Need help identifying WW1 Uniform

[andysouthern]

Hello, my name is Andrew Southern. Recently I was helping my grandma clean out some of her stuff and found an old envelope. Inside were a few documents and pictures. She didn't know anything about them, all I can say is that she is German. Among the photos were two photos of a man in some sort of German military uniform (looks like WW1 to me). The back says his name is Rudolph Drews. One was taken by a place called "Fritz Hartwig" and the other by "C. Utecht, Berlin". I would love it if I could get help identifying the military rank of him, and anything else we can find out. I also have some naturalization records, and birth records from Germany if you would like to see those. Thanks and please let me know.

[t mo]

hi
the first pic obviously military and i think the second is more masonic as he,s wearing normal suit under the regalia ,but first time i,ve seen one with a sword and the hangers again swords play a part in masonic ritual but more symbolic than for wearing but all countries appear to have different rituals i suppose .
but where to find prussian military info that,s the question .
regards
trevor
ps can you write out the exact wording regarding the bit about fritz hartwig only that sounds more likely to be a person than a place as i,ve just done a google search for it and nothing shows up but as things have changed so much between when the pic was taken till now as germany as we know it didn,t exist before ww1 when it was known as prussia [ now others will tell me i,m wrong  ] .

[t mo]

pps
i,ve been trying to edit my ps above but can,t get it to post so please don,t take any notice of it a si realise my mistake  trevor

[apwright]

The first photo appears to be a junior officer in a Prussian (not Bavarian/Saxon/Württemberg etc.) regiment, circa WW1. I can't say which regiment. Can you read the number on his shoulderboard?
Fritz Härttwig (two Ts) had his photographic studio at Ring 13 (Ring was the street/square around the town hall), in Lüben in Silesia (now Lubin, Poland) until the mid-1920s.
The Prussian 4th Dragoon Regiment (full title Dragoner-Regiment von Bredow (1. Schlesisches) Nr.4) was garrisoned at Lüben, but they had yellow collars, so he is probably not with them.

In the second photo he is dressed in the "colours" of a Burschenschaft (student fraternity). His cap is an embroidered Prunktönnchen or Straßencerevis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burschenschaft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couleur

Adrian

[andysouthern]

Hi, thanks for the responses. Once I am home i'll scan the backs of each photograph to see if there is any more information that could be of use. I am curious to find out more about his rank and see if we can figure out his regiment. Thanks for all the help thus far guys.

[andysouthern]

Hello, I have scanned the backs of each photograph, hopefully to get more information of where these were taken and around what time. They are in the same order as the first two images.

[apwright]

The black writing on the back of the second card confirms the student fraternity angle.

Tutti xx (al[ias] Trews)
?? Kneipe z[ur] fr[ohen] Er[innerung]
W[inter]-S[emester] 1890/91

"Tutti" was his Biername or vulgo, i.e. his fraternity nickname.
"xx" indicates that he was Consenior, i.e. deputy chairman of the fraternity. His duties would have included organising fraternity meetings/tablerounds, and making sure that the members did enough fencing practice, and that fencing contests were properly carried out.

The card is a memento (zur frohen Erinnerung = in happy memory) of a certain fraternity meeting ("Kneipe" in its original sense) held during the winter semester/term of 1890/91. But I can't work out what the abbreviation before "Kneipe" is supposed to be. It could perhaps be "A/C" for Aktiven-Convent - a meeting/convention of all "active" (i.e. actually studying) members.

The first postcard doesn't tell us much, unfortunately, except that it must be later than the second. Though probably not 25 years later for it to be WW1, as he doesn't look that much older! After finishing his studies he would have had to do his compulsory military service (2 years + 5 in reserve), or maybe joined up voluntarily, so the photo likely dates from that period.

Adrian

[glennj]

A wee bit late 

Herr Drews was the junior veterinary surgeon (Roßarzt) of Dragoner-Regiment von Bredow (1. Schlesisches) Nr. 4 garrisoned in Lüben. He was appointed as such with effect 15. June 1896. He wears the uniform not of a dragoon officer but that of a veterinary official of the Prussian military administration. Rudolf Drews retired from full time military service on 27 July 1899. He elected to return to Landwehr service as a veterinary officer in the rank of Oberveterinär in June 1911. Mobilised in 1914, he was promoted to Stabsveterinär (captain) der Reserve on 24 April 1915.  He died of sickness in 1918.

Regards
Glenn