Medal, Commemorative

Object number2015.42.27 a-c

Manufacturer Paul Meybauer Medal Factory

Date1938-1941

OriginBerlin, Germany

MediumMetal/Fabric/Paper/Ink/Velvet

Credit LineGift of Susan Muir

DescriptionGerman civilian service medal with original box lid and box bottom. Top section is royal blue fabric ribbon with pinback sewn on back at top. Suspended from the bottom of the ribbon is a silver-tone ring with medal. Medal is in the shape of a patee cross over a wreath. At the center of the cross on the front is a black enameled swastika and on back is raised German text. Red paperboard box lined with red velvet has silver numeral at center with sunburst embellishment around the numeral.Dimensions(a) Height 3.563, Width 1.625, Depth 0.375;
(b) Height 4.125, Width 2, Depth 0.375;
(c) Height 3.938, Width 1.813, Depth 0.438.
Inscriptions(a)
On back at center of cross is raised German text "Fur / treue / Dienfte".
Translation:
"Fur treue Dienfte" = For Faithful Service.

(b)
Silver embellishment on front at center with text "25".
Marks(b)
Rectangular paper label adhered inside with black German text "Paul Meybauer / Ordenfabrik / Berlin SW 68"
Translation:
"Paul Meybauer / Ordenfabrik" = Paul Meybauer Medal Factory.
Historical NotesGerman Civil Service Faithful Service Medal or 25-Year Faithful Service Decoration. Part of a collection of WWII-related artifacts from the military service of Gabe Torisky of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who served with the 99th “Checkerboard” Infantry Division during the Ardennes campaign in Belgium. Martin Gabriel "Gabe" Torisky was of Slovak ancestry and was born on November 11, 1911, in Uniontown, PA. He moved to Pittsburgh in the 1920s and was drafted and sent to 99th Division during World War II. The 99th Division is especially important in relation to Pittsburgh, as the Division was originally headquartered in the city in 1942, and the unit insignia, a black shield with a checkerboard band of nine alternating white and blue squares (for “99”) was derived from the coat of arms for William Pitt and thus, also the city seal of Pittsburgh, on which the checkerboard also appears. Donor Susan Muir is Gabe Torisky's daughter.

Previous owner Martin Gabriel Torisky (born 1911)

Related institution 99th Infantry Division

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