Hungary Munkasor Dress Tunic

[Gordon Craig]

Last week I was lucky enough to come across a dress tunic to the Munkasor. The tunic belongs to a fairly high ranking member. The term "rank" does not really apply to the Munkasor structure. The collar tabs don't indicate rank in a military sense of the word. They indicate assignment positions. There are two distinct assignment structures that I still need to do some work on before I fully understand them. There is an assignment structure for what appears to be a Headquarters Group and another assignment structure for those in the field or the rest of the country. Without an organization chart to go by I can not be sure just how this all comes together.

The collar tabs on this tunic indicate the previous owner was in a group called "MOP TORZS" in the assignement Group not at a headquarters. Assignment positions range from T1 down to T12 with this collar tab indicating a level of T3.

The Munkasor badge is of the early stamped type and numbered. Next to that is a Kivalo Munkasor badge. The ribbon bars is for, from the viewers left to right reads:

Labour Merit Medal, Merit Medal for Socialist Labour, then a 20 year service medal.

The crest on the lower left sleeve indicates the wearer was associated with the Munkasor National Men's Chorus. The shirt and tie are not authentic but are the correct colur for this uniform.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Back of the Munkasor badge showing the number.

[Gordon Craig]

The two different Munkasor badges. Early one is the dark coloured one.

[Gordon Craig]

The sleeve crest.

[Ulsterman]

Nice tunic! This is the'workers' guard' right? Control held by the party?

The kivolo badge, some dealers state that this was awarded for 5 years service. Do you now if that is true, a generalization and/or was it awarded for merit as well?

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Yes this is the tunic for the Workers Militia. I suspect, as with similar organizations in other Communist controlled states, that this type of tunic was only worn by full time functionaries in the Militia. Control was held by the party and they were a large armed force. How effective they would have been is another question. You rarely see these tunics in pictures. Normally just the workers type dress with the short jacket. The Kivalo badge was not awarded for 5 years service. There was another star shaped badge for that purpose. I think I've posted it somewhere else on the forum. If I have time before we leave for Prague tomorrow I'll try and post a picture of the one in my collection. In the meantime here is one in wear from a file picture.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Here is the 5 year "itch" pin. This was a system instiuted before they started handing out the Munkasor Medal - but it seems that later this became more of a "good work" medal as they later qualified for the Armed Forces Service Medals soon after that. Here is a cased one that I used to own and now resides with a fellow collector.

[Hauptmann]

Here is the 5 year "itch" pin. This was a system instiuted before they started handing out the Munkasor Medal - but it seems that later this became more of a "good work" medal as they later qualified for the Armed Forces Service Medals soon after that. Here is a cased one that I used to own and now resides with a fellow collector.

Hi Charles,

She's safe and sound and says to say hi to her daddy! She appreciates getting the extra press too!

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Last week I was lucky enough to come across a dress tunic to the Munkasor. The tunic belongs to a fairly high ranking member. The term "rank" does not really apply to the Munkasor structure. The collar tabs don't indicate rank in a military sense of the word. They indicate assignment positions. There are two distinct assignment structures that I still need to do some work on before I fully understand them. There is an assignment structure for what appears to be a Headquarters Group and another assignment structure for those in the field or the rest of the country. Without an organization chart to go by I can not be sure just how this all comes together.

The collar tabs on this tunic indicate the previous owner was in a group called "MOP TORZS" in the assignement Group not at a headquarters. Assignment positions range from T1 down to T12 with this collar tab indicating a level of T3.

The Munkasor badge is of the early stamped type and numbered. Next to that is a Kivalo Munkasor badge. The ribbon bars is for, from the viewers left to right reads:

Labour Merit Medal, Merit Medal for Socialist Labour, then a 20 year service medal.

The crest on the lower left sleeve indicates the wearer was associated with the Munkasor National Men's Chorus. The shirt and tie are not authentic but are the correct colur for this uniform.

Regards,

Gordon

Hi Gordon,

That's a beautiful tunic!!!! Great display! Just out of curiosity, are these like exceptionally rare? Would love to have one eventually but want to know if it's within the ability of mere mortals to obtain or just something that comes up once in a blue moon.

Mucho thanks and may you and Charles continue to find tons and tons of really great goodies as long as you're both over there... and beyond!

Dan

[Gordon Craig]

Dan,

There is one available at the moment. One of only two that I have seen. I have been debating about buying it and you have just made up my mind for me. I'll pick it up for you today and we can dsicuss price later.

Regards,

Gordon

Charles,

Re the "Five Year Itch" star. My case does not have the inscription on the top so it would have been an "at a boy" award. I think I'll save posting mine until I get back next week as I now have an award document for one.

Cheers,

Gordon

Edited April 5, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[hunyadi]

Now you have my curiostity as the case and the star for this one went together and had been that way for some time - I wonder if after 1964 when they started giving out the Morkers Militia Medal for 5 years of serivce if they swithced it to a "good boy" badge. OF course there is so little written about these...anyone out there of our Magyar Nep who were in the Munkasor?

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

The Oklevel I have for this award is dated 1969 and was given out as a celebration of the 24th year since the liberation of Hungary. I think that probably answers the question but it would really be nice to have some contact with someone who had been in the Munkasor.

Regards,

Gordon

I need to modify slightly what I said here earlier. The Oklevel was awarded for good service etc, although it does not specify five years of service, during the celebration of the 24th year since the liberation of Hungary. Not specifically to celebrate the 24th anniversary.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

Here is the other Munkasor tunic I acquired recently. It only had the collar tabs when I found it. The red rank stars on the collar tabs are the late cold enamel type in keeping with the time period of the tunic. It is now set up for parade. The rank is Rajparancsnok which is the second lowest rank on the headquarters assignment chart. All of the badges on the tunic have been covered in this thread except the medal which is the Order of Labour in Bronze class.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited April 18, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

A close of the badges on the right breast.

[Gordon Craig]

The 1980s Order of Labour in Bronze.

[hunyadi]

Though I have been waiting to find an earlier type tunic from the late 1950's - early 1960's, I found this one at what I affectionatly refer to as 'The Thieves' market. (if your stero ends up missing on Friday - go on Saturday and you can buy it back...no questions asked...) Aside from the piles of junk "liberated" from trashcans, parked cars and appartments, there are some nice pieces of militaria to find in the haystack. I had to get this one because it speaks volumes about Munksor tradition...plus how could you miss out on all that 'bling'?

This is a very nice and untouched Munkasor tunic from the 1980's. The cap (not shown) that came with it is marked for 1983 manufacture. Unfortunatly the dress tunics after 1956 were not marked for production date. But the tailors label inside the tunic is a dead give away for the final years of the Iron Curtain. One of the most interesting factors of the tunic (and why I bought it) was the way that the medal bar and the medals were sewn onto the tunic and have been there since the early / mid 1980's. My suspicions run that there was another medal next to the "Educators Service Medal" as there is some thread off the back of the ribbons that is cut. Perhaps some higher order was there and somone would pay more for just the medal?

This tunic gives a great example to the fact that 'personal' taste rather than regulation dictated the medal placment. The 'dealer' told me that the tunic belonged to a professor of engineering. Which from all consideration that would be plausable. He has an Educators Medal, Plus the pins on the right side follow a form of an educator in engineering. Back to the medal bar - the Educators Medal, the Serivce to the Fahterland medals and the Serivce Medals - the last one being for 10 years of civil serivce to the Honved, are all out of whack! From peroid photos this is alos confirmed that it was up to the owner of the tunic to decide what medal went where.

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Great tunic and a nice find with all the badges/awards in place. Please post pictures of the cap asap please. Love to see one in the flesh! Seems a low rank, Szakasz Parancsnok, for a Professor? I wish we had more info on those who wore these tunics. We'll have to get together soon so I can see it in the flesh.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Hauptmann]

Hi Charles,

Congrats on the tunic!!!! Fantastic!!!! And note... you now seem to have the small sports badge that I have cased. Great find!!!!

Dan

[hunyadi]

Hi Charles,

Congrats on the tunic!!!! Fantastic!!!! And note... you now seem to have the small sports badge that I have cased. Great find!!!!

Dan

Hey Dan - yes - its the sports badge, but this is an MHSZ badge - latter form. You have the MHS badge (same organization) which is much earlier.

[Gerd Becker]

Nice tunics, gentlemen.

Charles, what might have been the order, which is missing on the medalbar on your tunic?

[Hauptmann]

Hey Dan - yes - its the sports badge, but this is an MHSZ badge - latter form. You have the MHS badge (same organization) which is much earlier.

Oops! Sorry bout that... can't see that part that clearly in the pic. And I was so hoping. But hey, you're getting closer!

God will provide!

Dan

[Gordon Craig]

Gents,

Thanks to a book that Charles loaned me a few days ago I am able to post a picture of the Munkasor Men's Chorus that wore the first uniform that I posted. It is a good indication of the small number of these tunics that would have been in wear at any particular point in time.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

This same book shows that there was also a Munkasor orchestra. Here they are giving an out door concert.

[Gordon Craig]

Another interesting picture of a member of the Munkasor band in shirt sleeve order showing that they wore their Munkasor badge on the sleeve of the shirt as well.

Regards,

Gordon

[Mukerjee]

The two different Munkasor badges. Early one is the dark coloured one.

What does the M and O stand for (they are above and below the machine gun)?