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Megan,
Thanks for all you to to keep this database strong. But always remember to take time for yourself. Hope you and jour family are doing well.
Dave
Thank you for your kind words… but curling up in my corner and messing about with medals IS my self-care! Dearly beloved is eating well, sleeping quite a lot, and enjoying listening to many of his favourite books on Audible; although he doesn’t get around well and needs most everything doing for him.
And today’s “me time” has been spent adding the Pestalozzi Medal for Faithful Service to education from pre-school through to teacher training, provided it was within the educational system of the GDR from 1945, and the Medal for Faithful Service in Health and Social Services. There’s just a few more of these Faithful Service series to go then we are more or less done… unless I dive into the rat’s nest of the German Youth Organisation, and I’m not sure I want to try and figure those out!
Tiday I have added the Medal for Faithful Fulfilment of Duty in Civil Defence and the Medal for Many Years of Fulfilment of Duty in Strengthening the National Defensive Capability (which probably is a contender for the Medal for the Medal with the Longest Name award!)
Apart from long names, neither of these are quite what you might expect. “Civil Defence” conjures up visions of firefighters and disaster recovery… but the GDR lot were militarised and although they had a large volunteer component (for whom today’s medal was intended) they also had professional officers, full-time enlisted, and conscripts on the rolls. They did weapons training and could be called upon to defend the state as well as deal with natural disasters or major incidents. T’other one was mainly for people who provided goods and services in support of the defence effort.
Sits back in amazement… we have finished the medals of the German Democratic Republic!!!
The last two, which I added this afternoon, are the Medal for Faithful Service in the Voluntary Fire Service and the Medal for Faithful Service by Voluntary Helpers in Guarding State Borders. Many thanks to David Devine and Greg Collins for the images.
So, where next? Colombia? Or South Africa (which I’ve been doing on my own website this year)? Or somewhere else entirely?
Lacking any opinions, I have started in on Colombia, beginning with the highest award for gallantry in action, the Military Order of St. Matthew – which can only be awarded for actions against a foreign enemy, civil wars and insurrection are expressly excluded.
The Military Order of St Matthew was created to commemorate the bravery of Antonio Ricaurte on 25 March 1814 during the War for Independence. Defending the hacienda of San Mateo, he realised that the main house – which contained the arsenal – was about to be overrun, so he blew it up with himself inside.
I am researching Colombian awards as I go along, so if anyone knows about them, their contributions – of information or images – would be very welcome!
Hmm… off down a rabbit hole as I’d intended to look at Colombia’s premier order, the Order of Boyacá, but got side tracked into a deep delve of firstly the Centennial Cross of Boyacá – acknowledged as its forerunner – and then I discovered that there was a Cross of Boyacá instituted an hundred years earlier in 1819 for award to those who fought in the Battle of Boyacá itself! So I have been happily expanding my own knowledge before scampering on here to share what I have found out.
This week I did get to the Order of Boyacá, a fascinating beast with no less than 7 classes plus a Grand Collar for the President of Colombia (and to particularly favoured foreign Heads of State). Not that I’ve managed to find a decent picture of the Collar yet!
I’ve overrun my usual time for medals, and dearly beloved will be wanting his dinner, so I’ll try to finish the Order of Boyacá tomorrow, seeing as I have the day off!
And thank you all very much… I was completely shocked (to the level of letting out a yelp that woke dearly beloved from his afternoon nap) to get an email yesterday saying that I have been awarded the OMSA Commendation Medal for these Sunday afternoon potterings through the Images Database. I am both humbled and delighted!
Congratulations – and not before time!
But there again OMSA must be everlastingly grateful that somebody is using the Website. I’m always astonished at the lack of interest from the general membership.
Keep up the good work – it’s appreciated.
Best wishes, Graeme
Thank you, Graeme.
I think the website gets quite a lot of visits, but people come to look and don’t say anything hence it seems very quiet.
It feels a bit mad to be rewarded for doing something that I do for fun!
This afternoon I have explored Colombia’s Order of San Carlos, including finding and reading the Decree instituting the order, which has given my Spanish a good work-out! I haven’t found images of everything yet so if anyone happens to possess any and is willing to share… well, we’d all like to see them!
Today the Colombian National Order of Merit, a remarkably frustrating exercise as there are very few images to be found apart from some not particularly good ones on a government website. Perhaps this is due to it only having been instituted in 1981… but you’d think a few would have made their way out of private hands in 40-odd years! Still if I find better images I can always come back later and improve the ones on here!
I have unanswered questions. Is the Grand Officer insignia just a star? And I’ve found a vague reference to the order being amended in 2001 but not what was changed. Perhaps that was the image in the centre of the badge, as a 2006 reference suggests the arms of Colombia appear in the middle whereas every picture I’ve found has a stylised head there…
Just added the Colombian Medal for Service in War Overseas. This was instituted in 1952 and intended for award during any international conflict Colombian forces were involved in. To date the 2 classes – one for acts of courage or merit and one for participation – have only been awarded for the Korean War. The ribbon is distinctive with a Korean flavour, it appears that the intention is that new ribbons would be designed for future wars.
I was going to follow up with the Order of Military Merit Antonio Nariño, but disappeared down a rabbit hole of trying to find decent images of any of its 6 classes! Maybe I’ll have gathered enough to make a good attempt at this by next time!
The hunt was not that successful and some of the images are not as good as I’d like, but the Order of Military Merit Antonio Nariño is done now.
Next for Colombia is the Order of Military Merit ‘José María Córdova’, for which I have already found some images. I’m beginning to wonder if Colombia was a good choice… I’m finding reasonable amounts of information but little in the way of images. Still, I’ll keep on plugging, every little bit adds to the body of knowledge!
Term starts tomorrow, but my lectures are good to go. Nice feeling, slightly assuages the normal fear of “Do I still remember how to teach?” that always strikes about now. Once the first one is done, I’m OK, but for now a touch of pre-game nerves!
Next in Colombia, we have the Order of Military Merit ‘José María Córdova’. Again, it’s taken longer to find images than it has to write about them, but the ones I’ve added here are better than those on my own website… guess I’d better update that sometime soon!
The first week of term was extremely busy, constant bombardment of emails from students – still getting everyone allocated their final year projects and they keep emailing saying, “Where’s my project” no matter how much I tell them that everyone’s in the Spreadsheet of Doom and won’t get forgotten, and the time spent answering said emails would be far better spent sorting out projects for all of them!!! Giving a 2-hour lecture was one of the more peaceful moments!
It’s good to escape to medals research for some peace and quiet…
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