Would you hang this in your house?

[Floofparty]

My DH has inherited a framed certificate and medal which was presented to a relative in 1937 when she was a British army nurse. She was stationed in Spain when a German battleship was bombed and she helped care for the injured.

The medal was awarded to her by the German Red Cross with the approval of Adolf Hitler, and his name is very prominent on the certificate - it stands out more than any of the other text. Do you think it’s bad taste to hang this in our house, or is it merely an interesting piece of historical memorabilia?

YABU - guests may take offence or think it odd
YANBU - hang the frame

If I saw that in your house OP, I wouldn’t be returning to your home and our friendship would cease. I wouldn’t remain friends with anyone who displayed Hitler’s signature in their home. I’d say it should be donated to a museum or kept in a drawer in your home.

I'd misread the date there as 39, my apologies. No Germany wasn't considered the UKs enemy in 37. They were a fascist state by that point and had past a whole sweep of legislation to persecute the groups of their society they targeted. The UK at that point feared the potential of another war with them. The government went with apeasement as a strategy to avoid war. A fair amount of people (Churchill notably) thought that was the wrong strategy and showed weakness that contributed to the start of the war.

100% you are right about the persecution of Jews, that had been happening for some years by then. My point was more that to a British army nurse Germans (nor Hitler) would not have been considered the enemy? I genuinely don't know. I know Chamberlain was trying appeasement but what was the view of the British public. Had public opinion turned against Germany?

No, but I find war stuff in general bloody depressing. Not something to be celebrated and hung on walls.

Give it to a museum.

100% not in any circumstances. The name of one of the most evil people to have ever lived is not something I'd be comfortable seeing as a guest either.

We won’t be giving it away.

I wouldn’t hang anything bearing Hitler’s name in my home, no. I’m half Jewish so it would probably upset my relatives for one…

Sounds like the beginning of a horror film

Not sure the downstairs loo is necessarily that discrete - it's one room that potentially any visitor to the house could ask to use.

I wouldn’t hang it up, but I’d definitely keep it for the historical value.

Donate it to a relevant history society or museum of the Spanish Civil War. It is an historical artefact, treat it as such and get it out of the house! Take a pic of it for future generations maybe, but that's it.

Then I would put it in a box in the attic and try and forget about it.

If you do hang it on your walls, be prepared for people to be offended and to say as much.

Surprised so many people are saying no.

It’s an interesting piece of history. If I saw this hanging in someone’s house I would be intrigued and ask about it.

I wouldn’t immediately assume they were fans of Hitler.

Lots of things are interesting, that doesn't mean it's necessarily appropriate to display them around guests.

I’d donate that to a museum or something. I wouldn’t have it in my house.

I typically love historical things of interest hanging in peoples homes but this feels a bit, I dunno, provocative? I would probably tuck it away safely in a drawer or only display it in a place that visitors wouldn’t typically go (home office etc)

Do we decorate our homes for ourselves or for our guests?

Why not display the medal if you'd like and keep the certificate kept away? I think displaying the certificate may cause offence and misunderstanding to visitors (including trades people etc) as their likely to clock the name from a distance but nothing else about it.

It was 1937, so presumably during the Spanish Civil War - the Germans helped the Nationalists (Franco etc) but the UK was not (yet) at war with Germany. Sounds like she did a noble thing during a difficult time. I'd display it. Just cos it has Hitler's name on it doesn't imply any support from you, your husband or his ancestors. And it shows that wars are never simple A vs B affairs. Perhaps it also highlights how for some people fulfilling their role of helping those in distress transcends any political sensibilities (compare RNLI role right now)

Both, surely?

I mean, there's a reason people tidy up before guests come over, and don't leave their dirty pants or sex toys or whatever in public view - because some things just aren't appropriate to have out in front of other people.

A downstairs loo is one place every visitor sees!

I wouldn’t as I personally wouldn’t want to own anything associated with hitler or his government, my husband is Jewish so he also wouldn’t want it.

Perhaps in the guest room? I can’t think many intelligent people would get offended, as it’s old history, but probably best hung discreetly. There’s always one.

Exactly.

And I might be a bit embarrassed for a friend if they accidentally left out a sex toy, but if they knowingly framed and displayed something with the name of a genocidal maniac, one of the most evil men in history, prominently shown, I would feel really uncomfortable.

Keep it? Yes. Display it somewhere only family went? Maybe. Display it somewhere anyone coming to the house might see it? No.