Germany – Imperial and Third Reich, Austria and Hungary: A good mounted group of 5 medals comprising: Germany – Imperial: Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class; Honour Cross 1914-1918 with swords for combatants; Germany - Third Reich: Police Long Service Award in Gold for 25 Years Service, complete with original ribbon and embroidered device; Austria - Republic: Great War Commemorative Medal 1914-1918, on original trifold ribbon; Hungary: Commemorative Medal for Combatants 1914-1918.
Mounted group of 5 medals comprising: Germany – Imperial: Iron Cross 1914 2nd Class; Honour Cross 1914-1918 with swords for combatants; Germany - Third Reich: Police Long Service Award in Gold for 25 Years Service, complete with original ribbon and embroidered device; Austria - Republic: Great War Commemorative Medal 1914-1918, on original trifold ribbon; Hungary: Commemorative Medal for Combatants 1914-1918.
Condition: Good Very Fine.
On 30 January 1938, Adolf Hitler ordered the institution of an award for members of the police force who met qualifications based on length of service. The award was given in three grades to men who had served for eight, eighteen, and twenty-five years. The design of all three medals had the police insignia, which consisted of a national eagle emblem surrounded by a wreath, on the obverse side. All three awards were emblazoned with the inscription Für treue Dienste in der Polizei ( For faithful service in the Police ) on the reverse. On 12 August 1944, a higher grade was authorized for 40 years of service. It was to be in the form of a gold metal bar with the number 40 with oak leaves, to be affixed onto the ribbon of twenty-five years award. There is no record of it being awarded prior to the end of World War II in Europe.
To qualify for the medal, a person had to be an active member of the police or an administrator in the police service. Military service time could also be applied to the total time of service needed for the award. It was not until 1932 that Austria awarded a medal to her participants in the Great War. The delay may be ascribed to the great loss of territory and population that Austria suffered as a result of the Treaty of Saint-Germain, a small republic emerging from a great empire. The year 1932 saw the suppression of a Socialist uprising in Vienna and the emergence of an authoritarian right-wing government. The timing of the issue of the medal, and the design of the face, may be seen as significant in this context. The Medal was designed by Edwin Grienauer (1893-1964), a prolific and important Viennese designer of coins and medals
The medal was instituted on 14 November 1929 to acknowledge those who had participated in World War I. There were two versions, one for combatants and one for non-combatants. The two were essentially the same in design but that for combatants had crossed swords on the face and a helmet on the reverse.
