From the archives: mystery photos

     This is my grandfather (Otto) in his "Samaritan" uniform c. 1933, or so my father tells me. I did a little research. It is possible that this is the same organization as the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, which came to an end in 1933. At that time, the German Red Cross was taken over by the Nazis and the ASB (?) was either brought into the GRC or was outlawed. Not sure.

     The current ASB desribes itself thus:

   "Our mission is to help" – this is the guiding theme of the Workers' Samaritan Federation Germany that was founded by six carpenters in Berlin in 1888. Together with a group of dedicated physicians they organized first-aid courses for the workers in shops and factories to enable them to help themselves and others in emergency situations. Meanwhile the ASB has turned into an aid and welfare organization comprising 16 subnational and 259 regional branches active throughout Germany. The ASB has no political or religious affiliation and receives financial support from more than 1.1 million members. The ASB's tasks extend from rescue services to a host of social services and foreign aid.

     No mention of 1933.

     Back to my grandfather. The story is that Opa was not pleased with the new administration (at the increasingly Nazified German Red Cross, which absorbed the ASB) and how it ran things. The Nazis really messed things up.

     It appears that both the German Red Cross and the ASB are flourishing again today, though, after the war, the German Red Cross was in some sense illegal in Germany as were all "Nazi" organizations. That situation was overcome by 1952 and, today, Germany's Red Cross is the third biggest in the world.

This is one of the "mystery" photos that were found among Opa's things. The clothing suggests that this scene is very old—perhaps just after the Great War. Possibly before.

Another mystery photo—and most of the people here seem also to be in the previous picture. This one is dated July 20, 1919. These people were participating in a celebration of a large pine tree in the city of Kälberbronn, not far from Böblingen. Germans do that sort of thing. My dad tried to explain it, but the experience was like listening to Gracie Allen.

Another mystery photo (possibly from 1928). Check out the lederhosen. I think that my grandmother, Louise, is the second woman from left. Not sure. It looks to me like her younger sister, Frida, is standing to her right, our left.
These dang Germans seem always to be in the forest, playing music, cavorting.
I don't think the sun ever shines there, though. It's not for me.