Poland - 1917 North American Volunteers Cap Badge
Offered is a fascinating and exceedingly scarce WWI cap badge, issued in 1917 to volunteers to the Polish Army in France at their Niagra-on-the-Lake (Canada) encampment, Zawistowski#192. These pressed metal badges were produced by the New Jersey based firm Whitehead & Hoag (signed just adjacent to the mounting post), and served to replace the cloth emblems which had been in use by the contingent since 1915. The North American Volunteer Army consisted of Canadian and American citizens who wanted to fight under a Polish flag - remarkable as Russia, Prussia, and Austria had torn Poland apart in 1795 with the Third Partition, effectively erasing it from the map of Europe. Most of the volunteers would have been of Polish descent, and many would have participated in one of the hundreds of patriotic societies whose aim it was to further the re-constitution of Poland.
When the regiment arrived in France, the troops were made to remove these emblems, as the Russian Embassy had protested any form of Polish national identification markers on Allied uniforms. The French and Polish authorities negotiated for some time before Polish troops de-facto re-introduced their identifying markers, but this time using the more commonly found ‘Pilsudski’ type eagles. The design proved so popular that iron copies were made in Warsaw following the war (these have safety-pin backs, and are not signed).
These badges are described as ‘extremely rare’ by Niemczyk, and hardly ever come to market. This example is excellent overall condition, retaining its original screw post. A superb piece of WWI history with considerable crossover interest.
Offered is a fascinating and exceedingly scarce WWI cap badge, issued in 1917 to volunteers to the Polish Army in France at their Niagra-on-the-Lake (Canada) encampment, Zawistowski#192. These pressed metal badges were produced by the New Jersey based firm Whitehead & Hoag (signed just adjacent to the mounting post), and served to replace the cloth emblems which had been in use by the contingent since 1915. The North American Volunteer Army consisted of Canadian and American citizens who wanted to fight under a Polish flag - remarkable as Russia, Prussia, and Austria had torn Poland apart in 1795 with the Third Partition, effectively erasing it from the map of Europe. Most of the volunteers would have been of Polish descent, and many would have participated in one of the hundreds of patriotic societies whose aim it was to further the re-constitution of Poland.
When the regiment arrived in France, the troops were made to remove these emblems, as the Russian Embassy had protested any form of Polish national identification markers on Allied uniforms. The French and Polish authorities negotiated for some time before Polish troops de-facto re-introduced their identifying markers, but this time using the more commonly found ‘Pilsudski’ type eagles. The design proved so popular that iron copies were made in Warsaw following the war (these have safety-pin backs, and are not signed).
These badges are described as ‘extremely rare’ by Niemczyk, and hardly ever come to market. This example is excellent overall condition, retaining its original screw post. A superb piece of WWI history with considerable crossover interest.
Offered is a fascinating and exceedingly scarce WWI cap badge, issued in 1917 to volunteers to the Polish Army in France at their Niagra-on-the-Lake (Canada) encampment, Zawistowski#192. These pressed metal badges were produced by the New Jersey based firm Whitehead & Hoag (signed just adjacent to the mounting post), and served to replace the cloth emblems which had been in use by the contingent since 1915. The North American Volunteer Army consisted of Canadian and American citizens who wanted to fight under a Polish flag - remarkable as Russia, Prussia, and Austria had torn Poland apart in 1795 with the Third Partition, effectively erasing it from the map of Europe. Most of the volunteers would have been of Polish descent, and many would have participated in one of the hundreds of patriotic societies whose aim it was to further the re-constitution of Poland.
When the regiment arrived in France, the troops were made to remove these emblems, as the Russian Embassy had protested any form of Polish national identification markers on Allied uniforms. The French and Polish authorities negotiated for some time before Polish troops de-facto re-introduced their identifying markers, but this time using the more commonly found ‘Pilsudski’ type eagles. The design proved so popular that iron copies were made in Warsaw following the war (these have safety-pin backs, and are not signed).
These badges are described as ‘extremely rare’ by Niemczyk, and hardly ever come to market. This example is excellent overall condition, retaining its original screw post. A superb piece of WWI history with considerable crossover interest.