Lets see your Polish Militaria Display!

[Gary J]

I think the best word to suit would be "Testiment" !

Gary J.

Tony,

Thank you for your kind words, however I disagree. My actions say nothing more about me than my attempt to preserve the memory of what my grandfather accomplished. I'm doing nothing more than placing them in a handsome box. He earned, lived and died for them. It says so much more for him, since he's lived the words engraved at one of his battlegrounds: "MY ZOLNIERZE POLSCY ODDALISMY-BOGU DUCHA, ZIEMI WLOSKIEJ CIALO, A SERCA, POLSCE"

And I thank you for your tips on how to mount them.

D

[DaveC]

Gary, yes. Definately a Testament. And for those who've asked, an updated photo of where I stand.

On the left is a photo of my grandparents. I'm sure most of you know these medals on sight, so I won't bore you with the names. I am still missing the Polish 2nd Corps badge (to be placed between the shoulder tab and the medals) and the Signal Corps badge to be placed down and to the right of the 2nd Armoured Brigade patch.

I'm also having a plaque made that will bear the same inscription as the one found at the Polish Cemetary at Monte Cassino. W języku polskim, oczywiście. That will be placed at the bottom, between the picture and medals.

And constructive critisism or advise is encouraged and appreciated.

[3mk]

About the second corps badge if your willing to spend somewhere around $200 with shipping then heres a good site eBay Store ? POLISH MILITARY DECORATIONS: Search results for corps.

He also has the signal corps badge

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Dave, it’s coming along well. The Polish flag as a backdrop will be a nice touch. You may find that using red and white matting board to simulate the colours of the flag may actually result in a cleaner presentation. As far as mounting the decorations, I’ll send over a pic later to give a visual example of what I tried to describe yesterday. I feel it would work very nicely for your display. Also, you may want to pick up a 2nd Corps mermaid cloth insignia as well. This would be entirely appropriate for the display. Lastly, including a period photo of your grandfather from the time of his service, if available, would be highly recommended.

And with all due respect 3mk, thet 2nd Corps syrenka badge is very common and can be easily obtained for under $70. I would suggest being patient and avoid jumping at the overpriced badge on that site you linked.

Best,
Tony

[3mk]

I find his stuff over priced too.

I got my camera fixed and im working on my pre war display.Tony do you know how to attach a medal with no ribbon or hook to my display?Im your displays look so good im going to copy you with making my own.I already have the frame so i measured it then cut out a piece of card board with the same dimensions and im going to cover it with a green khacki fabric.Ill post pics of it soon!

[DaveC]

I'm glad to hear that what I've come up with so far is, at least, acceptable, to seasoned collectors.

I have also found the Signal Corps and 2nd Corps badges from polishmilitaria on EBay. I've seen the 2nd. Corps go for as little as $40, so I'm waiting for the $150 to either drop a bit, or for something else to pop up. The Signal Corps that I've found so far range from $350-$550. As I'm working on this projest as a Father's Day present, I think I may have to bite the bullet on that one.

A few weeks ago I brought what I had to that point to show my mother (who is in on the surprise) And then felt bad for bringing her to tears.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

. . . do you know how to attach a medal with no ribbon or hook to my display? Im your displays look so good im going to copy you with making my own.I already have the frame so i measured it then cut out a piece of card board with the same dimensions and im going to cover it with a green khacki fabric.Ill post pics of it soon!

3mk, sounds good. Keep us posted. It’s good to see the discussion now is right on track with the original subject of the thread – Polish Militaria Displays. I’ll get around to posting some better close ups of some of my display frames as none of them were all that visible in the earlier pics.

As far as how to mount decorations – I use wire to suspend the ribbon at the top, and then fishing line to stabilize it – usually strung through the suspension area. This keeps the decorations from bouncing around. Remember, it is important to avoid damaging the item, which is why I do not use glue – as is sometimes done by professional mounting services.

T.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

I've seen the 2nd. Corps go for as little as $40, so I'm waiting for the $150 to either drop a bit, or for something else to pop up. The Signal Corps that I've found so far range from $350-$550. As I'm working on this projest as a Father's Day present, I think I may have to bite the bullet on that one.

A few weeks ago I brought what I had to that point to show my mother (who is in on the surprise) And then felt bad for bringing her to tears.

Even the signals badge is not a rarity and can be had for a more reasonable price than that, but I do understand that time is of the essence. I may be able to help you out here. Let me check to see what I can come up with.

And re the emotional response from your mom – you see, there’s your proof that your efforts are special after all! I recall the same reaction my father gave me when I surprised him with a framed display of his wartime souvenirs. He was moved to tears as well. A memorable moment that I treasure.

T.

[3mk]

Thanks ive just finished but the result isnt the best maybe ill fix up some more.Dave if i ever see one of these items on ebay ill post them up on here.About bringing someone to tears i remember my Grandfather and Grandmother telling me stories about how they fought in the AK during ww2 and how after the war they couldnt tell no one about there stories after ww2 because of the communists.They should of been awarded some decorations for there service.So a couple of years ago in Poland i bought them both the AK cross and when i `awarded` it to them i could of seen there eyes tearing up.This year i bought my Grandfather the pre-war scouts cross of merit because he was a Scout pre-war Poland and technicly during the war.Im also planning on completing a uniform for my Great Uncle who fought in defence of Poland in 1939 he also fought during the war in the AK.After the war he fought the communists and was arrested in 1948 and taken to a prison where he was regulary beaten for 6 years.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

As promised, here’s a pic showing my mounting of a set of decorations. It’s a sort of ‘pseudo-court mount’ using sections of ribbon behind each decoration. The assembly is all very straight forward requiring just a bit of planning, acquisition of the correct materials, and careful assembly. Crafting wire is used at the top to suspend the decorations. Clear fishing line hold the decorations in place lower down. The khaki wool serge backing was salvaged from a WW2 dated BD tunic that was in very poor condition (had unfortunately seen some heavy service as a painting smock).

This decoration group forms the centerpiece of a display frame I assembled housing the award documents and decorations that were posthumously issued to Sapper Władysław Plichta, killed in action on Monte Cassino May 12th, 1944. The documents are marked “Ś.P” (Świętej Pamięci = In Blessed Memory) ahead of his name. The decorations are the actual ones that accompanied the documents at time of my purchase, although other than the MC cross (serial number matching to the document) I have no way of knowing are original to the docs. I added the various other genuine unit insignia items as would be correct for his sapper unit in the 3rd Carpathian Rifles Division. Two lengths of Virtuti Militari ribbon and a poppy provide appropriate symbolism to a display that I wanted to make extra special as homage to a soldier that paid the ultimate price.