German Awards - Voluntary Social Security Cross during the war 1914-17

King Johann presented the first memorial crosses for nursing to the 1870/71 war on March 6, 1871. In this tradition, on March 1, 1912, King Frederick Augustus III established the Memorial Cross for voluntary nursing, which was awarded both in peacetime and later for these merits in the war. It was awarded for recognition of merit in the field of voluntary care for sick men, women and virgins. It was awarded with a certificate/certificate of ownership. The cross was not refundable.
On October 11, 1915, the order was renamed the Cross of Honor. The difference in awarding in peacetime is, on the one hand, a red enameled ring on the front medallion and a reverse side with a red enameled red cross on a white background. On the middle shields of the reverse for military merits, 2 versions of numbers are applied to 1914/1915 or 1914/1916. On March 31, 1916, the Cross of Honor was renamed the Cross of Honor for voluntary social care. Since mid-1916, crosses were minted from one piece, and the shields became flatter and the cross thinner. The year dates on the back are: 1914/1916, 1914/1917, and 1914/1918. Source: J. Nimmergut, Deutsche Orden und Ehrenzeichen until 1945, vol. III, 1999.

A gilt bronze cross with slightly figured cross sleeves. The cruciform shoulders are granular and limited along the edge by raised, polished edges. Front and back with round central screen (12 mm). Between the cruciform sleeves at a short distance is a wreath of bay leaves on the right and oak foliage on the left. (also vice versa) On the upper cruciform shoulder is a small decoration with a curly ear and a ribbon ring.

Front side:

• The round central shield is surrounded by a wide blue enameled hoop of 1.5 mm.
6
• gold stars are evenly distributed on it.
In
• a closed curly field of rough letters - FAR - there is a crown above it.

Downside:

• Round central shield surrounded by polished edge
In
• a closed marked field, polished annual figures - 1914-1917 -
• They are separated by a horizontal line.

Tape:

• white 35 mm wide, alternating 4 white and 3 green stripes of 5 mm.

.