Kaiser Wilhelmsland police epaulettes, staff officer, German (1912-18)

Title	Kaiser Wilhelmsland police epaulettes, staff officer
Nationality	German
Period	1912-18

Sold

MAGNIFY

Prior to 1915, Kaiser Wilhelmsland was the top half of modern-day Papua New Guinea and was the administrative base for the German South Sea colonies in the Pacific area. In 1919, along with all her other colonies, this was lost to the victorious allies at Versailles.

These epaulettes would have been worn by a staff officer of the Schutzpolizei on a white tunic. The green piping was instituted in 1912. The design is taken directly from the Prussian police epaulettes of the Imperial era which had silver and black flecked bullion on a cornflower blue ground with the the Prussian arms and royal crown superimposed in white metal or bullion. In this case, this latter distinction shows, by contrast, the Imperial eagle topped by the Imperial crown.

These epaulettes were purchased with ten white metal NCOs Schutztruppe buttons - I suspect a deserving sergeant was commissioned into this unit from the Kaiserliche Schutztruppe. I once had a sword which showed evidence of this practice via cancelled issue stamps, Togo police replacing earlier KS markings (see my site map for this). The gilt buttons show the same Imperial arms. As German colonial insignia, these epaulettes are of the highest rarity as there were only 20 Polizeimeisters (commissioned officers) in the whole area, commanding some 725 lower ranks.

Their condition is excellent, with a little wear to the bullion, as you would expect for their age.

If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.

[Militaria : Tunics : German : 20th Century]

online museum

account

testimonials