BRK awards

[HPL2008]

I forgot to add these brooches for female members.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find detailed information on them. However, as far as I know, the brooch without the outer wreath was a general service badge, wheres the wreathed badges in bronze, silver and gold were the equivalent to the decorations for the male Sanitätskolonnen.

They were worn at the collar; all grades can be found with a clip attachment or a pin assembly:

[HPL2008]

A postscript to # 15 - I now found myself a specimen for the bronze grade as well. (Note that this one has a pin assembly instead of the metal loops and was made by Sedlatzek rather than Poellath.)

[HPL2008]

These are technically not awards, but duty badges [Dienstabzeichen] of the BRK's Wasserwacht [Water Rescue Service]. The white enamel was changed to dark blue in 1979.

(They are not to be confused with the Ehrenzeichen der Wasserwacht des BRK [Decoration of the Water Rescue Service of the BRK], which is basically the same badge with an added laurel wreath in silver or gold at the base.)

Also, in addtion to these large badges, there is also a kleines Dienstabzeichen [small duty badge] presented to long-serving Wasserwacht members in addition to the other long service awards of the BRK/DRK. This is a miniature version of the large badge with an additional oval plaque added to the bottom which bears the numbers "10", "20", "25", "30", "40" or "50" for the respective number of years. I don't own of those (yet), so I can't present a specimen.

The Dienstabzeichen and Ehrenzeichen are also awarded by the DRK. They differ from the BRK ones in that they obviously don't bear the letters "BRK" on top: Since 2012, they say "DRK", up until then, no letters were in the top part.

[HPL2008]

Just in is this Dienstabzeichen of the BRK's Wasserwacht. As seen on this one, they often bear numbers on the reverse. I have been told that the numbers identified the wearer's unit/duty station.

Note that, unlike on the examples shown above, the rope border is flush with the life saver. I don't remember having seen this variant before and would tend to think that this could be an early version.

[Nigel N]

This is an excellent thread, as indeed all your reference threads are!!!!
I can make a small contribution which you may like to see!
Matching 3 place medal and ribbonbar........
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-Nigel

[HPL2008]

Very nice indeed; thanks for sharing! I particularly like that the ribbons are mounted in the traditional Bavarian style (very attractive, but not at all common on post-war bars). The simultaneous wearing of two of the long service crosses is contrary to regulations, but such things are not unusual at all.

[HPL2008]

Coincidentally, a stickpin for the same award combination was recently on auction on German eBay, and I scored! It arrived today:

[HPL2008]

Another new addition is this 9 mm two-place stickpin combining the Ehrenzeichen des DRK in Gold with the with the Steckkreuz [pinback cross] grade of the Ehrenzeichen des Freistaates Bayern für Verdienste um das BRK [Decoration of the Free State of Bavaria for Service to the Bavarian Red Cross] (compare with the one in post # 9, which has the silver-grade DRK-Ehrenzeichen):

[Nigel N]

Two great stickpins!!!
Good detail on such small pieces!!
Very interesting to see the 3 place pin, that matches my medalbar!!!
-Nigel

[HPL2008]

A postscript to # 15 and 17 - I finally got myself a specimen of the gold grade of the Plakette für treue Dienste in der Sanitätskolonne des Bayerischen Roten Kreuzes:

[HPL2008]

And here is its present-day equivalent, the Ehrenzeichen der BRK-Bereitschaften in Gold (see post # 2 for the bronze and silver grades), complete with the civilian-wear miniature and ribbon bar (but unfortunately not cased).

The reverse of the full-size award bears the maker's mark for Chr. Poellath of Schrobenhausen:

[HPL2008]

It came as part of an award grouping to a long-serving female BRK volunteer.

Also included in that lot was this Verdienstabzeichen der Frauenbereitschaften des Bayerischen Roten Kreuzes in Bronze [Badge of Merit of the Frauenbereitschaften of the Bavarian Red Cross in Bronze], also made by Poellath.

This decoration came in the customary three grades (bronze, silver and gold) and was awarded from 1978 to 1995:

[HPL2008]

As an afterthought, here is the whole grouping. From the institution dates/award periods of these awards and badges combinded with the levels of the long service awards, we can tell that the recipient joined the German Red Cross in the early-to-mid 1930s and was still a member in the mid-to-late 1990s:

[Gordon Craig]

Really nice to see the group together. My preferred way to by awards.

Regards,

Gordon

[HPL2008]

I have shown the Lifeguard Badges of the Wasserwacht on my DRK thread ( http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=996844&page=2 , posts 17 - 21 ), but here are some that are specific to the BRK.

From 1945 to 1956 the Bavarian state association of the DLRG [Deutsche Lebensrettungsgesellschaft, i.e. German Lifesaving Association] was incorporated into/subordinate to the BRK. The reason for this was a decree by the U.S. Military Government that placed the BRK in charge of all rescue services within Bavaria.

Thus, during this period, the Lifeguard Badges bore the DLRG eagle combined with the text "WASSERWACHT" / "BAYERISCHES ROTES KREUZ" (with an additional Red Cross emblem added in 1952), which is what we have here. These are the qualifiction badges for the Grundschein (basic-level certificate, bronze), Leistungsschein (advanced-level certificate or literally "achievement certificate", silver) and the Lehrschein (instructors' certificate).

Officially, only the highest level was to be worn, but the holder of these badges proudly made himself a three-place "clasp" with all three of them.

The Grundschein and Leistungsschein pins are the first model (1946 - 1951) without the additional Red Cross emblem, the Lehrschein pin the second model (1952 - 1956) with the Red Cross: