Greetings from Australia

[NilocKrals]

I came across the forum when seeking information on Polish Army medals which my father had earned in WW2.
I was born in England 1949 to a father I barely knew, but what I did know was that he was a so called "Polish War refugee". In later life I started to research him and after unsuccessfully trying online searches and records office, in 2014 I wrote to Ministry of Defense (MOD APC Disclosures 5 Polish) in Ruislip, Middlesex, England. As a result I received his full army records as follows:

Service with the Polish Forces under British Command: from 15 Aug 1942 to 12 Feb 1947

Service with the Polish Resettlement Corps: Enlisted on 13 February 1947 Commissioned
relegated to: Class "W" Reserve on 13 May 1947 on the unemployed List and finally discharged 10 May 1948 relinquished commission and honourably discharged

Former Service and History: Prior to 1939 lived at Wlodziecino, Lachowicze, district of Baranowicze, county of Nowogrodek, Poland (now Belarus), Called up from the reserve on 04.07.1939 together with 78 Infantry Regiment took part in the 1939 September campaign in Poland 01.09.39 to 18. 09.1939.

Taken prisoner of war and held in the former Soviet Union - exact dates and places of his imprisonment/forced labour within the former USSR not recorded.

On the basis of the Sikorski-Maisky (Polish-Soviet) agreement of 30 July 1941 , released for the purpose of joining the Polish Armed Forces, which were being organised in 1941-1942 on the former Soviet territory. Enlisted in the Polish Army on 04.03.1942 and was posted to 5 Infantry Division.

Together with the Polish Army units, crossed the Soviet-Iranian border, was evacuated to Iran, thereby came under British command with effect from 15.08.1942. Via Iraq was transferred to Palestine.

On the re-organisation of the Polish Army in the Middle East was transferred to 5 Machine Gun Battalion, 5 Kresowa Infantry Division, 2 Polish Corps, 8 British Army on 26.10.1942.

Served in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt) 1942-1944 and in Italy 1944-1946, when together with 2 Polish Corps was transferred to the United Kingdom - exact date of arrival in the United Kingdom not recorded.

Due to a gradual demobilisation of the Polish Forces under British command enlisted in the Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC) and served in the United Kingdom until finally discharged on 10.05.1948 on absorption into industry.

Wlad’s “Theatre of Operations”:-
14 Feb 1944 to 23 Apr 1944: Action on the Rivers Sangro and Rapido/Southern Apennines
24 Apr 1944 to 18 May 1944: Battle for Monte Cassino/Gustav-Hilter line of enemy defence
23 Jun 1944 to 04 Sep 1944: Battle for Ancona/Goths line of enemy defence
05 Sep 1944 to 09 Oct 1944: Rearguard of 8 British Army
10 Oct 1944 to 01 Jan 1945: Action in the Northern Apennines
02 Jan 1945 to 08 Apr 1945: Action on the River Senio
09 Apr 1945 to 02 May 1945: Battle for Bologna/Lombardy Plain

Medals: Polish: Army Medal.
British: 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-45.

I have been to Belarus this year and visted my fathers home village and met his relatives. The medals have never been located, and so I again wrote to MOD APC Disclosures 5 Polish, in the UK to see if I could get copies, but they have advised by email this morning that
"You can only get a replacement awards from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) if they were stolen or destroyed, for example in a fire or flood. The replacement medals could be also sought from a variety organisations whose details can be obtained from the internet."

Cheers for now

[AZPhil]

Welcome to the forum .
Sorry to say this is not a field I have studied, But from some of the threads I have read in the Polish section on this site you will find some very knowledgeable individual who frequent this site.
I wish you luck in your search.
Semper Fi
Phil

[TabsTabs1964]

Simply amazing.