PRESIDENT HOLBROOK IN FRONT OF A PANEL IN HIS UNIQUE

MEDAL AND GUN ROOM, ALL REGISTRANTS AT THE CONVENTION

WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THIS EXHIBIT AND

THE MANY OTHERS HOLBROOK WILL HAVE ON DISPLAY,

BRITISH DISTINGUI.SHED 3ERVICE ORDER PRESENTED IN RECENT U,N, ACTION

qUEEN ELIZABETH 11 RECENTLY PRESENTED THE D,B,0, TO A BRITISH OFFI-

CER SERVING WITH THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE CONGO,

{’#~JOR RICHARD LAWSON~ De~,0,~ OF THE ROYAL TANK REGIMENT WAS RECENT-

LY BESTOWED WITH THE ORDER FOR HIS nACTS OF BRAVERYn IN AND AROUND THE

AREA OF KONGOLO -- THE SCENE OF THE NEW YEARS DAY MASSACRE OF 22 BELGIAN

PRIESTS AND NUNS,

AFTER HEARING THAT SEVERAL MISSIONARIES AND PRIESTS WERE .IN DANGER

AT KONGOL09 THE ~’~JOR VOLUNTEERED TO RESCUE THEM AND SEE TO THEIR SAFE

EVACUATION TO UNITED NATIONIS HEADQUARTERS, AFTER BEING LANDED ON THE

OUTSKIRTS OF THE TOWN~ HE WAS nlMMEDIATELY SURROUNDED BY ARMED AND IR-

REGULAR MUTINOUS CONGOLESE TROOPB~ ALTHOUGH HE WAS ARMED ONLY WITH HIS

~SWAGGER STICK~, ~URROUNDEO BY THE ANGRY MOS~ HE PROCEEDED TO THE LOCAL

COMMANDANT~ AND NEGOTIATED THE RELEASE OF A BELGIAN PRIEST BEING HELD

CAPTIVE.

HE REPEATED HIS DARING ACT AGAIN WHEN~ ON JANUARY 27TH~ HE VENTURED

INTO THE WILDS OF THE CONGO~ THIS TIME TO RESCUE CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES

BEING ATTACKEO BY ~00 CONGOLESE TROOPS* WITH THE INTERVENTION OF LOYAL

CONGOLESE OFFICERS~ HE WAS ABLE TO SEE THEIR SAFE REMOVAL TO UNITED NA-

TIONS CONTROLLEO TERRITORY. His INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MUTINOUS

SITUATION IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY PROVED OF GREAT VALUE TO HIS SU-

PERIORS. SUBMITTED BY BOB ~MITH

THE AWARDS OF THE POLISH PEOPLES REPUBLIC

PART 4 BY BERNARD LEIDL TRANSLATED BY WALTER P. HUBER

CONTINUED FROM THE MAY~ JUNE~ AND JULY~ 1962 ISSUES.

(~.) THE MEDALS FOR MERITS ON THE FIELD OF HONOR ("MEDAL ZAS~U~ONYM NA

POLU CHWA~Y") THERE EXIST TWO TYPES OF THIS MEOAL~ ONE DATED 1945, AND THE OTHER DATED 19JtZ~.

THIS MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO COMBATTANT8 WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE

