Named Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 40 Years with Award Document & Case – Hermann Rieder, Tübingen 1938

Description

This named group combines a gold 40-year Faithful Service Decoration with its original Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde (award document) made out to Hermann Rieder, Wagenwerkmeister (carriage works foreman) of Tübingen. It is complete with the cornflower-blue ribbon and red presentation case. The document is dated Berlin, 14 May 1938, so the group ties the decoration to a named man, a trade, a town and an exact date.

What Does the Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde Say?

Im Namen des Deutschen Volkes verleihe ich dem Wagenwerkmeister Hermann Rieder in Tübingen als Anerkennung für 40jährige treue Dienste das goldene Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen.
Berlin, den 14. Mai 1938
Der Führer und Reichskanzler

In English: “In the name of the German people I award the carriage works foreman Hermann Rieder of Tübingen, in recognition of forty years of faithful service, the golden Faithful Service Decoration.” The signature beneath the title is printed, as on other documents of this type, and is not offered as an autograph. A large embossed state eagle appears at the foot of the sheet.

Who Was Hermann Rieder?

Hermann Rieder worked on the Deutsche Reichsbahn in Tübingen as a Wagenwerkmeister, a supervisory post in the maintenance of railway carriages. Forty years’ service in 1938 means his career began around 1898, under the German Empire, and continued through the First World War and the Weimar Republic.

His story continues in a second listing on this site: our Reichsbahn document lot (DOC202) contains the letters of 6 June 1938 from the Reich Transport Minister and from the President of the Reichsbahndirektion Stuttgart congratulating Rieder on this very award, his retirement certificate of October 1938 and a Reichsbund der Deutschen Beamten certificate for his 40-year jubilee. Together, the two listings document one railwayman’s career from the award to his retirement.

What Does the Group Include?

• The decoration: gold-coloured Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen, 1st Class for 40 years, with oak wreath and black enamel centre.
• The ribbon: cornflower-blue ribbon on its ring.
• The case: red presentation case with fitted burgundy interior and pale lid lining.
• The Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde: named award document of 14 May 1938.

Collector’s Note

Named long-service groups are far more interesting than loose decorations, because the document turns an anonymous cross into part of someone’s life. As with any group, a document cannot prove that a specific cross is the one originally presented, so I describe them as offered together. What makes this Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde stand out is that further original papers for the same recipient survive in DOC202. For an unnamed cased example, see our Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen 40 years (INS104), and for background, my guide to WWII German medals.

Condition

• Document with natural toning, folds and minor marks; text clear.
• Decoration with strong gold-coloured finish and intact enamel.
• Ribbon bright.
• Case with normal age wear, including wear to the lid lining at the hinge.

Please study the photograph of this Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde group carefully, as it forms an essential part of this condition description. Sold exactly as shown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who received this award?

Hermann Rieder, Wagenwerkmeister in Tübingen, on 14 May 1938.

Is the signature on the document original?

No. It is printed, and is not offered as an autograph.

Are other documents for Hermann Rieder available?

Yes. His 1938 award letters and retirement certificate are offered separately in DOC202.

Historical Responsibility Notice

This Treudienst-Ehrenzeichen Urkunde group is offered as a historical artefact for collecting, preservation, education and research. The swastika on the decoration and the state emblem on the document are an original part of the objects. Autographs & Militaria does not endorse or glorify National Socialist ideology. For our approach to this material, see collecting Third Reich material responsibly.

References & Further Reading

• Original award document and decoration, as transcribed above.
• Autographs & Militaria, Reichsbahn document lot (DOC202), with further documents for Hermann Rieder.
• Haller ZeitRäume, Halle (Westfalen), via museum-digital, Treuedienst-Ehrenzeichen und 2 Mutterkreuze (inv. 2011/013/001).