Another Mystery Picture

[Karstenh83]

Hello members.

I won these nice picture on ebay. And it´s a real mystery for me. It shows the reservist of the "Pestkommado" 1908-1911.

The mystery is that there is a coloured soldier too!!
But in the III. "Seebataillon" didn´t serve coloured men!!! In that unit only served germans and the chinese company didn´t exist in that time anymore.
And we can exclude that he was member of the policetroop. Because the policetroop didn´t have the same uniforms like the germans of the III. "Seebataillon".

And one mystery more. Look at the collars of the coloured man. I think it is really unusual and I have never seen these kind of collars before.

I think we can exclude that he is a chinese model. I have seen serveral times photos with chinese but they never worn a complete uniform of the III. "Seebataillon" and I think it was forbidden to wear some decorations.
And the coloured man has a decoration on his uniform. It´s a service decoration. On german we say "Dienstauszeichnung".

What kind of uniform is he wearing??
I hope you can answer my question and say something to this mystery photo and men.


I hope that you can understand my english.

All the best

Karsten

[Karstenh83]

the next picutre

[Karstenh83]

and the last picture.

Nice evening

Karsten

[Chris Dale]

Hi Karsten,
That's very curious. The collar I believe is simple enough, this man is an NCO (hence peaked cap), he wears NCO collar lace (in the Seebatallione it was worn on the upper collar edge rather then the lower edge as in the army). This collar lace partially obscures the Gardelitzen, which is also worn by all the other figures in this photo.
The only mystery to me is the shade of skin colour. He doesn't look African or Chinese. He could possibly be Polynesian, but then it's unlikely if he did join the unit that he would rise to be thier NCO. I can only guess that it is a trick of the light, or he is a particularly dark skinned European, or he has been sun-bathing!
A very curious picture, maybe some other members can help out?
Cheers
Chris
PS Your English is fine!

[Karstenh83]

Hello Chris,

thanks for splitting it into a new topic. I think you will be right and the thread will get more attention by other members.

Thanks for solve my uniform-question
Also the coloured man is a NCO, this conclusion is very interessting.

Could he be a half-caste??

Perhaps the father was German and the mother a Japanese or father was German and the mother was a Polynesian.

For example like this guy:

"Scriba, Emil; *23.11.1891 Tokyo, +24.11.1933 Tokyo
He was the son of surgeon Julius Karl Scriba (*05.06.1848 +03.01.1905, since 1881 Professor on the University of Tokyo) and whose Japanese wife. He visited the school in Weinheim, 1909 he was a "Kadett" in Berlin-Lichterfelde
08.1914 he was Lieutenant of the reserve and served in the III. SB.
11.1914 he was captured and a POW in the camp of Kumamoto, since 06.1915 in the camp of Kurume and since 06.08.1918 in the camp of Narashino. On 12.1919 he was dismissed.
On 1920 he stayed in Japan as a businessman. On 1924 he marriaged Tomoe Konishi (she was born around 1900) and they get two daughters"

All the informations I get from these website: http://www.tsingtau.info

All the best

Karsten

[Kotik]

On the last pic it looks like his left hand is white...but it can be a glove also..

[Peter H]

He could be part Samoan.

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Yes


I believe that NCO was a micronesian race or samoan too, because i read in a website that some young micronesians was educated by german missionaries, and some was sent to Germany or Tsingtau to improve its studies.

So, one of these students assimilated the language and the German culture and join to the III Seebatailoln.


That´s is my opinion.


Cheers

Cristiano

RJ
Brazil.

[Karstenh83]

Hello Cristiano,

could you tell me, which website it was, where you get the information, that Samoan and Micronesian were sent to Germany or Tsingtau for improve their studies???

Sounds very interesting.

All the best

Karsten

[Cristiano de S.O Campos]

Karsten


Hi, you found a great photo


the website was rotaisland.com
but is deactivated, but i found the same information in:

http://www.micsem.org/pubs/articles/edu ... lmicfr.htm


"In time, the German administration made an attempt to upgrade the schools on Saipan, consolidate them into a simple system, and utilize them for the higher education of Micronesians in other parts of the territory. In the government-run educational complex on Saipan there was an elementary school with six grades (and separate sections for Chamorro and Carolinian students because of the difference in ability), and an intermediate school with two additional grades. The elementary school curriculum, which was varied and broadly humanistic, reminiscent of the Colegio de San Juan in the mid-nineteenth century, included singing and violin playing, natural history and geography, drawing, physical training and handicraft making, aside from the inevitable German. There were two master teachers, both of whom were Germans, assisted by several Chamorros and Carolinians. The elementary school offered a far richer program than the mission schools in the Carolines could, much as the colegio had in comparison with the old parish schools. The intermediate school furnished training in vocational areas such as farming, boatbuilding, and native crafts. Exceptional students who completed both elementary and intermediate schooling were sent off to the German naval base at Tsingtao in preparation to teach or to keep financial records, or for training in carpentry, blacksmithing or other trades.38 "

These information give a possibility that one student in Tsingtau, more than 20 years old join to the III Seebataillon, i believe that is not impossible.

All the best for you too.

Cristiano
RJ
Brazil.