MEDALS, BADGES AND SIGNS OF FIRE BRIGADES AWARDED IN THE YEARS 1896–1939

Abstract

DOI: 10.19251/rtnp/2020.12(21)

In the time preceding the partitions of Poland, the basic foundations were laid out for the formal organizations of units that were fighting with fires and other natural disasters. From 1772 to 1918, regional fire brigade associations were operating in the occupied territories, gathering more and more fire brigades (in the Russian partition - fire brigades). And although their activities were subject to the control of the partitioning powers, they were the mainstay of Polishness until Poland regained independence. Despite the difficulties and repressions related to the national liberation activities of fire brigades and regional associations, they gathered more and more fire brigades. Thanks to the efforts of the unions, the guards and their individual members were awarded corporate medals, decorations, and badges. First form of the rewards were badges sticked on the uniform, primarily used in the Austrian partition and after several years also in the Russian one. There were no such gratuities in the Prussian partition though. The regaining of independence by Poland in 1918 was a strong impulse to undertake efforts to unite the firefighting movement, which had so far been broken up into district unions. The General Council of the Main Fire Brigade Association of the Republic of Poland has been established and adopted on December 9, 1922 the regulations of uniform awards for all members of fire brigades in Poland. Since then, district unions gathered in the new organization have ceased to award their own distinctions established in previous years. The below case study presents and illustrates all the crosses, medals and badges that functioned from 1896 to 1939, as well as the badges of firefighters operating in that period. On the one hand, the number of given awards had been admirable, and on the other hand, it was often the only form of rewarding firefighters that participated in the fight against the element and for long-term humanitarian duty. Due to this reason, the pre-World War I and inter-war phaleristics have permanently entered the history of not only Polish honorable mentions, but also the history of Polish firefighting. The decorations, badges and distinctions quoted in the material do not fully exhaust the topic. For this reason and from the point of historical research, the issue of numerous corporate decorations and unique commemorative badges related to the jubilees of individual fire brigades makes it so interesting. Therefore, this topic undoubtedly should be the subject of further research.