Polish Grey Samaritans...Polish- Bolshevik 1918-1921

[Piwo2]

Gentlemen,

During my collecting I stumbled across these two insignia. It was not until I read a book about Herbert Hoovers relief efforts that I learned who the Polish Grey Samaritans were. I later learned of the 1919-1921 Polish-American Typhus Relief Expedition. The first time the US Army mounted a humanitarian relief effort. They were to create the "cordon sanitare" sometimes thought to be Poland's effort to prevent the red peril of the Bolsheviks. Norman Davies covers this very well in White Eagle, Red Starr the Polish Bolshevik War 1919-1921. As does Janus Cisek in his book, Kosciuszko We Are Here, the story of the American volunteers pilots during the Bolshevik War. Stanford University has all of Herbert Hoovers papers along with an enormous wartime poster collection. It includes all sorts of information on Meriam Cooper and the 7 Eskadra. Professor Alfred Cornbise wrote an excellent book on the American Typhus Relief Expedition. It is a very interesting period of Poland's post WWI history. I shall share more from collection after I take some better photographs.

[3mk]

Thank you for sharing your insignia, cant wait to see more

[48ppsk]

Greetings,

Spectacular,

I have to get a copy of that book.

Didn't you have a tunic to go with the grouping??

Mike

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Bring it on Piwo . . . !

T.

[dastier]

btt

[dastier]

Piwo, are you able to share more about the Grey Samaritans or the Herbert Hoover's relief expeditions? I have a Samaritan pin and a badge that is attributed to the Galician Red Cross. Thanks

[Piwo2]

An Act of Devotion: The Polish Grey Samaritans and the American Relief Effort in Poland, 1919-1921
Robert Szymczak
Polish American Studies
Vol. 43, No. 1 (Spring, 1986), pp. 13-36
Published by: Polish American Historical Association

Look this up to get started.

[Piwo2]

Nor was the city's interest in Polish relief confined strictly to financial contributions. Rochester is particularly proud of the contingent of Polish young women who joined the Gray Samaritans from this city. This was a rehabilitation organization founded by Madame Laura Turczynowicz, the wife of a Polish university professor, whose recent experiences in Poland had convinced her of the urgent necessity for such a group. Early in the year 1918 Madame Turczynowicz spoke in Rochester before a large Polish American audience, following which a call for recruits was made, and three Rochester girls immediately responded, along with girls from other localities. Later the Rochester ranks augmented, and the rolls of the "Probationers' Course", conducted at the Rochester Y. W. C. A. by Dr. Marcena Rieker show the names of Mary Nita, Annette Friebe, Martha Graczyk, Anna Badura, Tillie Dernoga, Leocadia Muszynska, Stella Czemerowska, and Sophie Zagata, all of this city. Four of these women, Anna Badura, Annette Friebe, Martha Graczyk and Leocadia Muszynska, went eventually to Poland (July, 1919).

Taken from:
History of the Polish People in Rochester (4 of 5)
mcnygenealogy.com/book/polish-4.htm

Just do a goggle search and you will discover quite a bit about them.

cheers,
Piwo

[Piwo2]

Herbert Hoover and the Organization of the American Relief Effort in ...
ejas.revues.org › Issues › 2by ML Adams - 2009 - Cited by 1 - Related articles
... including the establishment of the Polish relief organization and the introduction of young Polish-American women, called the Grey Samaritans, into the field.

[Greenhorn]

Nice additions, Piwo!

Please do share more pics when you can.

Green