1939-1945 British war medal awarded to Polish Soldiers.Waiting to be delivered!!

Today I received a medal that was awarded to my father for his service with the Polish second corp attached to the British 8th army in Italy.The point of this post is if your father at some point between 1939-1945 was a Polish Soldier who served with the British during or at the end of the war he or you may be entitled to receive a war medal as I did today.

Contact the Polish Department of the Ministry of Defense, Northolt, Middlesex, England.

no pic?

Anyone know where I can find information about war dead? My grandfather disappeared in 1939 and I'd like to to find out what happened to him. He was a calvary Major, awarded the Virtuti Militari in 1919-1921 (so there may be a record of that somewhere).

i have seen a list online.

sorry, can't remember where though.

This thread has some links to recipients of the Virtuti Militari.

Thanks, although I've already confirmed the VM and the fact that her served in Pilsudki's legions.

I suppose, what I need is the Polish equivalent of the War Graves commission. An organization that keeps track and identified the war dead and where they are interned.

Try the National war graves database
groby.radaopwim.gov.pl

It's searchable and gives links to individual sites.

Hate to say it,but cavalry officer,disapearing without trace in 1939 , fought against the soviets in 19/21, I think I know which records Id be searching. Do you read cyrylic?

No, but wife might be able to help. Where are you suggesting?

I suspect he went toward Lwow, "Got on his horse and went to fight the Russian" is all I know.

He's suggesting Katyn and similar places.

Merged thread:
War medal for Polish servicemen/British Army

This information is for the children of parents who served in the Polish Army under British command ,second world war.
Did you know that they or you are entitled to a 1939-1945 war medal.
Contact the Ministry of Defence ,APC Disclosures (Polish),Building 60,RAF Northolt,West End Road,Ruislip,Middlesex ha46ng.

....Mike

Hi,My dad also served with the 2nd Polish Corps,attached to the 8th British Army,
maybe they knew each other,i have a couple of photos of him in his uniform, and with a number of other polish soldiers
Regards
Linda Spencer
nee Modzelewski

Maybe they didn't wanted those medals for a reason.

Most likely that very few are still alive.

I'm sure they couldn't care less about some odd medals.

I suspect of those who are still alive and compos mentis there are many who care very much about that stolen part of their youth.

I cannot speak for all of them but I'm sure that considerable number of them would have turned down British War Medal.

what a joke. They sold you and then give you a medal. What for? to humiliate you even more?

I doubt that, Ironside.

Even though their own former government-in-exile instructed them not to participate in the victory parade due to disagreements between themselves and the Polish government, many were very keen to and of the hundreds of thousands (around half of those involved) who chose to remain in the UK there have always been many keen to celebrate the bravery of their fallen comrades and remembering public their own service.

That's not quite how it happened. The Western Command representatives who had been invited were ordered by their own leaders not to attend because Poland had been given the same invitation as the other major western allies (i.e. an invitation to send an honour guard to go with their flag and to send representatives of their air force). Apparently the Polish leaders felt that they should have been given the same invitation as was extended to certain members of the commonwealth, i.e. to send representatives from their navy and army too. The Polish government refused to send an honour guard to go with their flag but didn't give any reason at the time.

That's a shame - I'm sure they wanted to take part. Strange that their remnant former government should want them to have something different to America and France and have the same as Fiji and Burma.

WTF? Are you seeing ghosts everywhere?


Given the fact that Poland has been betrayed twice at least and without much ceremony it is a small wonder that didn't want to have anything to do with Soviet Poles and the traitorous country celebrations.

Actually, the remnant of the government in exile very much did want to, Ironside. In any case, this is about a medal, not a parade. A medal that you think nobody would want, despite Polish ex-servicemen's organisations specifically requesting it be struck. I think we can safely assume that those who requested it do in fact want it.

Odd that you're using 2 different names in the space of an hour - which do you prefer to be addressed by?

The government in exile wanted to remain to be regarded by its "allies" as the only representation of Poland which it was in fact.


Sure some people would want them Captain Obvious, so what? Don't you think it is possible that equal number of ex-servicemen didn't want it?


You can address me Iron, as for me using two different names in the space of an hour - If you want to see in every guest account Ironside have a fun and start a new trend if you want - iron-mania. I couldn't have cared less. Sorry for intervening.

As Harry just pointed out, they wanted to be treated differently to the other Allies. Allies like France and the US. As for being the 'only representation of Poland', please remind us if all this happened before or after they split into two competing governments-in-exile.


We can only deal with the facts. In this case that the medal was requested by Polish ex-servicemen's organisations and none are on record as having objected.

