Augusta Fund

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The Augusta Fund was a fund administered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from 1890 to 2015 in memory of the German Empress and Queen of Prussia , Augusta von Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach , and her support for the Red Cross .

Relations with the Red Cross

Empress Augusta

In the last weeks of 1862 Augusta had learned of the book Henry Dunant's Un souvenir de Solferino (" A Memory of Solferino "), read it himself, suggested it to her husband Wilhelm I and the Crown Prince Friedrich-Wilhelm to read. The suggestions made in the book for the establishment of voluntary aid societies were immediately accepted by them. On the occasion of the victory celebrations for the Battle of Königgrätz in 1866, Augusta received Henry Dunant personally and told him about her work in caring for the wounded. Dunant later reports on the encounter in his Mémoires ; he felt his acceptance at court with satisfaction and pride. In November 1866 Augusta was instrumental in founding the Fatherland Women's Association .

In 1869, accompanied by her daughter Luise and her son Friedrich, she attended the II. International Red Cross Conference in Berlin a . a. participated in plenary sessions.

On the occasion of the World Exhibition in Vienna in 1873 , Augusta donated two further prizes; one for the best thesis on war surgery (winner: Dr. Friedrich Esmarch ; Handbuch der war-surgical technique ) and a study on the first Geneva Convention (winner: Karl Lueder ; The Geneva Convention: Historically and critically-dogmatically with suggestions for its improvement, below Presentation and examination of the experience gained with it and processed using the official, partly unprinted sources ).

Augusta donated the ICRC in 1884, on the occasion of the III. International Red Cross Conference in Geneva , a further sum of 5 million francs . The committee decided to use the money as prize money for a competition that honored the best proposals for mobile ambulance facilities.

Jean Henri Dunant

Augusta donated three gold and silver medals each with her portrait as well as the sum of 6,000 marks in 1887 on the occasion of the IV International Red Cross Conference in Karlsruhe to promote Red Cross interests on an international level, especially with regard to creation of regulations for the care of the wounded. This sum was also used for a competition relating to mobile ambulance facilities. Augusta was present at the third session of the conference, during a visit by her daughter and son-in-law Friedrich I in Karlsruhe.

A financial support from Dunant, who got into financial difficulties, obviously did not materialize. The proposed money of 40,000 francs was probably collected by the ICRC.

Shortly before her death (January 7, 1890), she wrote to the Central Committee of the German Red Cross Associations on January 2, 1890 how much she appreciated the work of the Red Cross in recent years. The ICRC and the Central Committee paid tribute to their work for the Red Cross in two extensive obituaries.

Augusta's daughter Luise also had broad and extensive relationships with the Red Cross.

The Augusta Fund

Following the news of Augusta's death, Professor Longmore (British Red Cross) proposed that the Augusta Fund be set up in memory of the Empress's special role in promoting the work of the Red Cross. The ICRC took up this idea and informed the National Societies in January 1890 that such a fund had now been set up, the necessary regulations had been passed and asked for contributions from the National Societies. The award ceremony should take place on January 7th, the anniversary of the Empress's death. On January 7, 1891, the fund's capital was already 41,000 Swiss francs.

The Red Cross conferences of 1892 ( Rome ) and 1897 (Vienna) decided that the fund should be declared inalienable until a total of 100,000 Swiss francs was reached.

The payments were made over three periods: 1903–1912, 1928–1938 and 1948–1968. The proceeds of the interest were distributed to National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in order to be able to finance their most urgent programs. The first beneficiary company was the Danish Red Cross in 1904 (CHF 3,385.60); she used the money to build a model hospital. In the following years the National Red Cross Societies of Germany (1905), Switzerland (1906; 3,400 francs) and the Netherlands (1906; 3,385.10 francs) received funds.

The London Red Cross Conference (1907) decided that the proceeds should be distributed every three years from now on.

The first distributions from this fund led to a number of other fund set-ups at the ICRC; The Marie Feodorowna Fund was established in 1907, the Florence Nightingale Medal Fund and the Empress Shôken Fund in 1912 .