BATTLE OF LENINO ON OCT, 12, 1943. THIS MARKED THE FIRST INSTANCE OF

USE OF POLISH TROOPS WITHIN THE SOVIET ARMY. THIS SPECIAL MEDAL ’HAS

ISSUED IN THREE GRADES -- GOLD~ SILVER~ AND BRONZE. IT DIFFERS FROM THE

REGULAR MEDAL IN THAT THE OBVERSE HAS TWO FLAGS FLANKING THE CROSS OF

THE VIRTUTI MILITARI, ON THE LEFT IS THE POLISH FLAG~ WHILE ON THE

RIGHT IS THE SOVIET FLAG. THE REVERSE CONTAINS THE DATES OF THE BATTLE~

0CT. 12-15, 1945, AND THE NAME OF THE BATTLE OF LENINO,

THE REGULAR MEDAL DOES NOT HAVE THE FLAGS NOR THE REVERSE DATES

OF THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED MEDAL. INBTEAO~ THE REVERSE DATE 16 SIMPLY

19J-~. AB IN THE PRECEEDING MEDAL~ THERE ARE THE SAME THREE GRADEB~ AND

THE SAME RIBBON IS USED ALSO - BLACK WITH BLUE SIDE STRIPES,

(9.) THE PARTISAN CROSS ("KRZYZ PARTYZANCKI") THE INSCRIPTION ON THE OBVERSE IB " ZA / POLSKE / ~LNOSC / I /

LUD " ("FOR POLISH FREEDOM AND FOR THE PEOPLE"), THE CROBS IS GOLDEN~ AND HANGS FROM A GREEN RIBBON, WITH BLACK BIDE STRIPES.

THE REVERSE HAS ~ 19~9 / PARTYZANTOM/ 194~ " (To THE PARTISANS

~9]9-1945).

(10.) THE MEDAL FOR YOUR AND OUR FREEDOM ("MEDAL ZA VVASZA WOLNOSC I NASZA"). THIS MEDAL IS qUITE RARE~ ONLY ABOUT 500 WERE ISSUED.

THIS SILVER MEDAL WAG ISSUED TO THE POLISH COMBATTANTS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL BRIGADE IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR IN 19~. ON THE OBVERSE

IS THE BUST OF FORMER POLISH ~RIGAD~ LEADER ~ABROWSZCAK.

ON THE REVERSE IS THE INSIGNIA AND NUMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL

~RIGADE IDENTIFICATION~ ALONG WITH THE SATES N19~-19~911. AT THE BOTTOM

IS THE DATE OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE MEDAL, n 19~ , AROUND IS THE

INSCRIPTION= n DABROWSZCZAKQvt " ("FOR THE DASROWSZCAI<IS"). THE RIBBON

IB RED W!TH ACENTRALWHITE STRIPE. (IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT

THIS RISBONIS THE SAME PATTERN AS THAT OF THE SPANISH ORDER OF MIL-

ITARY MERIT°)

(11o) THE SILESIAN UPRISING CROSS ("SLASKI I<RZYZ POWSTANCZY").

THE CROSS IS SILVER~ WITH A BLUE ENAMEL CENTER FOR THE OBVERSE.

THE THREE DATES ARE ON THE OBVERSE ARMS OF THECROSS. 1921 REPRESENTS

THE FIGHTING OF THE POLISH DEFENSE CORPS AT ANNASERG IN UPPER ~ILESIA

AT THE PERIOD BEFORE THE PLEBISCITE, WHEN THE ~ERMANS HAD ORGANIZED

THEIR OWN DEFENSE CORPS (0RGEBCH = ~), IN 19~9 SOME OF THE RIOTS OCCURED

IN THE DISTRICT OF KATTOWITZ (BEGINNING OF W,W. 2), THE EVENTS OF 19~

ARE KNOWN.

THIS CROSS AND ESPECIALLY THE RIBBON ARE VERY SCARCE. THE RIBBON

IS MULTI--COLORED, READING OUT FROM THE CENTER~ THE COLORS ARE= WHITE~

RED~ GREEN~ WHITE~ LIGHT BLUE, WHITE~ AND MAROON,

(12.) THE GREAT POLISH UPRISING CROSS (BWIELKOPOLBKI KRZVZ POWGTANCZY"). a BRONZE CROSB~ WITH A WHITE EAGLE ON A RED FIELD FOR THE OBVERSE

CENTER. IT WAS ISSUED FOR THE RIOTS OF 191~-1919. BEFORE THE DISTRICT

OF POSEN WAS CEDED TO POLAND, VARIOUS RIOTS OCCURED AGAINST THE ~ERMAN

ADMINISTRATION. THE RIBBON IS MEDIUM BLUE= WITH RED SIDE STRIPES. THIS

CROSS IS ALSO SCARCE.

9