Interesting 5-Medal Bar

[tgn]

Here is another medal bar I have had for a very long time. I always thought is was an interesting combination.

[McCulloh]

No kidding...those Prussian State life saving medals are rare. Makes me this young navy officer in China, de mobbed 1919, fights in Silesia after his ship goes into the Salt water at Scapa. Not enough time in for an officers' LS medal.

[tgn]

No kidding...those Prussian State life saving medals are rare. Makes me this young navy officer in China, de mobbed 1919, fights in Silesia after his ship goes into the Salt water at Scapa. Not enough time in for an officers' LS medal.

Interesting timeline description. What makes it a navy officer?

Tom

[McCulloh]

More of a series of hints really........

1. Officer because no LS NCOs medal and a China medal...so assuming uninterrupted military service from 1899-1919. China medal has NO bars but combatant, so probably aboard a ship off China ( war zone).
2. Silesian Eagle....About 50% of the Silesian fighters were ex officers of varied sorts...and/or students.
3. While the enlisted ranks in the navy had a LOT of Red Spartakists in their ranks (and mass desertions).....the officer corps tended to be much more right wing and many, many navy officers ended up in the Freikorps. Rafael Schenk, a German history professor noted this with some stats in a talk about his book on Tirpitz, the navy League and right wing politics in Willhelmenian/Weimar Germany.
4. A lot of navy guys got the Rettungsmedal...so did army and civilians, but still, proportionately going through the Life savers book there are a lot of " saved a person from drowning" biographies. Point #4 is at best a +2 out if 100 if I was trying to calculate.

that's the logic of my speculative bio. Of course history is perverse so this bar actually was probably owned by a LtdR in a Guards Regiment with a Von in his name and a monocle.
it'd be nice if a photo showed up.

[Tom Yanacek]

Very nice medal bar. Thanks for posting it.

Best regards,
Tom

[PaulR]

I love the Lifesaving medals. Beyond envious.

[tgn]

More of a series of hints really........

1. Officer because no LS NCOs medal and a China medal...so assuming uninterrupted military service from 1899-1919. China medal has NO bars but combatant, so probably aboard a ship off China ( war zone).
2. Silesian Eagle....About 50% of the Silesian fighters were ex officers of varied sorts...and/or students.
3. While the enlisted ranks in the navy had a LOT of Red Spartakists in their ranks (and mass desertions).....the officer corps tended to be much more right wing and many, many navy officers ended up in the Freikorps. Rafael Schenk, a German history professor noted this with some stats in a talk about his book on Tirpitz, the navy League and right wing politics in Willhelmenian/Weimar Germany.
4. A lot of navy guys got the Rettungsmedal...so did army and civilians, but still, proportionately going through the Life savers book there are a lot of " saved a person from drowning" biographies. Point #4 is at best a +2 out if 100 if I was trying to calculate.

that's the logic of my speculative bio. Of course history is perverse so this bar actually was probably owned by a LtdR in a Guards Regiment with a Von in his name and a monocle.
it'd be nice if a photo showed up.

Thanks very much. I like your logic and it makes perfect sense.

[Bob Hritz]

You certainly have some fantastic medal bars, Tom. I really look forward to seeing them as you post.

Bob Hritz

[tgn]

You certainly have some fantastic medal bars, Tom. I really look forward to seeing them as you post.

Bob Hritz

Thanks Bob. I have a few more "interesting" medal bars to post, so stay tuned...

Tom

[Antonio Scapini]

Thanks Tom for posting this medal bar, it is out of my field, but I really like to see these pieces and know the story behind them (thanks McCulloh).

[byterock]

Hmm Officer??

Could just as well be a Merchant Marnie Sailor, severed with the relief fleet in 1900~1901 and went ashore.

For me the lack of any other 'Decoration' next to the ICII leans me to the simple sailor.

Might be possible to trace as there where not a large number of LS medals given out.

[tgn]

Hmm Officer??

Could just as well be a Merchant Marnie Sailor, severed with the relief fleet in 1900~1901 and went ashore.

For me the lack of any other 'Decoration' next to the ICII leans me to the simple sailor.

Might be possible to trace as there where not a large number of LS medals given out.

Is there a listing of life saving medal recipients?

[McCulloh]

Sort of. There were and are membership lists of the German Life Saving Society.
Some state Associations also had rosters....and still do. I have the Prussian book and the Nazi one.Only about 60-70% of the medals recipients joined the National society.
Also, there were year end lists published and almost always a newspaper story.
There is a Life Saving Medals SCollectors Society. They publish a good magazine.

Of the German navy officers who served in WW1, a VERY large percentage got no medals at all. It was rather Hard to earn anything when one was stuck safe in harbor for 4 years.