As a result of the First World War , the sum of the deposits was reduced by two thirds of the former value. The committee made every effort to remedy this problem immediately and campaigned to this end. At the 10th International Red Cross Conference in 1921 (Geneva), it received approval for the implementation of a plan to restore the inalienable capital of 100,000 Swiss francs. However, the conference decided to limit the award to a five-year cycle.

On the XIII. At the conference (1928, The Hague ), the committee was able to announce with particular satisfaction that the improvement in the fund's situation will make it possible from now on to distribute it every four years. In 1930 six national societies, in 1934 twice as many, received money from the fund.

The outbreak of World War II interrupted the distribution again. It was not until 1948 that subsidies could be granted to 13 national societies again. When a distribution was made in 1956, eleven national companies received grants of 34,000 Swiss francs.

In 1969 the XXI. Red Cross Conference ( Istanbul ) that until further notice the fund's income will be allocated to the Florence Nightingale Medal Fund, as the income from the Augusta Fund was insufficient to meet the requirements and the Nightingale Fund had a significant deficit exhibited. As of December 31, 1969, the capital of the Fund was 134,959.65 Swiss Francs; As of December 31, 1973, 103,926.50 Swiss francs.

After 150 years of existence of the fund, the XXXII. International Red Cross Conference in 2015 (Geneva) to dissolve the fund and transfer the assets to the Florence Nightingale Medal Fund.

literature

  • Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund 1890-1960. In: International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 1, No. 6 (September 1961), pages 304-319.
  • Kurt Gihring: A new light. Grand Duchess Luise and the Red Cross. Burda, Offenburg 1963.
  • Henry Dunant: Memoires. Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1971.
  • Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross. From Solferino to Tsushima. Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985.
  • Dieter Riesenberger: The German Red Cross. A story 1864–1990. Schöningh, Paderborn 2002.
  • Dieter Riesenberger / Gisela Riesenberger: Red Cross and White Flag. Henry Dunant (1828-1910). The person behind his work. Donat, Bremen 2011.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dieter and Gisela Riesenberger: Red Cross and White Flag . Donat Verlag 2011. page 100
  2. ^ Henry Dunant: Mémoires . Henry Dunant Institute 1971, page 195 ff.
  3. ↑ R. Sydow: Negotiations of the international conference of representatives of the governments that have joined the Geneva Convention and the associations and cooperatives for the care of wounded and sick warriors in the field, held in Berlin 22-27. April 1869 . Berlin, page XII
  4. ^ Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima . Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985, p. 276
  5. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960. In: International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 313 f.
  6. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 314
  7. ↑ See the explanations in Henry Dunant
  8. ↑ Dieter and Gisela Riesenberger: Red Cross and White Flag . Donat Verlag 2011. Pages 124, 191
  9. ↑ Bulletin International des Societes de la Croix-Rouge, Volume 21, Edition 82, April 1890, page 39 ff.
  10. ↑ Bulletin International des Societes de la Croix-Rouge, Volume 21, Issue 81, January 1890, Pages 4–6 and 42–47
  11. ↑ See Kurt Gihring: A New Light: Grand Duchess Luise and the Red Cross . Burda Printing and Publishing 1963
  12. ↑ Bulletin International des Societes de la Croix-Rouge, Volume 21, Edition 82, April 1890, page 33 ff.
  13. ^ Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima . Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985, p. 348
  14. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 318
  15. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 318
  16. ^ Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima . Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985, p. 348
  17. ^ Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima . Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985, page 348 f.
  18. ^ Pierre Boissier: History of the International Committee of the Red Cross: From Solferino to Tsushima . Henry Dunant Institute, Geneva 1985, p. 349
  19. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 318
  20. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 318 f.
  21. ↑ Marthe Inconomow: The Augusta Fund: 1890-1960 . In: International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 1, No. 6, September 1961. Page 319
  22. ↑ International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 9, No. 104, November 1969, p. 610
  23. ↑ International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 10, No. 115, October 1970, page 586
  24. ↑ International Review of the Red Cross, Volume 40, No. 162, September 1974. Page 490
  25. ^ Resolution 9 of the XXXII. International Red Cross Conference (32IC / 15 / R9) ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / rcrcconference.org