The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection

Commendation for Brave Conduct Certificate to Sergeant Ryncarz, Polish Army, 15 April 1948, in envelope, good condition £100-150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Bill and Angela Strong Medal Collection.

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In a letter from Jaciej Grabowski, Paris, to ‘His Majesty The King of England’, c/o British Embassy in Paris, dated 27 January 1947:

‘I have the honour to present to you the case of a few Polish officers and other ranks, who made a real success, when defending London against the flying bombs. Nevertheless their deed has not been adequately appreciated.

The Polish Section of the Interallied “Special Forces” was given an operational region in the North of France, which had to be organised for the future parachute landings, and represented at the same time an area of sabotage operations, under the joint name “Bazzard”.

Among the persons, provided for those military operations by P.O.W.N., Polish Organisation for Fight for Independence in France, were Poles, who had lived for years in France. They were organised and trained by a Polish Army staff, which underwent Special Forces training in Great Britain and which afterwards parachuted into France.

Their main task consisted in preparing auxiliary parties, reception committees, and landings for special parachute groups of “Special Forces” as well as regular parachute troops.

The sabotage aimed at cutting off telegraph and telephone lines, ruining roads and making them unpassasble, destroying railway lines, capturing german convoys and dispatch carriers ....

To prepare these actions and command them, nine officers and several other ranks of the Polish Forces were parachuted into France. .... The work in this area lasted from 1943 till the 1st September 1944, when the British Army liberated the territory. The work was a constant one, in spite of extremely difficult conditions, especially with regard to Gestapo and German Field Police, which were doing their best to detect the organisation.’

The names of four Polish officers and other ranks were then specially mentioned, including: ‘Sgt. Ryncarz was killed in a fight with german troops’.

As a result of this representation, Sergeant Ryncarz was posthumously commended for his brave conduct. With copied letter.