No they wanted their British allies to tread them exactly as they should be treated as the only legal representation of independent Poland. What is so hard to understand - Try harder.


What competitive governments? There has never any doubt or legal problem with what government is legal in the fist place. As for what happened when British stole Polish gold and recognized soviet puppet in Poland as a Representative government of Poland; it hardly matter what that discarded government has been noting or not. Please restrain of bringing into irrelevant issues.


Oh yes but see there are facts and Jon-facts. What kind you have in mind?


None that we know about and not everyone ex-soldier belonged to those organizations. Many British soldiers did bother with those medals either and that the fact. I would just proceed with caution in this case without assuming that all of them wanted to have those medals.

No. That's what they were offered - a place on the same footing as America and France. They wanted to be treated as an Empire Dominion, which they were not. What's so hard to understand? Try harder!


Indeed. The government recognised by both my country and yours was the one in Poland.


The same gold that was returmed to the legal government as per agreement.


A silly thing to say. We can only go with what people actually say and not try to second guess the opinions of those who chose not to express them.

Are you saying we should have ignored the Polish ex-servicemen's organisations? Not that it's any business of yours since you live in neither PL or UK.

No, you're lying there. They wanted representatives of the Western Command Polish land and naval forces to invited to the parade. When those forces were not invited, the invitation for airmen was rejected. Oh, and the likes of Mikolajczyk had a very different view to yours as to which government was the only legal representation of independent Poland.


How surprising to see Ironside again lying about alleged theft of gold. Would that have been the same gold which Poland had agreed to receive from the USSR when selling her Ukrainian allies to the USSR.

And how surprising to see you lying about the government in which the likes of Mikolajczyk were working to try and build what hadn't existed before WWII: a free and democratic Poland.

I wonder if you're too ignorant about Polish history to know that for decades there were two Polish 'governments in exile' or whether you're just lying about that too. Care to share with us?

No they wanted to be treated as an ally to whom Britain owned a lot. Try harder I don't have to as facts speak for themselves.


What are you talking about Poland at the time was under Soviet occupation and only fool would fail to see it. I guess for the colonial Dominion with many countries and their puppet governments that wasn't much of a bother.


Not at all I'm saying that people should not automatically assume that those soldiers wanted those medals.


what I'm lying exactly Harry? You seems to be lost here.An Old age creeping on you?


Correct, I have never stated otherwise. You on the other you were going about lies and lairs who are lying where they are lying - when you stop dribbling and wipe your face we can continue.

The point is those forces should have been invited it was qestion of honor as per usual Britain failed to deliver.


Now you are lying Harry. The fact he choose to try salvage some degree of internal independence for Poles against wishes and advice of more mature and experienced politicians and he filed miserable. His personal and desperate venture do not diminish facts Harry. He was forced to such humiliating and desperate measure because British failed to support legal and independent Polish government.


He has been used as a pretax for Britain to withdrew support of the only legal Polish government. He was used a stooge by the both sides. The fact is that without him the issue would be solved in the same way but his case wouldn't be used for all kind apologist for the British dishonorable and traitorous policy towards Poland.

Is as he had any choice in the matter - it was either you go or not but our support for this government is over. (ie the legal Polish government - the only Polish government at the time)

What are you mumbling about Ukrainian state? You mean the sate that never existed until 1991?

Which they were: Poland was extended precisely the same invitation as the USA got, despite the fact that Britain most certainly owed the USA more. However, that invitation wasn't good enough for the Polish leaders: they had to be special.


You are claiming that "No they wanted their British allies to tread them exactly as they should be treated as the only legal representation of independent Poland." when in reality the western command Poles refused to attend the parade because their land and sea forces were not invited to take part, i.e. you are lying, just as Ironside used to do so often here.


Would you like us to compare the fates of the hundreds of thousands of Poles who were given everything they needed by Britain when they refused to go back to post war Poland and the fates of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians after Poland sold their country to the USSR? Or perhaps you'd prefer us to address the topic of interbellum Poland signing and then breaking agreements more often than she actually observed them, if we're discussing honour and habits?


Really Ironside? I'm lying am I? Perhaps you could go into detail about my supposed lies? Although you never did when posting under your banned username.

As for supposed British failure, perhaps you could go into detail about what Britain was asked to do but failed to do? Clearly you know all about that, so kindly share that knowledge with us, instead of just insulting a man who was far far braver than you will ever be and did far far more for Poland than you will ever do.


Oh, poor old Ironside: history is yet again against him, so he has to simply lie about history! I'm talking about Ukrayins'ka Narodnia Respublika, a Ukrainian state which Poland formally recognised as an independent state in 1920 and whose people Poland sold to the USSR the very next year.