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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

What are the crossed swords for?


jess5athome

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Hi, could someone tell me what the crossed swords are for please, I understand the oakleaf is for mentioned in despatches.

Regards,

jess5athome

Sorry the photograph will not upload for some reason.

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The crossed swords are more usually a european device, eg croix de guerre, frontkampfer medal and others, it is usually affixed to the ribbon of certain medals especially German Weimar veteran medals to signify a frontline combat veteran.

khaki

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I am sorry the picture will not upload, I have a medal ribbon with the British war medal ribbon (1914-1918) the victory medal (same conflict) also what I think is the Army / Indian Army LS GC Medal and then a scarlet ribbon with crossed swords attached and I wondered what the crossed swords signified.

jess5athome

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Hi Jess,

This could well be the ribbon for the Serbian Order of the Karageorge Star, although according to Alec Purves book:

"All orders and medals which can be awarded in peacetime must--if received for war services--be worn with the ribbon of the Order of the Karageorge Star 'With Swords', ie a plain red ribbon, watered."

If you have some details from the medals, ie name, rank, number and regiment, then it may be possible to confirm which award the ribbon relates to, as it could be one of several!

Hope this helps,

Robert

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The other possibility is that the ribbon belongs to the Belgian Order of Leopold, which also had the crossed swords as a ribbon device, i am not positive but the same medal may have also had an oakleaf device as well. It was not uncommon for Belgian medals to be awarded to British soldiers.

khaki

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Hi, Thankyou all for your kind and prompt replies,Old owl, I have looked at the serbian order of the Karageorge star and I do not think it is that, it could well be as Khaki states the Belgian Order of Leopold, I will do some more research and see what I come up with.

jess

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Hi Jess

PM me, I'll send you my email address, you email me the pic, I'll upload it for you.

We're all eager to see this now!

Regards

Ian

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Hmmm...

I'm not an expert in any way. But this does look similar?

post-92174-0-61841700-1360943756_thumb.j

Apparently it's a German Iron Cross ribbon button.

But yours is a bit different. The hilt part of the swords in particular. And the angle they're crossed.

Any clue as to the individual to whom the medal bar belonged?

Regards

Ian

Edited by eairicbloodaxe
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Hi, no sorry Ian, it was given to me with some other ribbons, all First World War era and all British but I had not seen one with the swords on ever before.

Frank.

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post-92174-0-28960500-1360940882_thumb.j

post-92174-0-55118000-1360940859_thumb.j

Well, apart from the fact that the ribbon bar is upside down and back to front ;) pretty sure it is the Order of Leopold. Going from R-L (as they should be)

British War Medal

Allied Victory Medal with laurel leaf for Mention in Dispatches

Regular Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (with the post-1918 ribbon when the white edges were added)

Knight of the Order of Leopold - Military Division. ('Knight' was the 5th and lowest class)

Ian's is a buttonhole ribbon of the Honour Cross of the World War 1914-1918 (aka, popularly but erroneously, as the 'Hindenburg Cross') with swords for combatants.

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Hi staffsyeoman, many thanks for your input, it is greatly appreciated, it has cleared it up for me and I have learned something from you all.

Frank.

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Mr Google is not being my friend today.. this is the nearest I can find. Hopefully both now the right way up!

post-92174-0-05362200-1360956053_thumb.j

post-92174-0-81372000-1360956063_thumb.j

Most of the WW1 era Knight/Order of Leopold swords are completely different design... but there are several types it seems. I'm assuming Frank/Jess's is bent from age. (A bit like myself...)

Regards

Ian

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The German Medal ribbon is the Honour Cross with Swords [aka Hindenburg Cross] not the EK1 worn as a lapel button

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The German Medal ribbon is the Honour Cross with Swords [aka Hindenburg Cross] not the EK1 worn as a lapel button

..which is what I said in post 16. As to the swords, not a common stock item I would have thought for British tailors - so variations on Continental swords would not be completely surprising. And I'm sticking with the Order of Leopold.

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