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

Who was she? Was she even someone you knew. Was your husband close to her? As if he was surely you’d know if she displayed it?

as said. This certificate is not just about the recipient as some people are trying to pretend. If it was you’d not even have asked, it’s about both.the recipient and the giver. And anything from Hitler is Deeply offensive and distasteful

many people would question why you’d display such a thing.

Well I'm more than open to someone explaining to me how it glorifies the Nazis or is indicative of being a Nazis sympathiser.

It was my understanding it was issued by the German Red Cross, and basically rubber stamped in hitler's name. But again I'm open to being corrected.

No.

Unless you want to send your visitors a message.

Why are you asking me. I didn’t say it did either.

i said anything to do with Hitler was offensive. As the man was responsible for the torture and murder of up to 50 million people. As such. For me. Nothing from him would be in my home.

I wouldn’t hang evidence of an award given / endorsed by Nazis, no. No matter how honourable the activity was that warranted the award.

I’d stick it in the recycling pronto

I'd say put it on your wall and be damned proud of what it represents. If visitors ask about it, tell them the story. If they don't like it, tough. If tradespeople comment, tell them to get on with their bloody jobs and stop wasting time staring at your ornaments. It's your house, not anyone else's.

Would you honestly want to have to explain to everyone who visits your house that it’s on the wall because you admire the lifesaving work of your DH’s relative, and not because of the giant Hitler signature?

Firstly, there has been no mention of a "giant" signature, the offending name is just printed, the signature is from the Red Cross representative. Secondly, I wouldn't give a damn what other people thought about it and if they think I'm a fan of AH, they can bugger off out of my home.

You missed this bit.

his name is very prominent on the certificate - it stands out more than any of the other text.

Well, you are completely wrong. I would hang it up and I'm not a Nazi sympathizer. I know Hitler was a monster. What he did was beyond offensive but seeing his name is not. Pretending things didn't happen or hiding memorabilia doesn't change what happened and I don't think it's a bad thing to be reminded of past horrors.

It’s not signed by him. He’s just named as the approver.

And you missed this bit. My point is, it was not personally signed by him. If the offence is having his name on display, you displayed his name in your post.

Oh, pathetic.

Nobody is pretending things did not happen.
And I completely agree it is not a bad thing to be reminded of past horrors. But I don’t think hanging the certificate up would do that.

I often dislike the current ‘this may offend’. Sometimes being offended because something real is so downright appalling people need to be.

I believe the King permitted these to be given out by Hitler and he permitted those granted these certificates to be able to wear them. In honour of the work they did as a nurse or doctor. I think that was an error myself. Sorry to the King, but I feel he should have signed such a certificate himself. For an award to a British citizen. But he allowed Hitler to do so because they were German citizens. A mistake in my view.

With history, the visceral memory of the reality fades with time. And in the current climate of hate in the world I would not put such a thing up. There are people who rewrite history, who view Hitler with affection; who believed he was doing a good thing. Who admire him. Many neo nazi’s exist today. And are proud of their views.
I once saw a flat advertised for sale. It had the swastika tiled into the bathroom wall. Such people still and do exist. And are not shy about telling everyone either.
I would not want someone to assume I was in that group of people. By putting it up, the history of why it was awarded will not be clear. All people will see is an award given by Hitler and given pride of place in the home. And they will judge the OP because of it.

@Monty36 Thanks for your well reasoned response. I do understand what you're saying. Personally, I'd still be happy to hang it up. The people who visit my house are all friends and relatives who would definitely know that I wasn't supporting Hitler. I know they would be interested and not offended. However, I wouldn't put it anywhere where a complete stranger could see it, not be able to discuss it with me, and come to the wrong conclusion.

I’d also ask the question as well as the earlier one on how close either the op or her husband were to the recipient, is she displaying other very personal items of hers in her home. Or is the very fact this was awarded on behalf of Hitler which makes this stand out. is it really about a huge sentiment over this woman worked as a nurse and treated these personnel, and would it still be displayed if it didn’t have Hitler on it.

its clear the audience is divided, some think this is about the recipient only. One even turned it into her life long work, when the op said no such thing. And others think it’s also about the giver, and that the medal can be displayed, but dis-having anything which was given in Hitler name is both distasteful and deeply offensive.

Personally I would hang it as I think the history behind it is interesting.

As regards war memorabilia generally, my father had 6 medals from his time in WW2. He never bothered displaying them but my elder sister now has them framed on her wall. If they were in my possession I would do the same in a heartbeat

I agree with this. This nurse was capable of doing what the nazis were not. is a particularly good and very thought-provoking point.
I still like to assume/hope that most people are capable of at least a measure of critical thinking, and I'd like to think that any of OP's visitors would not simply feel offended or unsafe at seeing this item, given its context.

Also the other great point already made is getting the chance to explain it. Isn’t that fantastic when you consider how mad the world is for polarised, horribly divisive views.

Displaying the word ‘Hitler’ is nothing to do with Hitler and instead gives someone the opportunity to talk about the nuances of war.

I suspect many who might see it may well not ask anything about it. But make assumptions. That is the problem for the OP.

Making assumptions is a problem for the person making them, not the OP.

Why would you want that mans name in your head every time u walk past it

Exactly

Why would you want that mans name in your head
I don't get this. How upset can a person get by seeing someone's name in passing, even Hitler's? Wouldn't it be 'in your head' for a millisecond, until it was replaced by 'Who's at the door?'/'What shall I make for dinner?'/'I've got a headache'/fragments of a song you half-know etc etc?

Again, can't explain it. But being raised Jewish we would talk about Hitler in lowered tones and kind of avoid even saying his name. My grandmother would make a specific gesture to ward off the evil eye as she considered it bad luck so I guess for me it's just a visceral thing. Agree it's not logical and probably something I should make sure won't affect me like this forever (and no, I haven't raised my kids with this tradition!) but I would genuinely not be able to stop looking at it and would also never be able to ignore it.

I think it would be really nice if going ahead to consider a bit of an explanation right with it - like the museum displays that have a thing and a little blurb about it 'presented to John's great aunt in recognition of her worldwide service in the British army in WW2' or whatever.