Jerzy Długoszowski, Partisan

[Al-muell]

A most recent purchese, that probably won't last long in my collection as I will have to sell it. But before, I will have to get as much of this group as I can (what I have is far from being complete - the family has a lot more stuff (some really cool too), unfortunately, the uniforms have already been sold to some film makers (if they were used in the movie I think of, the guy is probablycursing in his grave)).
So, It's to a most unusual person - a Scouting movement activist, WW2 partisan, post-war militia captain (SB officer, according to the family, but I will have to see more docs to confirm this, however, his Militia ID was unnumbered, and this is commonly associated with the SB, but can as well be an effect of someone's carelessness), painter, writer, journalist and post-89 polititian. And according to the family's friend - a total wierdo (unfortunately there's no good translation of polish "totalnie jebnięty" term:)) who died in 2009.
Anyway, what I got is: A cased set of his medals (incomplete - some are missing and probably he never actually got Auschwitz Cross that is there, altough he personally prepeared this case)
Award boxes for various awards (inclouding some that are not present)
Various award booklets IDs and an ID card of his service pistol (which he should NOT have, as it was supposed to be given back to the militia on the retirement (or death if he was allowed to keep the pistol) togeather with the gun:wow)
about 20 fotographs (inclouding photocopy of his militia ID)
His ribbon bar (one of his most recent versions) - interestingly one award is removed, from the photographs it seems that it could have been Virtuti Militari. It seems that it was either awarded to him after 1989 and then cancelled, or it was awarded to him by the usurpatory president Sokolnicki (he specialises in awarding weterans of the AK, NSZ, Armed Forces in the West and various members of the post 1945 political oposition), then he would deny the award for political or legal reasons.
Some of his Uniform accessories - cap bands and eagle, his scouting movement uniform cap.
Xerox copies of letters from him and to him (one from Jerzy Szmajdziński, a marshal of Polish Parlaiment who died in the Air Crash in Smoleńsk this April)
A xerox copy of his self-portrait (probably won't be able to get any of his art works, as they were promised to the town museum in Bielawa).
His Notebook from his Militia training course from 1975 (containing some data that WAS secret at that time).
Unfortunately, some of the paper items are in bad condition, as they suffered during the recent floods)
I will have more of his stuff in the middle of the month.
I was hoping that the family could provide a short biography of him, but they are unwillig as his daughters don't want to have anything to do with him anymore (sic!). So unless he wrote something about himself, I will have to get the story from documents.

[Al-muell]

more pics...
Btw those xerox copies were all made by him, that's why they have some strange additions...

[Al-muell]

And the last one:

[charlet]

hello, this is an amazing group.

How can a veteran bear a cross he never has been awarded? Did he have the right to purchase the Auschwitz cross? Do you know what are the missing awards?

the blue band for a visor cap is one for militia, isn't it?

about the ribon bar, the blue ribon with two silver stars on top of the bar, shouldn't be the ribon for wounds?

[Al-muell]

I am not sure, as it wos the Veteran himself, who made that case. But on none of his ribbon bars on the pictures, nor on the one I have is he wearing a ribbon for that award. From the veteran's assosiation ID copy it seems that he was in "penitentiary camp", and that is probably not the same thing as concentration camp. Also, the booklet for the award is not present (but it doesn't have to mean it never existed). He could just had bought the award somewhere just to emphasize a special period of his life. According to what I have learned about him, he spent the last years of his life creating his legend.
So altough he realy was a pre-war scout, he realy was a partisan, realy was twice wounded during the war, he would also state some things about himself that, according to the family, were not true - for example, since late 80's he would chnge his surname from Długoszewski to Wieniawa-Długoszewski, claiming to be relative of a pre-war general, Józef Piłsudski's trusted friend and colaborator, Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszewski. He even added "Wieniawa" to his surname in most of the ID documents he had!
As for the missing awards - probably the old style "in service to the nation" bronze badge (unless he just got the new-type one with the old-style document), "For merits to the healthcare" (didn't know such thing existed, but there's a box for that and ID). He also got some scouting movement badges in the 90's, but those were probably sold togeather with one of his uniforms:(.
Also there's a double ribbon on his bar that I do not recognise and the award is not in the case.
If I can get his Veteran's ID, his Militiaman service booklet etc., I may be able to find the full list of his awards.

[charlet]

Thanks! This story proves that an historic reconstitution from the only docs and medals can be really complex.
I suppose there are national archives were you can find military files about a man (career, awards, citations for awards, etc), such as in Russia, USA, FRance, etc?

[Al-muell]

A repost of a large group.

A group to Jerzy Długoszewski, son of Stefan, a scouting movement activist, an AK partisan and a post-war militia officer.

