Last modified: 2006-11-11 by jarig bakker
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![[German life-saving society 2004 flag]](../images/d/de_dlrg0.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 Oct 2005
Flag in use 2004
Founded in 1913, the DLRG is the largest voluntary life-saving society in the world and a member of the ILS (International Life-Saving Federation). Total membership being 850.000, this number includes more than 51.000 life-savers organized in about 2.200 local branches; last year alone, 692 people were saved from drowning.
On the net we find an older, less stylized version of the logo (about middle of page): and we might suppose that this one, too, was used on a white flag - the reverse of a broche seems to indicate this (click DLRG title, then see last article); moreover, the logo is coloured. Indirect evidence only!
The DLRG youth section has a separate flag, basically white + eagle
from logo + white DLRG initials in blue rectangle + 'Jugend' (youth) in
red written script, see here;
and a better view here
of what amounts to a particular logo.
Jan Mertens, 29 Jun 2005
On 28 Jul 1912 a wooden pier at the seaside in Binz/Rügen broke down.
17 persons drowned and even more were injured. To avoid such accidents
in the future, the "Deutsche Lebensrettungs Gesellschaft e.V." (abbrev.:
DLRG/ German Lifesaving Society) was founded on 19 Oct 1913 in Leipzig.
In the end of that year the society had 435 members.
Today the society has more than 850,000 members (61,000 of those are
active members, i.e. lifeguards, teachers in swimming, instructors in water
rescueing, the others are mere supporting members). All members are working
honorary except the general secretary, who is an employee of the society.
In 2004 e.g. estimated 51,000 lifeguards worked for more than 2,000,000
hours in baywatching. The society is divided into 19 state associations
(Landesverbände, abbrev: LV) and subdivided into more than 2000
local groups and basic groups (Orstgruppen bzw. Stützpunkte),
the former are associations, the latter not.
In 1933 the society was forced to join the NSDAP as a civic party-organization.
Though the society tried to keep its independence, it was in 1938 renamed
into Deutsche Lebensrettungs Gemeinschaft (abbrev.:DLRG/ German
Lifesaving Community). It had 27 state associations by then.
After WW II the community was forbidden at first, but in 1948 the community
was allowed to work in the Bizone (Zones occupied by the USA and Great
Britain). On 1 Jun 1947 the community was founded new by 7 state associations
and was renamed again into Deutsche Lebensrettungs Gesellschaft.
In the Soviet Occupation Zone the DLRG remained forbidden and was replaced
by a Wasserrettungsdienst (abbrev: WRD/ water rescue service) as
a department of the German Red Cross in the DDR.
In 1950 there were 11 state organizations and in May 1957 the Saarländische
Lebensrettungs Gesellschaft (SLRG) joined the DLRG as "Landesverband
Saar". Up to 1989 the society had 15 state organizations. After the
German reunion until 1991 there werde founded state organizations also
in the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In case of dissolution of the society the Deutsche Gesellschaft
zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger (abbrev: DGzRS) will be heir of the society
and the society will bequeath all its assets and liabilities to the DGzRS.
As far as I know, the DLRG always used a flag with its badge on a plain
white cloth. The design of the badge might have changed various times.
Between 1938 and 1948 only the word "Gesellschaft" was replaced by
the word "Gemeinschaft". It may be, that between 1938 and 1945 a swastika
was added in the middle of the bottom end of the badge. This was very common
in those days but it could not be proved, because showing symbols of the
NSDAP is a subject of prosecution by federal German laws. On the website
www.germanmilitaria.com there are depicted badges for beginners and advanced,
but it could not be confirmed, that the depicted badges were old ones.
See attached file DLRGemeinschaft_badge.jpg. On the same website a member
identity card is also depicted. On this card the badge is completely replaced
by a swastika. But the stamps in it are showing the usual eagle-badge of
the DLRG. See attached file DLRGemeinschaft_Zertifikat.jpg. Connecting
each pattern with a certain year only means, that a flag with that badge
was used in the denominated year. As the flag showed in DLRG_flag_photo_pattern2004.jpg
is denominated as the "new flag" on the DLRG website, to this pattern was
added the year 2004. It is possible, that that flag was used even earlier.
In the 1977 pattern a white eagle with white bill and white claws is
overlooking a blue sea with waves in it from a green rock. The eagle is
looking vom right to left. On the edge of the sea there are green capital
letters DLRG.
In the 2004 pattern the blue sea became calm without any wave and the
green letters were replaced by blue ones. The green rock was replaced by
a white one. Also the eagle had become a little bit simpler. The flag is
hoisted on every place, where lifeguards are on duty. It is added by one
or two red balls according to the wheather conditions of the sea.
The flag of the DGzRS is depicted on FOTW
website. The badge of the Saarländische Lebensrettungsgesellschaft was
nearly the same. The word "Deutsche" was of course replaced by "Saarländische"
and the letters "DLRG" by "SLRG". It is however not known, whether the
SLRG used different colours.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Sep 2005
![[German life-saving society]](../images/d/de_dlrg.gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 Sep 2005