NSDAP member Pius Speth (Munich, 17.10.1910 - 5.3.2005) was the youngest member of the "Deutschnationaler Jugendbund" in München in 1922 and was given his membership badge by Erich Ludendorff, an honorary member of the association. He served as cashier of NSDAP Ortsgruppe München-Giesing in the late 1920s. With 21 years of age, he was promoted an SA leader by Adolf Hitler.
Until 10.5.1941, when Rudolf Hess flew solo to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the United Kingdom, Pius Speth worked with the staff of Rudolf Hess at the "brown house", the headquarter of the NSDAP based in Munich.
After May 10th, Martin Bormann gave an order to remove all Hess related items from the brown house. Pius Speth was involved in removing memorabilia and took a large portrait photo of Rudolf Hess and a letter weight showing Adolf Hitler. He kept it personally other than destroying.
Späth kept on working at the brown house and was promoted a "Reichshauptstellenleiter und Abschnittsleiter" on 8.4.1945. Späth tried to escape in May 1945 volunteering to the German Red Cross at Kloster Ettal. He achieved a 5.5.1945 issued permission to return to his family.
Our consignor's father and Pius Speth got to know each other from their time at the brown house and became very close friends after meeting again in 1990. Pius Späth became like a father for our consignor who was given many Third Reich memorabilia in the 1990s.
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An original portrait of Rudolf Hess with an original ink signature. Modern frame!
There is a 9.8.1992 dated statement of Pius Speth written behind the picture. Our consignor made a photocopy and pasted it to the reverse of the frame. Speth explains that he took the picture after 10.4.1941. He confirms he has given it to our consignor in August 1992.
