Hello, Historians. I am researching an artifact I inherited. It is a ring which belonged to a Polish Catholic priest interned at Dachau from 1940 to 1945, then liberated.
I'd like to know:
1.Has anyone ever seen one of these before?
2.How can I determine if it was made in the camp?
3.What are the symbols on the edge?
4.What exactly does the date signify?
I have corresponded with the researcher of the museum at Dachau. He verified the basic information about the inmate, and found nothing of note which happened on June 24, 1944.
Thank you for any help or suggestions!
Could that be his prisoner number instead of a date? You can search the Dachau database here. Click on details in the results list to see the prisoner number.
The P B could maybe stand for przez Boga which is Polish for by or through God. That's a wild guess, though, based on the fact that he was a Polish priest and there's a cross in the center.
Google books to the rescue!
p. 178 of 'Christ in Dachau' reads (in part):
"Prisoners working in the 'Messer- schmitt commando' used to make us rosary rings 'on the side', metal rings with 10..."
Book is on its way from Amazon! Should be a fascinating read, too.