German Awards - Prussian Red Cross Land Union Badge of Honour 40 years

The Prussian Red Cross Land Union Merit Crosses were established in 1920. The land club granted crosses for 10 years, in silver, for 25 years, with white enameled cross sleeves, for 40 years, enameled and gilded. These crosses have a corresponding year on the laurel wreath. General merit crosses were also awarded in 3 degrees or classes. They are the same in design, but without specifying a year. In comparison, they are much less common. This cross was awarded for 40 well-deserved years of service to the Red Cross.
The Prussian National Union of the Red Cross dates back to 1864. On February 8, 1864, the Red Cross was founded in Prussia. A little later, in November 1866, Queen Augusta founded the Domestic Women's Union of the Red Cross in Prussia, then still separate. On April 20, 1869, 12 previously existing Red Cross land societies created the "Central Committee of German Societies for the Care of Wounded and Sick Soldiers." Since December 13, 1879 it has been called the "Central Committee of German Red Cross Clubs." On October 6, 1898, the Imperial Conference of 26 land unions was held in Stuttgart. At this conference, it was decided that all land associations would bear the single name "Red Cross Land Union." Until the end of World War I, the merits in the National Union of the Red Cross were awarded the awards of the corresponding sovereign. In Prussia, in particular, Red Cross medals from 1st to 3rd grade. After the war and the abdication of princes and kings, all Red Cross land unions and (domestic) land women's unions merged on 25 January 1921 to form the German Red Cross, headquartered in Berlin. By this time, the creation of new honorary signs of land unions should be timed. Crosses of different national clubs differ in the inscription in the medallion ring. The shape is often the same. Design deviations are more or less large depending on the land association and the manufacturer.

Gold plated, slightly curved copper alloy male cross with figured cross sleeves. The cruciform arms are enameled in white and sheathed in gold. On the front side of the patch is a round central shield. The back side is smooth and gilded with a perpendicular pin with a mating hook.

Front side:

• White enameled central shield with red Geneva cross.
• Surrounded by a black enamel ring with gold font - PREUSSIAN - LANDESVEREIN - FROM - RED - CROSS -
• A two-piece gilded laurel wreath superimposed on the cross hands, crossed at the bottom with an integrated number - 40 -.

Downside:

• Smooth, gilded, on the lower cruciform shoulder - GODET - BERLIN -.
• Vertical pin with mating hook.
In the
• center, the award number deepens - 53 -.

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