Dear group,
I have just joined. I hope you can ID some momentos I was left by my uncle (by marriage), which I have just re-found. My uncle was a Polish Cavalry Officer in 1939 and was born in 1902 and 1904 and 1906 (papers are useful and confusing!) He escaped to the east and ended up in Palestine in 1941.
I'm not sure if he had flown before but he flew fighters with the RAF in N. Africa.
He was shot down over tobruk, seriously injured and won a DFC. I'll just mention that when the doctor said (at the crash site?) "...the legs will have to go..." uncle said he waved his 'colt 45' and threated the doctor. He survived, but always walked 'funny'. I only mentioned this because one of the items is a "US Army Airforce" pilot commanders badge. On another site they mentioned these were
usually 3" and the smaller ones (sweatheart ones) were 2"s. His is only 1.5 inches long, mounted on a bracelet, with his name and a quite low number -
6808. He told me he visited Cairo where he met a few "Yanks" and where he
acquired/traded the 45. Perhaps the bracelet was acquired in a card game?
The item I really don't understand is this one
I can show the obverse and describe the 'unclear' engraving if you want, another time, but I would be happy if someone recognized the shield and those fiddly ad ons. I'm sure it's not a medal. But where does it come from?
And why would my Polish uncle have it? OK just under the shiels it says 1880 and initial (P.C.T) on the back1912 15 X 1937 (a 25th aniversary but are those dates significant in history?
Sorry if the pictures are Lo-Res, I just scanned them.
Thanks for your patience,
Guido.
I have just joined. I hope you can ID some momentos I was left by my uncle (by marriage), which I have just re-found. My uncle was a Polish Cavalry Officer in 1939 and was born in 1902 and 1904 and 1906 (papers are useful and confusing!) He escaped to the east and ended up in Palestine in 1941.
I'm not sure if he had flown before but he flew fighters with the RAF in N. Africa.
He was shot down over tobruk, seriously injured and won a DFC. I'll just mention that when the doctor said (at the crash site?) "...the legs will have to go..." uncle said he waved his 'colt 45' and threated the doctor. He survived, but always walked 'funny'. I only mentioned this because one of the items is a "US Army Airforce" pilot commanders badge. On another site they mentioned these were
usually 3" and the smaller ones (sweatheart ones) were 2"s. His is only 1.5 inches long, mounted on a bracelet, with his name and a quite low number -
6808. He told me he visited Cairo where he met a few "Yanks" and where he
acquired/traded the 45. Perhaps the bracelet was acquired in a card game?
The item I really don't understand is this one
I can show the obverse and describe the 'unclear' engraving if you want, another time, but I would be happy if someone recognized the shield and those fiddly ad ons. I'm sure it's not a medal. But where does it come from?
And why would my Polish uncle have it? OK just under the shiels it says 1880 and initial (P.C.T) on the back1912 15 X 1937 (a 25th aniversary but are those dates significant in history?
Sorry if the pictures are Lo-Res, I just scanned them.
Thanks for your patience,
Guido.