Germany - Weimar Republic / Third Reich: A scarce Reichsbund Deutscher Wachdienst (RDW) Private Guard and Security Organisation (sometimes referred to as the Night Watchman’s Guild) Belt Buckle complete with its leather belt. This buckle, produced from pressed brass, probably dates from the 1930s, and it has the pre-1945 form of the Haus Dicke makers logo with the ‘CTD’ letters within and elongated ‘D’, this being for Christian Theodor Dicke of Lüdenscheid. the makers details are slightly faint. The leather belt has its manufacturers mark for ‘C ZEISS’ stamped onto the inner belt, and the wearers surname also appears to be inscribed in ink on the inside belt, reading: ‘Büdiel’. This is a relatively scarce belt buckle.
Condition: light evidence of wear, overall Very Fine.
The surname of the owner is Büdiel, this being a variant of the more commonly seen surname of Budel or Büdel, which has deep roots in Central Europe, particularly Germany, Belgium, and surrounding Slavic regions. The roots of the name are linked to early agrarian professions (such as a beadle, land manager, or community overseer.
The Reichsbund Deutscher Wachdienst (RDW) was a private guard and security organisation during the Nazi era and the Weimar Republic. It was a private or semi-public security company that operated in the 1920s and 1930s. During the turbulent times of the Weimar Republic, such organisations often served to protect properties, guard industrial facilities, or act as paramilitary auxiliaries.
In the wake of the Nazi Party's rise to power, many of these private and paramilitary organisations were either dissolved, integrated into state structures (such as the police or SS), or placed under the control of the Nazi regime. The RDW was one of the organisations that assumed security and surveillance responsibilities within this framework.
