Does anybody know what this medal is for?

missloulou

Hi,

My mother found this when she was clearing my late grandmother's flat.

Can anybody shed any light on it?

Many thanks in advance.

Lou

DeepSleeper

Can you get a better photo of it, or at least describe it?

What is written on the box? What colour is the ribbon - White with black stripes? Is the ribbon long enough to be a neck ribbon? What colour is the metal? What is in the centre of the star - a person? Who? Any text on the medal?

Thanks

xflyer

A better picture would help but it looks very like a Bavarian Order of Military Merit with swords. There's one for sale on Ebay at the moment.


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Germany-Bavaria-Order-Military-Merit-Swords-/260724118511

missloulou

Thats the one, although this one is of a more grey silver type, but not silver, the ribbon is only small enough to cover the badge.

Some slightly better pictures attached, sorry about the quality, only have phone!

There is some writing on the front of the box, don't know what it means and an address in Munich on the back of the box.


Again, many thanks for any light you can shed on this!

DeepSleeper

xflyer wrote: »

A better picture would help but it looks very like a Bavarian Order of Military Merit with swords. There's one for sale on Ebay at the moment.

Well spotted, though it might be the Military Merit Cross (for enlisted men and NCOs) rather than the Order that was given to the officers...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Merit_Cross_(Bavaria)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Merit_Order_(Bavaria)

xflyer

Yes that's it alright. Relatively common apparently. Nice to have though, bit of change from the usual Iron Cross.

missloulou

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.

Now to try figure out where the Bavarian link comes in I know my great grandfather died in Ypres in WW1 but know nothing other than that.

Looks like I'm going to have to sit my mum down with a pot of tea to see what she can remember!

Thank you again

xflyer

No problem, nice thing to have. At a guess it might have been 'liberated' by a soldier from a captured member of a Bavarian unit. The German army in WW1 was very much organised regionally, Saxony, Bavaria, Prussia. Each had their decorations and uniforms, separate states really.

Anything else in the attic? Anything German is very collectable these days. Helmets can command silly prices. A pickelhaube or a steel helmet?

missloulou

I wish we still had all the stuff, my mum remembers a good few medals but think gran must have thrown them out. She was the type that wouldn't even consider that we would have wanted them.

My mum clearly remembers a medal with a rainbow type ribbon, the medal was gold coloured with a person with wings on it but again we don't know what she did with it. All I have at the moment is my great grandfathers surname so we can't track anything further down.

DeepSleeper

missloulou wrote: »

I wish we still had all the stuff, my mum remembers a good few medals but think gran must have thrown them out. She was the type that wouldn't even consider that we would have wanted them.

My mum clearly remembers a medal with a rainbow type ribbon, the medal was gold coloured with a person with wings on it but again we don't know what she did with it. All I have at the moment is my great grandfathers surname so we can't track anything further down.

That was probably your great grandfather's Victory Medal...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Medal_(United_Kingdom)

missloulou

That looks exactly like what mum described. She got leathered as she took the ribbon off it to make a skirt for her dolly:(

I can see lots of researching going on over christmas.

Thanks again guys.

johnny_doyle

missloulou wrote: »

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated.

Now to try figure out where the Bavarian link comes in I know my great grandfather died in Ypres in WW1 but know nothing other than that.

Looks like I'm going to have to sit my mum down with a pot of tea to see what she can remember!

Thank you again

if he died in Ypres he's likely to have had the Victory Medal and British War Medal. If he was in the army earlier, possibly the 1914 or 1914-15 Star

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/medals.asp

Pop his name on the Research A Soldier thread in the WW1 sub-forum and we can see if there is any info re his service that we can find.

tricky D

xflyer wrote: »

A better picture would help but it looks very like a Bavarian Order of Military Merit with swords. There's one for sale on Ebay at the moment.


http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Germany-Bavaria-Order-Military-Merit-Swords-/260724118511

There's a slight difference between the 2. One has the crossed swords above the star bit, the other doesn't. Don't know if that makes much difference though.

xflyer

Well that one is dated 1866, hers might be WW1.