Badge "In Service Of The Nation".

[deValcourt]

This is an odd bird to me. It is basically a medal version of the X-year service badge in post #1. After Hitler was out of Poland the "Ministry of Public Security (Ministerstwo Bezpieczenstwa Publizcnego - MBP)" was formed. The "Administrative Department of Security" (Urzad Bezpieczenstwa - UB (there is an accent over the 'n' that if forgotten changes the meaning to 'food safety')) "was a part of the structure of the new ministry, dealing with both intelligence and counterespionage activities." This later became the SB - Sluzba Bezpieczenstwa or "Security Service." In 1954 the Soviets help create the "Committee for Public Security" (Komitet do Spraw Bezpiecztnstwa Publicznego) based on the newly-formed KGB model, but it only lasted two years before corruption caused it to be scrapped. The MSW - Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnetrznych (the letters on the medal reverse) - "Ministry of the Interior" was then created which headed all of the security organs until the end of the Communist regime.

This name change game was similar to that played in many Soviet satellite countries as well as the USSR. But the question I have is this: was the medal a different "class" than the badge or was it like the Romanian model where each new version of the government also heralded a new type of award?

Even if no one knows, it's still an interesting medal to me - especially since there is no devise to suspend the medal - only the ribbon which has a hole punched through and indentations indicating some sort of pin-through mechanism was used. If anyone knows how these medals were worn or has photos of anyone wearing one, please let me know.

Oh, and Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa means "People's Republic of Poland." :)

Phillip

[CtahhR]

Here is the Gold Badge for 30 years service.

[CtahhR]

Silver Badge for 20 years service.

[CtahhR]

Bronze Badge for 10 years service.