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Gavel used to close postwar Nordhausen war crimes trial

Object | Accession Number: 2014.165.1

Gavel used by Lieutenant Colonel David H. Thomas to close the Dachau and Nordhausen war crimes trials in 1947. Col. Thomas was one of seven officers designated by the Headquarters of the European Command to constitute the court for the Kurt Andrae case. He was also a lawyer for the Judge Advocate General during the Dora war crimes trials.

Date
use:  1947
Geography
use: Nordhausen Trial; Dachau (Germany)
Classification
Tools and Equipment
Category
Hand tools
Object Type
Gavels (lcsh)
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Estate of Col. David H. Thomas

About This Object

Physical Description
Varnished and stained, turned, lightweight, brown wooden gavel with a cylindrical handle with a knob end, with a short extension, then a recessed band that extends into a smooth handle that tapers, expands, then tapers to attach to the barrel shaped head. The head has a series of ridges and grooves and slightly rounded ends.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 11.000 inches (27.94 cm) | Width: 3.250 inches (8.255 cm)
Materials
overall : wood, varnish stain
Contributor
Subject: David H. Thomas

Keywords and Subjects

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The gavel was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014 by David H. Thomas II, the son of David H. Thomas.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use
 
Record last modified: 2021-03-30 17:30:57
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn84482