Prussian Pour Le Merite Grand Cross

Prussian Pour Le Merite Grand Cross. A Maltese Cross in blue enamel, edged in gold, with a golden eagle between each of the arms. Obverse: The bust of Frederick William III, Emperor of Prussia, facing left on the central disc. A Prussian crown over 'F' at the top, 'Pour Le Mer' across the centre and 'rite' on the lower arm. Reverse: Plain blue enamel cross. The cross is fitted with a flat gold wire loop suspender ring and a piece of 58 mm black ribbon which has 10 mm silver stripes near each edge.

The Pour le Mérite, first founded in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia, was named in French, the language of the Prussian royal court at the time. Until 1810 the award was both a civilian and military honour. In January of that year, King Frederick William III decreed that the award could be presented only to serving military personnel. In March 1813 he added an additional, higher, distinction to the award, a spray of gilt oak leaves attached above the cross. The award of the oak leaves originally indicated extraordinary achievement in battle, and was usually reserved for high-ranking officers. The original regulations called for the capture or successful defence of a fortification, or victory in a battle. By the time of the First World War, the award of oak leaves often indicated a second or higher award of the Pour le Mérite, though in most cases the recipients were still high-ranking officers. In 1866, a special military Grand Cross class of the award was also established. This grade of the award was given to those who, through their actions, caused the retreat or destruction of an army. There were only five awards of the Grand Cross: to King William I in 1866, to Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia (later Emperor Frederick III) and Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia in 1873, to Tsar Alexander II of Russia in 1878, and to Helmuth Graf von Moltke in 1879. The example here is considered genuine but is possibly an unissued specimen made in the late 19th Century. This medal is part of a collection of Second World War German orders and decorations acquired by Flight Lieutenant K G Hesketh, RAAF Historical Records Section, who was based in London but who made a number of visits to Germany immediately after the Second World War.