Help to identify Polish badges, medals, items

[enesalpa]

Hi

I need help to identify this objects that belonged to my father. He was lieutenant in the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, 2nd Polish Corps in the Italian Campaign, and was a survivor of the concentration camps of Kozielsk and Griazowiec in Russia.
Many thanks

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thank you for sharing these special family items with us!

And welcome to the forum!

Cheers, Ade.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hello enesalpa and welcome to the forum,

Your father served in the 15th “Wilków” (Wolves) Wileński Rifle Battalion of the 5th Wilno Infantry Brigade. This unit was formed in 1942 in Iraq and was demobilized and disbanded in 1947 in England. The battalion consisted of 39 officers and 744 other ranks.

The items in your grouping in the order they appear on my screen consist of:
- uniform button for service dress
- British 8th Army shield - field made; awarded to the Poles as an honourary distinction following the Battle of Monte Cassino; worn on the right uniform sleeve “two finger widths” below the shoulder title
- 15th Wileński Rifle Battalion unit badge; worn on the beret positioned 5cm to the left of the eagle
- rank stars
- shoulder epaulettes with twin stars denoted lieutenant rank
- Poland shoulder titles; plastic type were ‘field made’ in Italy by Polish soldiers in the immediate post war years
- shoulder titles; cloth, Palestinian made
- Monte Cassino Cross awarded for participation in the fourth and final battle that took place here in May 1944 (discussed regularly on this forum; for more information please use the search feature)
- 5th Kresowa Infantry Division insignia (brown bison on yellow shield) worn on left shoulder of uniform
- ribbon bars for wear above the left breast pocket – along the top are three bars for the Monte Cassino cross. Below that in the center is the Cross of Merit with Swords (cannot discern if bronze, silver or gold). Left to right along the bottom row are Monte Cassino cross again, then British 1939-45 Star, and the Italy Star.
- field made cast hat eagle badge of the smaller type typically found on berets, GS and FS caps.
- three British 8th Army shields of various types
- a pair of collar insignia in navy blue with yellow edging denoting infantry branch of service; worn on the collar points of the battledress blouse

Thank you for sharing these items with us. Are you able to provide more information about your father, and in particular his experience in Soviet captivity? Very few officers escaped Kozielsk or Griazowiec, which as you likely know were two of the main camps that held the Polish POW’s prior to the mass executions that have come to be known as the Katyn Massacre.

Regards,
Tony

[enesalpa]

Hello enesalpa and welcome to the forum,

Your father served in the 15th “Wilków” (Wolves) Wileński Rifle Battalion of the 5th Wilno Infantry Brigade. This unit was formed in 1942 in Iraq and was demobilized and disbanded in 1947 in England. The battalion consisted of 39 officers and 744 other ranks.

Thank you for sharing these items with us. Are you able to provide more information about your father, and in particular his experience in Soviet captivity? Very few officers escaped Kozielsk or Griazowiec, which as you likely know were two of the main camps that held the Polish POW’s prior to the mass executions that have come to be known as the Katyn Massacre.

Regards,
Tony

Many thanks Adrian for the welcome and Tony for the information.

The only error was that I mixed the 15th Wileński Rifle Battalion unit badge with his things; it belonged to a friend who died in Italy. Yes he was one of the few who survived Katyn!

Because he knew many languages: english, german, russian, french, he was assigned as a liaison officer between the British and the Poles, and belonged to the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division. I don't know much about his trip from Poland to Lithuania, Russia, Persia, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and italy. I recently found many of his documents and photographs and after I check them I will publish in this forum.

Here is the document of legitimacy of the Monte Cassino Cross.

[jamest8]

Great group and nice to see that you have some of the Legitymacja as well. Thanks for sharing
James