49 - Prussia, two Commemorative War Medals 1863, for combatants and non-combatants, Wars of Liberation

Prussia, two Commemorative War Medals 1863, for combatants and non-combatants, Wars of Liberation Bronze, iron. Two Commemorative War Medals 1863 for the participants in the Wars of Liberation 1813 to 1815. 1) Commemorative medal of 17 March 1863 for combatants, bronze, obverse with the head of the king to the left, legend “FRIEDR. WILHELM III KÖNIG V. PREUSSEN”, below a curved banderole “1813 1814 1815” on crossed laurel branches, reverse with the Prussian royal crown above the interlaced monogram “WR”, below a laurel and an oak branch, legend “DEN 17 MÄRZ 1863”, ball loop with suspension ring. Diam. 2.9 cm, weight 12 g. 2) Medal 1863 for non-combatants, same strike in blackened iron, ball loop with suspension ring, on ribbon with light beige edges and stripes in orange-yellow, black and light beige. Diam. 2.9 cm, weight 13 g. King Wilhelm I of Prussia instituted the Commemorative War Medal on 17 March 1863, on the 50th anniversary of the Wars of Liberation, for the surviving participants in the campaigns of 1813, 1814 and 1815 as a renewed token of recognition. Combatants received this veterans’ award in bronze, non-combatants in blackened iron and the ladies of the Order of Louise in polished steel. The ribbons also differ: on the combatants’ ribbon the black edge is on the outside, on the non-combatants’ ribbon the white, with gold-yellow, black and white stripes alternating in between. The obverse shows the portrait of Frederick William III, the crowned monogram on the reverse names the founder Wilhelm I. Combatants and non-combatants are called Kämpfer and Nichtkämpfer in German, also Kombattanten and Nichtkombattanten. In the OEK order catalogue the combatants’ version is listed under number 1922.