the district of Benesov, near Prague in April 1888 and enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian Army in 1910. While serving in the Austro-Hungarian Army he was awarded the Karl Troop Cross.

In July, 1915 while serving on the Eastern front, fighting against the Russian forces, he was wounded and taken prisoner at Tschemenovka and held in a prisoner of war camp near Kiev. In 1916, he agreed to join the Czech Legion to fight with Russia against the Central Powers.

Assigned to the 4th Company of the 1 st Gunner Regiment of the Czech Legion, he fought in the historic battle of Zborov in July 1917 for which he would subsequently receive posthumously in 1947, the Czechoslovakian memorial medal for veterans of that battle.

Kriz soldiered on, fighting in the actions at Kungut, Omsk, Nikolsk, Usunijsk, Perm and Tagil, in addition to other skirmishes. In February 1918 he was posted to a reserve Figure 4: Gunner Kriz wearing the Czech unit and continued with it until the end of the war. He War Cross, Revolutionary Cross and the was demobilized in March 1920, having returned there British Distinguished Conduct Medal via Canada and Western Europe. For his services during In the years after the war Kriz proudly wore his Czech the war Kriz was awarded the 1918 War Cross, the 1918 Revolutionary Medal, the Commemorative Cross for medals and his Distinguished Conduct Medal (Figure 4). Volunteers and the by ; He died on March 18, 1937. the Distinguished Conduct Medal by Great Britain; the Warrant Officer Antonin Stepan, lOth Shooter’s Regiment, Czech Legion.

Figure 3: The Battle of Zborov Comtnemorative Medal (left) and the Battle of Bachmac Commemorative which Kriz received posthumously.

Austrian Karl Troop Cross; and the Federation Figure 5: Warrant Officer Stepan wearing his Distinguished Conduct Medal and Russian Cross Internationale des Ancient Combattants Medal of St. George. (Figure 2). He was posthumously awarded the Zborov Commemorative Medal 1917-1947 and the Bachmac Antonin Stepan (Figure 5) was born in Prague in Commemorative Medal 1918-1948 (Figure 3). November 1888 and was conscripted in the Austro-

Vol. 62, No. 4 (July-August 2011) 35 Figure 6: Guardians of the Russian gold (Stepan is identified by the white arrow. (It looks as though the order went out that anyone that smiled would be shotO

Hungarian Army following which he was sent into action 1917. Stepan was posted to the 3rd Regiment after the on the Eastern Front. He deserted to the Russian lines in battle of Zborov, but as was common to those who had March 1917 and enrolled in the Czech Legion on July 23, served in regiments present in the battle, he received the

Figure 7: Stepan ’s medals: 1918 War Cross, 1918 Revolutionary Medal, Volunteers Cross 1918-1919, Victory Medal, Zborov Commemorative Medal 1917-194 7, Bachmac Commemorative Medal 1918-1948, Volunteers of 1918-1919 Commemorative Medal, 1938, and 1938 Volunteers Meeting in Brno Commemorative Medal (Czechoslovakia); British Distinguished Conduct Medal; Russian St. George Cross; Serbian Commemorative Medal, 1914-1918; and Federation Internationale des Ancient Combattants Medal

36 JOMSA Zborov Commemorative Medal in 1948. He was present and Italy, Stepan was demobilized in August 1920, but at the Battle of Bachmac in March 1918, when his unit remained an active member of the Army Reserve and the reinforced the hard pressed 1 st, 6th and 7th Regiments. It Czech Legionaire Veterans’ Association. For his service was most likely as a result of his deeds in these operations during Stepan received the 19 l 8 War Cross, that he was awarded the Russian St. George Cross for the 1918 Revolutionary Medal, the Volunteers Cross 1918- bravery. 1919, the Victory Medal, the Zborov Commemorative Medal 1917-1947, the Bachmac Commemorative Medal In July 1918 he j oined the newly formed 10th Shooter’s 1918-1948, the Volunteers of 1918-1919 Commemorative Regiment at Samara and was pi’esent with his regiment Medal of 1938, and the 1938 Volunteers Meeting in during several engagements on the Volga Front, including Brno Commemorative Medal from Czechoslovakia; Simbirsk and Bulgama and the defense of the Trans- The British Distinguished Conduct Medal; The Russian Siberian Railroad in the Atchinsk, Kansk and Krasnojarsk St. George Cross; the Serbian Commemorative Medal, sectors. He unit was charged with guarding Russian gold 1914-1918; and the Federation Internationale des Ancient at Urkutsk (Figure 6). Combattants Medal (Figure 7).

Returning to the newly formed Czechoslovakia as a Footnote: Warrant Officer in April 1920, via Japan, Ceylon, Egypt 1. Abbott and Tamplin, British Gallant~y Awards

Continued from page 4: made for the members of the contingent from the Order of St. John. Hessenthal and Schreiber confirms this Prussian army did not have enough medical personnel restriction on page 374 stating that the only difference in the army. Therefore doctors and medical-support in the three crosses for the attacking force, the reserve civilians from different private organizations and orders force, and their non-combatants was the ribbon. The three both sectarian and non-sectarian, Catholic as well as Alsen Crosses for members of military units and their Lutheran - came fromAustria, Prussia and other German non-combatants were made of yellow (or light) bronze states to Schleswig-Holstein and Demnark to help on the and were differentiated only by their ribbons (page 375). battlefield as well as in the hospitals. The Order of St. John One of the easiest ways to pick out an official medal is established its own hospitals in Altona, Flensburg (2) and to examine the eyelet on the medal through which the Niibel (Northern Slesvig). The order served during the suspension ring is placed. For each of the medals in the battle in Diippel as well as during the landing on the isle article with the exception of the two cast-iron medals for of Alsen directly behind the fighting soldiers collecting the Order of St. John’s contingent and the 1914-18 Honor the wounded and dying soldiers from the Prussian and Cross, official issue medals had a soldered eyelet with Danish arnaies. Their hospitals served wounded Prussian, multiple grooves like the first cross in Figure 3. Notice Austrian, and Danish (also Swedish volunteers) soldiers that the second and third crosses have a non-grooved and officers. eyelet and are silver plated and bronze instead of white bronze. The official cast iron medals for the Order of The establishment of the crosses solely for the Order of St. John have a large ring cast as a part of the medal as St. John must have been the result of the close relationship seen on the far right of Figure 3. The far right medal of between that order and the Prussian royal family and Figure 5 depicts a copy. would explain why the ribbon used was from the House Order of Hohenzollern, the house of the Prussian kings. What were copies? Although I have found no literature This also explains the distinction between the crosses on them, it appears that they were used to replace awarded to military non-combatants such as doctors original medals due to loss or when a second medal bar and litter bearers in military units and doctors and litter was needed. They were not "issued", but rather were bearers provided by the Order of St. John. purchased.

Official medals Other Observations

The photos in the article show a variety of officially- The Dfippel andAlsen Crosses were not campaign medals issued items and copies without distinction between the in the same sense as the 1864 War Medal or any of the two. According to the statutes, all Dfippel Crosses were to be made of white bronze with one exception, those Continued to page 39

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