I wanted to hold on to the few memories I had of my grandfather.
There is not a great deal I can tell, because my grandfather belonged to a generation that kept things close to the chest. When I was around seventeen, I wrote a school presentation about him. In researching it, I discovered that during the Second World War he had served in a flight squadron in France. At heart, though, he was a pacifist who only wanted to come home. He fled and found shelter with a baker who passed him off as his own son. He was able to work there until the day an inspection came. My grandfather was so nervous that, reaching for the baker's son's identity papers, he accidentally pulled out his own as well. He was caught and taken into custody. I no longer remember exactly how he managed to escape. But at the German border he had to bribe the soldiers, and the only thing he still had was his father's pocket watch. They let him through, and the war eventually ended.
After the war he worked at the Bezirksamt Wedding as a guardian, responsible among others for my father, who was then still a minor, long before he ever met my grandmother. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to those in his care and was always concerned for their wellbeing. He was a lifelong member of the SPD and a respected figure within the party.
He was also a member of the local shooting club and a multiple shooting champion. To keep up the sport, he even had his eyes laser-corrected at the age of eighty-five.
At last I found a way to make that memory tangible again.
The palm stone is truly beautiful to look at, and since my grandmother's death two years ago the cross had been standing on a shelf in its display box, gathering dust. I had lost any real connection to it. Once it was set into the Handschmeichler it had an entirely new presence. It commands attention, and I never need to worry that the ribbon will fray further, or that it might be damaged if it falls. The cross has taken on a completely new meaning for me.
With the family's consent, I contacted the Bundespräsidialamt, because my grandfather's granddaughter no longer knew exactly what the order had been awarded for. Receiving the Federal Cross of Merit is something genuinely exceptional. The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, commonly known as the Bundesverdienstkreuz, is the country's only general service decoration, awarded for outstanding achievements in politics, economics, culture, the arts, or voluntary work. Our curiosity was thoroughly sparked, and the act of incorporating the Federal Cross of Merit into a Handschmeichler felt like a great privilege. After several exchanges of correspondence we were delighted to receive the original nomination document setting out the reasons for the award.
This special memorial piece was created in collaboration with
ESF Bestattungen und Trauerhilfe GmbH
Marzahner Promenade 43
12679 Berlin
Thank you for your trust, and for such a meaningful idea. It was an honour for us.