1917 - 1921. The medal has traces of "white rust", which is very common for medals made of this type of material:

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This is my personal favorite piece in this grouping and actually one of my favorite pieces in my whole collection: A miniature ladies' bow combining the 2nd and 3rd class medals with the 1914/18 Ehrenkreuz für Kriegsteilnehmer, mounted in a pleasing "triangular" configuration:

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Two ribbon bars representing the 2nd and 3rd Class medals. Both are made of 15 mm wide ribbon: