I Gave Gold for Iron

This ring inscribed "Gold gab ich für Eisen", 1914, ("I gave gold for iron"), was one of the first pieces brought by contributors to the first public participation day in Frankfurt. The contributor was Brigitte Bieche.

Whilst this particular ring is a fascinating piece of social history and unique to one woman, and one family, it also represents part of an officially sponsored programme of fund raising for the German war effort. Similar drives were also made in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Patriotic citizens handed in valuable jewellery, and instead took to wearing base metals. Interestingly this revived an idea used in the Wars of Liberation, when, as long ago as 1813, the Prussian Royal family had appealed to their womenfolk to make similar donations. Iron jewellery, hitherto used mainly as a symbol of mourning, then acquired a new status.

In the Munitions Factories

The First World War saw large numbers of women recruited all over Europe to help the war effort on the home front. In Germany this sat uneasily with policies intended to support the family, but demand for munitions grew rapidly.

This postcard of factory workers in 1917, was contributed to the Europeana 1914-1918 collection by Gustav Käfer at the public participation day in Stuttgart in 2011. It shows his mother Alwine Auch, aged just 17 (back row, third from the right). The "Fortuna" factory where she worked was in Pragstraße in Bad Cannstatt, close to where the public participation day was held at the Wurttemberg State Library.

The original caption says that the munitions are made with 'heart and hand for the Fatherland'. Close examination of the picture suggests that the items being manufactured are bombs (Minen) for the 7.6 cm light mortar (Lichteminenwerfer), a weapon used by most infantry battalions in the latter part of the war.