A short view on his Life:
Born in 1922 in Babczew, Łódź Voievodeship as a son of a village teacher. Joined the Polish Scouting Association (ZHP) probably in 1932. Bofore the war he finished 4 classes of a secondary school in Częstochowa.
After the september 1939 he worked physically in the local area. In 1941 he was forced by the nazis to work at the local foundry. In 1942 he was arrested (charged of sabotage, he was unclear in his CV as to wether he was the saboteur or not) and imprisoned later sent to the correctional camps from which he was released in 1943 (possibly due to poor health condition, but that's unclear). After recovering from heavy ilness he joined the "Szare Szeregi" (Grey Ranks - a Scouting movement-based organization, part of the AK; Probably he was taken after his cousins vouched for him, this will be discussed later on), finished an NCO course and was promoted to corporal. After that his task was to train new recruits. Additionaly in 1944 he joined "Combat Emergency of the Socialists" (I haven't found info on that organization - possibly a small organization created by one of the many factions of the Polish Socialist Party - PPS), where he worked as a liason and underground press distribuer.
After the liberation he worked in the aprovization ministry and during carrying his duty as a commandant of a group organizing supplies (mainly food from farmers) he fell victim to an assault by "the bandits" (likely the anti-communist partisans).
Married in 1946
He worked in the industry and commerce until 1961 when he joined the MO (he was almost 40 at that time, but all of the state security organizations were eager to have former partisans in their ranks)
After the war he finished the high scool and started Law studies which he stopped because of the lack of time. He later made various courses.
in 1961 he joined the MO and was sent to the course for Political officers.
He was sent on the pension in late 70's or early 80's due to health problems related to his service in the Militia.
HE later joined th Voluntary Reserves of the Citizens' Militia (ORMO).
He was also active in other fields - he was a PZPR member where he held a few posts in local structures; a member of the ZBOWiD veteran association (he was a head of the local organization and a member of the Voivodeship executive), member of a city council etc.
After 1989 he joined the left wing SLD party and was invited as a honorary guest to Aleksander Kwaśniewski's Presidential Oath Taking Ceremony.
He was also a honorary member of the Socialist Youth organization, Honorary Blood Donors Association, Committe for building the Schools-Monuments (for the Poland's Millenium), a journalist, painter, writer and God only knows who else.
He died in 2010

Pic1: The group
Pic2: a wooden case (home-made by Długoszowski himself) - a bit problematic - some awards missing, some are here even tough they shouldn't. The awards are:
- 1st row: Polonia Restituta Cavalier's Cross, Gold Cross of Merit, Partisan Cross, For merits to the defense of the state bronze medal, Gold Janek Krasicki Cross (a socialist youth award)
- 2nd row: Polish red Cross Gold Badge, For merits to ZSMP (Socialist Youth association), Polish Red Cross Silver Badge, For merits to the defense of the state silver medal
- 3rd row: Victory and Freedom Medal, In Service to The nation - 20years of service (silver), 40 years of the PRP, For merits in defense of the Public order bronze badge
- 4th row: Warsaw Uprising Cross (Not his, but this awardis explained later on), For Odra, Nysa, Baltic medal (apparently not his - presence unexplained, but since the man was a bit crazy he probably bought it as a space filler), For merits in defense of the public order silver badge, Auschwitz Cross (unlikely to be his, but it's presence is unexplained - Długoszowski was in nazi prisons and correctional camps but not the concentration camps, so he probably was not entitled to get one)

3rd pic:
Various insignia: MO cpt. cap band and eagle, remains of MO officer parade uniform collar tab ("palm branch"), Training uniform shoulder insignia (hard to notice on this pic, but the "moro" pattern is actually blue instead of army's dark grey, which indicates MO uniform), PR and PC minis, Ribbon bars - frrom various times, more or less complete. Note the wound badge fro 2 wounds.

[Al-muell]

1st pic:photographs of him from varios periods - in MO officer uniform, in scouting movement uniform etc., also a photocopy of his first MO ID.

2nd pic: 2 award booklets: for the Polonia Restituta CC and For the Silver Badge for Merits in defense of the public order.

3rd pic: 2 award booklets: Bronze badge for merits in defense of the public order, bronze medal for merits to the defense of the state.

Note: Some of the papers here were attacked by some fungi - the group suffered during the flood. The docs have been dried and neutralized, but the discoloration remains.

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1st pic: 2 award booklets: Polish Red Cross Badge and Silver In service to nation badge

2nd pic: Silver medal for merits to the defense of the state and Millenium Badge docs

3rd pic: For merits to the ZSMP doc and JAnek Krasicki gold cross doc

[Al-muell]

1st pic: Honorary blood donor 2nd class badge and 40 yrs of the PRP docs

2nd pic: Honorary blood donor badge

3rd pic: 10 years in Service to the Nation badge doc