Greg Collins

My best guess, based on the fact that there is no number listed, the image on the cover of the document and that the term "honorary chekist" is used in the description on the document is that this document accompanied the badge listed as D 05 in Dr. Battushig's book. No number, brass and enamels and late seal.

I have an idea, but I'd like to see the outside cover of the document first.

Damn, near perfect enamel (very rare, indeed) and the almost unheard of document! A great find! And I feel very confident in saying that this is an example of where the document is more valuable than the badge itself. Outrageous!:jumping:

And the back...

Here's mine- no document nor case, but a pretty good example. Most of the enamel is in good shape.

Nice flag! Damn, I'd like to have one...:cheers:

Details of both the front and back...

Nearly forgot one of the most important aspects of this part of the collection- the medal. The "Struggle against Fire" (or guarding against fire) Medal (Medalia "Pentru paza contra incendiilor") was first first issued in 1955. It is the only medal purely for Firefighters. There are two versions- an RPR (1955-1965) and an RSR (1965-1989). As you can see, this is the RSR version. The only difference between the two are the initials of the State.

Finally, several shoulderboards. The ranks are, from left to right, Sergent Major (Staff Sergeant), Plutonier (Sergeant First Class), Maior (Major) and Colonel (same). Note that the Pompieri emblem on the boards (epoleti) are two-toned (gold and silver) for the enlisted (or "other") ranks and gold for officers. They are in the distinct colours for Pompieri- maroon trimmed in black.

Here is an RSR (1965-1989) badge for "Leader in Guarding Against Fire"- an outstanding Firefighter. Standard pin back, bronze with enamel. Note the lack of State seal... while the RPR version of the same award did have the "red star with blue dot and RPR on it" at the top, the RSR version, as seen here, had no such designation. This pin dates from the '70's/'80's.

Also included here with the badge is a very small image (only one I could find) of Lt. Col. (later Col.) Marian Stan of the Bucharest Fire Brigade. You can just see the badge above his right pocket. This badge is quite rare (perhaps because of the late date of issue)- I have only seen it as you see it here... in my collection and in the photo. Also, I have no idea why it was awarded- maybe as a command designation for higher ranks?

Romania's Fire Brigade was part of the military from it's inception (1842) until 2005. It was an integral part of the Internal Ministry during the Communist period (1947-1989), as was the Militia (Police), Security Troops and the Securitate. The members were known, both individually and collectively, as "Pompieri". The following are a few items in my collection.

First, the Fire Brigade badge- very similar to the Military Academy badge both in size and design, although it has a standard pin back rather than a full-closure pin back. The central emblem shows a Firefighter subduing a Turkish soldier... on 13 September 1848, the Fire Brigade in Bucharest was mobilized, in it's military role, to repel invading Turks- this also accounts for the dates on the badge... also the badge was issued in 1988; close to the end of the regime. Note the Fire Brigade emblem at the bottom- this will be repeated on the shoulderboards. I would like to thank Kevin Ryan (Kev in Deva) for helping me procure many of these items and also for his great photos of those items.

Hmmmm... probably why we don't see either "MMD" or "LMD" on the back. As the date is 1957, Hungary would have celebrated the event as well.

Absolutely correct! It is the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution! Math was never my strong suite... mea maxima culpa!:speechless:

The seal... near perfect registration of the silk screened image indicates this was probably a "one-off" piece and not mass produced. You can see the sun rays through the star better in this image.

This next flag is the only RPR flag I've seen to date. Country of origin is in doubt as it was salvaged from the flag locker of an English merchant ship that was decommissioned and, as such, is fitted for naval use. The flag is quite large, about 3 feet by 4 1/2 feet, and made of a material no longer used- wool bunting. The seal was silk screened on a separate, oval shaped piece and sewn-in. It is "right-reading" on one side, with the back being a mirror image. Note that the star is screened over the sun rays... this star may have been added at a later date since the original seal did not have a star.

One of my cats, Pumpkin, wandered into the shot, facinated by the lanyard.

The final version of the State seal, silk screened and typically "out of register" for a mass-produced item.

Managed to find a couple of intact Romanian flags from the Communist period that I thought I'd post. The first is from the RSR period and shows the final version of the State seal. A small flag, probably 1 1/2 to 2 feet horizontally, made of synthetic silk with fringe. As it is two-ply, the seal is correct reading on both sides. The construction of the flag indicates it was meant for indoor use.

Kevin,

It's a pin to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. You don't see many of these around- most available pins for that event are of the bronze and enamel type. This is a definite "keeper".

NVA Brotherhood in Arms, 2nd Class (silver)- Front Rimless.

Gorgeous collection of RPR Musical Talent Competition pins- this is one of, in my opinion, the best designed pins of the period. I believe these were given for competition to members of the regular Armed Forces (Armata); the Internal Ministry units (Militia and Security Troops) had the same type of competition but were awarded different pins which bore either MI or MAI on them. I have a couple that I will post when the opportunity arrises.

The Danube River Bridge 1954 badge is, quite possibly, the only badge that was made for Romanian wear that has Cyrillic script on it- I haven't seen another. The right side of the badge, translated to Latin script, would read "Dyunav Most"- Danube Bridge. Beautiful badge.

I really like the way the enameling is handled in the 1950 Military Skiing Championship badge. The shading and modeling on the face and uniform had to be done by hand prior to firing- time consuming and not done anymore. Gives the badge the same look of a lot of the posters and illustrations of the '40's and '50's. Has a nice "painterly" feel to it.

The badges with the prominent red star motifs are so Romanian. I believe Romania was the only country to use the distinctive "strawberry" pattern on the star. Really says Romania to me.

The Sport Instructor badge incorporates another frequently used Romanian motif... converging lines indicating the sunrays. This badge, along with it's wreathes and banner placement, has a similarity to the Military Academy badge.

These are all really beautiful examples of RPR insignia.

Great stuff, Kevin, and yes, I have the "Friends of the Security Troops" pin. I also have a later version of the "FRUNTAS IN PAZA CONTRA INCENDIILOR" pin which I'm attaching to this post ('70's model, I suspect). With few exceptions, I prefer the RPR pins over the RSR... they seem to have more "soul".

I believe this should go in the "Wanted Items" section- and, good luck, these are pretty hard to come by.

A detail of the name on the badge...