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chester



Joined: 08 Jun 2009
Replies: 7
Location: Australia

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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 1:46 am      Post subject: Uniform identification
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Hello, I have this photo but only know the identity of 2 of the people in it Florian & Johann ( the 2 on the end ), it has their names on it but most are too faded, unless someone can decipher them. It is possible they are German but I really don't know for sure as they're only " step " family, is someone able to identify the uniform & what is the poster on the wall all about, I also don't know the year.

Thank you.



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The Schewiola family uniform.jpg
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Thekla_K



Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:51 am      Post subject:
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I am German speaking and read the names as follows, from left to right:

Florian, Johann, Emilie?, Franz, Walter, Rudi? Schewiola, Karl or Paul, Vater (father) Josef, Florentine.

Karl(or Paul) is the decorated gentleman, will try to identify his uniform.

Photograph resumably pre or duringWWI. most probably German (Prussian, Silesian) or Austrian Empire
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Thekla_K



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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:43 am      Post subject:
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Found inscripton for WW 1 war victim, buried Central Cemetary in Erfurt, Thueringen, Germany

SCHEWIOLA Franz, born 15.8.1894, died 16.8.1917. this could be the gentleman without uniform pictured in the center.

correction to my list of names: Walter, Rudi
It says instead "beide Marine" (both in the Navy). person next to Franz could be Mutter (mother),
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Thekla_K



Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:06 am      Post subject:
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XL zoom shows name of person between Johann and Franz could be Susi
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Elzbieta Porteneuve
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Joined: 09 Nov 2012
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Location: Paris, France

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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:27 am      Post subject:
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Thekla,

What is written below Florentine? Is it a place? Could you decipher it from XL zoom?

Best,
Elzbieta
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Thekla_K



Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:13 am      Post subject:
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Elzbieta,
it's practically illegible, but I can decipher .... "in Zer..n.. e...tz" ???
presume it is a place name, could be Zernewitz.
Zernewitz was Prussian, (Westpreußen) now Polish Czerniewice, nr. Torun.

I seem to detect on your first photo (picture on the wall) the emblem of the Imperial German Foot Artillery.
(crossed cannons, oak leave), maybe a distiction given to some decorated Schewiola father/grandfather.
it could relate to German-French war, 1870-71 or even earlier.

If I'm correct, the German Foot Artillery was stationed in Zernowitz in 1905, there could be a connection
to the family residing there.

Did any of the names I gave you relate to relatives?
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rsowa
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Joined: 09 Nov 2013
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Location: Dundee, Michigan, USA

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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:01 pm      Post subject:
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Thekla_K wrote:
I seem to detect on your first photo (picture on the wall) the emblem of the Imperial German Foot Artillery.
(crossed cannons, oak leave), maybe a distiction given to some decorated Schewiola father/grandfather.
it could relate to German-French war, 1870-71 or even earlier.

If I'm correct, the German Foot Artillery was stationed in Zernowitz in 1905, there could be a connection
to the family residing there.


I did some Google searching for German Foot Artillery, and found an image of a soldier whose uniform matches very closely what is in Chester's picture. What was most distinctive was the lanyard from his shoulder...typically called a "Aiguillette". In this case it matches an identical one in an image on a postcard no longer available on Ebay. Do a Google search for "Army Vizefeldwebel Georg Ried" and you can see it. The lanyard is apparently a "marksman's lanyard" and dates from World War I and earlier.
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chester



Joined: 08 Jun 2009
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Location: Australia

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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:33 pm      Post subject:
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Hello Tekla, thank you so much for this information & you're spot on as my grandfather Wilhelm Kaleta came from Silesia, these people I believe are his step sister's & brothers. I have a postcard written to him in Australia from Florian & a letter written to my grandmother, who was English from Johann Schewiola & a photo of Johann taken several years later, but that's all I know, none of the other names are mentioned anywhere in the little information that I have. My grandfather was a very shady character, changed his name & rarely talked about his family, he died in 1944 long before I was born. I believe the Schewiola family lived in Hindenburg & his letter is written in German, my grandfather spoke German not Polish & later passed himself off as German ( although on his Australian marriage certificate he has said he was born in Silesia )once he moved to Australia in 1898. Wilhelm Kalteta's parents were Jan & Rosalin nee Rudka & I think he had sisters named Kathrina & Pertoneli & a brother Thomas, Pertoneli's married name was Martzik. I just don't know where to look for information about them, any suggestions?

Thanks again, Meredith ( Chester )
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chester



Joined: 08 Jun 2009
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Location: Australia

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Post Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:43 pm      Post subject:
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Thanks for the info rsowa, now I know that the Schewiola family were in fact German as I reread Johann's letter & he mentioned that my grandmother's letter to him took some time to get to him as he had to move from Silesia as everyone of German descent were ordered to leave by the police, this was in 1935, but I know for sure that my grandfather & his family were Silesian & grandfather was born near Katowice.
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Thekla_K



Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:45 am      Post subject:
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[quote="rsowa"][quote="Thekla_K"]I seem to detect on your first photo (picture on the wall) the emblem of the Imperial German Foot Artillery.
(crossed cannons, oak leave), maybe a distiction given to some decorated Schewiola father/grandfather.
it could relate to German-French war, 1870-71 or even earlier.

If I'm correct, the German Foot Artillery was stationed in Zernowitz in 1905, there could be a connection
to the family residing there.[/quote]

I did some Google searching for German Foot Artillery, and found an image of a soldier whose uniform matches very closely what is in Chester's picture. What was most distinctive was the lanyard from his shoulder...typically called a "Aiguillette". In this case it matches an identical one in an image on a postcard no longer available on Ebay. Do a Google search for "Army Vizefeldwebel Georg Ried" and you can see it. The lanyard is apparently a "marksman's lanyard" and dates from World War I and earlier.[/quote]
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Thekla_K



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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:50 am      Post subject:
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rsowo

agree with you on rank of Feldwebel, came to the same conclusion. viewed picture of Georg Ried, thanks for the hint.


elszbieta
glad to hear that my information was helpful. will try and find more for you. give me a litte time.

thekla
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Thekla_K



Joined: 16 Apr 2012
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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:21 am      Post subject:
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elszbieta,
google Dutchy of Silesia, interesing history. former Austrian Province but bone of contention between Imperial Austria and Prussia.
as of 1772 Prussian, after Russian occupation 1945 Polish (small parts German/Bohemian).

If a Silesian (Prussian) national from Kattowitz , your grandfather's language was German. Polish only had he continued living there after 1945.

!! there is a book by an ''Ingo SCHEWIOLA on WW2, titled "How WW2 was made" !!
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chester



Joined: 08 Jun 2009
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Location: Australia

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Post Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:35 am      Post subject:
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Thanks Tekla, my grandfather was born in 1873 in Katowice & emigrated to Australia in 1897, he was a bit of a family "black sheep" & changed his name to Schaffer & passed himself off as German in Australia and apparently owed his step sister ( Johann's mother ) some money but never payed it back, he died in 1944. Most of his family in Poland were not in contact with him, as far as I know only Florian was. I would really like to know more about his family but I have such little information, everything I've written here is everything I know. So thank you for the information about the uniform & the picture, even though they are not my "real" family it's still extremely interesting.

Meredith ( chester ) ( I'm not Elzbieta )
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