Black and yellow cross
The Black and Yellow Cross was a war welfare organization in Austria .
On August 31, 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War , Anka Bienerth, the wife of the then governor of Lower Austria Richard von Bienerth-Schmerling , founded an aid organization for Austrian war invalids and their families.
Basic idea
The financial means to support the needy should come from the sale of a small black and yellow cross in the form of a badge , which was primarily offered to the citizens of Vienna for sale. This form of collection was inspired by the journalist and war reporter Alice Schalk , who, together with the Austrian journalist Siegfried Löwy, managed the distribution of these badges.
criticism
On closer inspection, however, it became clear that this form of willingness to help was intended less for the war invalids, whose widows and orphans themselves served, than for perseverance until the end of the war, in which Austria was to emerge victorious. This was shown, among other things, by the fact that disabled officers and their families received far more support from the fund than ordinary soldiers or their families.
Further course
When the organization existed for a year, the founder published an appeal in the Austrian daily newspaper Neue Freie Presse , advertising in an appeal disguised as a thank you to continue to acquire the badge and thus to maintain financial support for the needy .
Individual evidence
- ^ Eberhard Sauermann: Literary War Welfare - Austrian Poets and Publicists in the First World War . Böhlau , Vienna 2000, ISBN 978-3-205-99210-3 , p. 293 .
- ↑ a b The black and yellow cross - newspaper clippings collection World War I - wienbibliothek. In: digital.wienbibliothek.at. Retrieved January 30, 2015 .
- ↑ Agnes Pistorius: "colossally mounted". A lexicon on Karl Kraus "The last days of mankind". Ibera Verlag, Vienna 2011
- ↑ Sightings online - Reviews - Innerhofer: Rez. Sauermann: Literary War Relief. In: onb.ac.at. Retrieved January 30, 2015 .