Senior Sergant Jan Gierczak, Partisan/State Security Employee.

[Al-muell]

A small group of two awards to sr. sgt Jan Gierczak.
The group is apparently incompleate, as it consists of only two awards - Grunwald Badge and 10 years of the PRP medal, while the "reasearch" suggests that he should at least also have "10 years in Service to the Nation" badge, Victory and Freedom medal and Partisan Cross. And a "Poland to it's Defender" medal...
Yeah, this guy had a somewhat complicated life.

Butlet's start with the group itself.
First we have one box that is for none of the awards present.
There are alsothe awards themselves - the badge has the padding made ofcardboard covered with red cloth - probably to match the red collar tabs of the post-48 UB uniforms. Such paddings were quite popular with the badge, the most popular one was theone made of Grunwald Cross ribbon - even if the parson didn't have a Grunwald Cross at all.
The medal is in surprisingly good condition as for the award that was worn by an active serviceman for at least 4 more years.

Both documents are in standard covers, which is unusual with the Grunwald badge doc.
The grunwald Badge doc was issued on 25 August 1946 by the chief of the Voivodeship State Security Office. His rank was captain, but I can't make out the name.
Gierczak's rank isgiven as plut.[onowy] - platoon corporal, butit was unskillfully crossed out which suggests that he had already a different rank at that time.

The 10yrs. of the PRP medal doc is rather standard.

[Al-muell]

IPN catalogue gives quite a lot of information on Gierczak.
First, info on him as a person who held "Commanding post in the party and state organs of the PRP":
http://katalog.bip.ipn.gov.pl/showDetail...aId=84640&

Member of the PPR since 1944, later in the PZPR. Since 1923 he was in the PPS [Polish Socialist Party - pre-war socialist party, one faction of it existed after the waruntill it was incorporated by the PPR creating PZPR]. In the period of 1942-44 he was the member of the GL-AL [pro-soviet PPR-organised partisans, 3rd largest partisan organisation] using a nom de guerre "Grzegorz" [there were many partisans using this psudonym]. He was an undercover scout inthe community of Świeciechów. In the period of 1919-1922 he served in the Polish Army. he fought in the Polo-Soviet War. Serviceman of the UB/MO in the period of IX 1944-X 1959.


Function/Organisation cell/ Institution/Location/Organisation/From/To
Member/Executive/Basic party organisationat the PUBP/Lublin/PZPR/1950/06.05.1952

Deputy Secretary/ /Basic party organisationat the PUBP/Lublin/PZPR/ 07.01.1951/05.1951

Secretary/ /Basic party organisationat the PUBP/Lublin/PZPR/ 05.1951/06.05.1952

Member/Executive/Basic party organisationat the PUBP/Lublin/PZPR/06.1952/29.05.1954

II Secretary/ /Basic party organisationat the PUBP/Lublin/PZPR/ 20.04.1953/ 29.05.1954

[Al-muell]

And now - a little bit on his service:
http://katalog.bip.ipn.gov.pl/showDetail...aId=84640&

Unit name/Locatrion/Name of the cell/Function/Service rank/From/To
PUBP [State Security office for Powiat - larger than community (gmina), smaller than Voivodeship [Województwo]/KRAŚNIK/outpost in DZIERZKOWICE/Refferee/ -/01.09.1944
PUBP/KRAŚNIK/Territorial (community) refferees/Refferee forthe community of DZIERZKOWICE/ -/15.03.1945
WUBP/LUBLIN/Department I, Section V (responsible for fighting anti-state organisations that were opposing government agricultural politics - mainly the agricultural reform)/Junior Referee/ -/13.06.1945/
WUBP/LUBLIN/Department III (Logistics, supply, financial and administrative affairs), Supply Section/Armory Officer/ -/01.01.1946/
WUBP/LUBLIN/Supply Department, Armament Section/INSPECTOR/ -/ 01.07.1947/
WUBP/LUBLIN/Komendantura (Internal Police more or less), Interior Jail/Chief/ -/31.01.1948/
WUBP/LUBLIN/KOMENDANTURA/Assistant on duty/ -/01.04.1948/
WUBP/LUBLIN/General Department, KOMENDANTURA/Assistant on duty/-/01.06.1948/
PUBP/LUBLIN/Security/Chief/ -/01.01.1949/
PUBP/LUBLIN/KOMENDANTURA/Chief/-/01.02.1949/
PUBP/LUBLIN/REFERAT GOSPODARCZY/INTENDANT OF THE BUILDING/ -/01.02.1951/
PUBP/LUBLIN/KOMENDANTURA/Chief/-/01.05.1952/
PUdsBP/LUBLIN/Security/chief/-/01.04.1955
DUdsBP/LUBLIN/Security/chief/sr. sgt./01.02.1956/31.12.1956

Other information about the serviceman and service:
In the period of 1.01.1957 - 31.10.1959 service in the MO. In 1951 he hed the functionof the member of the Executive of the Basic Party Organisation at the PUBP in Lublinie.

[Al-muell]

I haven't found any info on his partisan activity, onlyGierczak in Lublin area in the GL/AL was Antoni Gierczak, who waskilled in a fight with germans after taking part in a few sabotage actions targetting railway transport. They could have been related.
But on the other hand - the surname is a bit popular - after all oneof themost famous Polish famale heroes of the WW2 was Emilia Gierczak and they were definately not related.