Help ID Rank, Gear, Unit of German-Great-Uncle

[oldport]

Earlier on JW said: " And that ís a small world indeed! If I didn't know any better I'd say Joseph wanted to be found, why else would you post his Totenzettel when there's no obvious family-connection? Stand at his grave, speak out his name. You may well be the first person ever to do that"

 

This summer I was very happy and fortunate to be able to follow JW's advice (that's me next to Josef's resting place in Nantes, France ..... city where my wife grew up !!)

 

[JWK]

I don’t believe this!

Only a week or two ago Josef popped up in my mind again, for reasons unknown.

And that I posted something about his grave, I remembered that.

 

 

Trawled through my posts, and found that véry post “Stand at his grave, speak out his name. You may well be the first person ever to do that”

 

 

Thought “Hmm, must send Oldport a message (or reply on the topic) “Did you do as I suggested?”

 

 

And there you are!

Who knows, your visit may have well been the first visit ever to his grave by his (extended) family.

Edited 24 November , 2017 by JWK

[Ken S.]

Kriegsstammrolle entry for Josef Mechling

[JOVE23]

Great detective work! I wish stuff like this still existed for my Prussian-born great-great grandfather.

[Lee Smart]

Looking back up at the Photo of with his wife, he is wearing a Troddel or Lanyard on his bayonet - the colours of which would suggest that whatever regiment he was in, it was in the 1st Battalion (White Stalk) and either the 2nd (Red Slider) or 4th (Blue Slider) Company therein:

The Troddel (or Lanyard / Tassel) was in different colours used in denoting battalion and Company - with colours signifying 1; White, 2: Red, 3: Yellow and 4: Blue. The Stalk colour denoted the Battalion and the Slider, the Company (Senior NCOs and Officers might have multi-coloured Tassel-ends). The Troddel was knotted around the bayonet frog and has its origins in the sabre knot which was used to keep a sabre attached to the cavalryman's wrist so he didn't lose it if it was dropped or wrenched from his grasp. 

[AOK4]

8 hours ago, Lee Smart said:

Looking back up at the Photo of with his wife, he is wearing a Troddel or Lanyard on his bayonet - the colours of which would suggest that whatever regiment he was in, it was in the 1st Battalion (White Stalk) and either the 2nd (Red Slider) or 4th (Blue Slider) Company therein:

The Troddel (or Lanyard / Tassel) was in different colours used in denoting battalion and Company - with colours signifying 1; White, 2: Red, 3: Yellow and 4: Blue. The Stalk colour denoted the Battalion and the Slider, the Company (Senior NCOs and Officers might have multi-coloured Tassel-ends). The Troddel was knotted around the bayonet frog and has its origins in the sabre knot which was used to keep a sabre attached to the cavalryman's wrist so he didn't lose it if it was dropped or wrenched from his grasp. 

 

I'm sorry but deducing colours from B/W photographs is extremely difficult (almost impossible) as some "dark" colours look "bright" and vice versa because of the techniques used in these photographs.

Jan

[oldport]

Ken S. that is a wonderful find !! Thank you very much (I will be working on deciphrage for a while ;-)

Lee Smart, thanks for your observation and information !

Yesterday I stumbled on the unit history for Josef Mechiling's IR 170 - I nearly fell out of my chair when his name appeared in this publication. Seems Josef was promoted to Gefreiter from Musketier (or maybe I simply do not understand rank structure)

 

Edited 17 March by oldport