us-005578-irn47278-irn61162
type: RecordSet
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Silver colored metal button cover with an edged circle with a stamped image of a she-wolf nursing 2 infants, Romulus and Remus, above the date 1947, surmounted by the letters POA. A central pointed bar flanked by 2 layered flat topped bars extends from the top of the circle behind the letters; the center bar has an embossed x-shaped emblem at the top. Attached to the back is a flat topped threaded screw with a gold colored removable disc for a buttonhole fastener.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1947-01-01
has end date: 1947-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
history: Edward Henryk Herzbaum (later Hartry) was born on October 6, 1920, in Vienna, Austria. He was the only son of a Jewish couple, Dr. Alexander and Fanny Hermelin Herzbaum. Alexander was a chemical engineer, born in Tarnow, Poland, in February 1886 to Mendel (1855-1930) and Chana Ettinger Herzbaum, who married in 1882. They also had a daughter Gisela (1884-1912.) Chana died in 1886. In 1888, Mendel married Beila Lea Ettinger (b. August 22, 1864). Mendel and Beila had two children: Jakob (1888-1966) and Herman. Edward's mother Fanny was born in Boryslaw, Poland, near Lvov on May 30, 1890, to Samuel (d. 1922) and Chaje Sara Backenroth Hermelin. Fanny had four siblings, Rifke (b. 1883), Cirl (b. 1888), Zacharje (1884-1925), and Abraham (1885-1886.) In 1928, Edward's family moved to Poland and settled in Zawiercie. Edward had asthma and wore glasses, as he was very shortsighted. In 1934, they moved to Łódź. Alexander, 51, died in July 1937 of cancer. Edward graduated from high school in May 1938, and deferred his military service to enroll at the Warsaw Polytechnic, Faculty of Architecture. He had completed two semesters when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Edward joined the Polish Auxiliary Forces as a volunteer and was arrested by the Germans with other paramilitary youth a few days later. Edward escaped and returned to Łódź. The Soviet Union invaded and occupied eastern Poland. German occupying authorities in Łódź enacted oppressive anti-Jewish measures. At the urging of his mother, Edward, then 19, left Łódź on December 6, 1939, and went east to Lvov, which was under Soviet control. In Lvov, Edward lived with his maternal aunt and had an assortment of jobs, including office worker at a construction site, skiing instructor, and lifeguard at a swimming pool in a Soviet sports center. In June 1940, Edward was arrested by the NKVD (Soviet Security Police), tortured, and exiled to a gulag near Rybinsk on the Volga River. The prisoners logged and hauled trees in…
history: The pin was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Krystyna Mew, the daughter of Edward (Herzbaum) Hartry.
identifier: irn61162
is or was included in: us-005578-irn47278
record resource extent: overall: Height: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Width: 0.500 inches (1.27 cm) | Depth: 0.375 inches (0.953 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: POA lapel button cover with the Roman she-wolf, Romulus and Remus, and the year 1947 owned by Edward Herzbaum, who served as a soldier in the 2nd Polish Corps from 1942-1945. The source of the acronym is not known. In late 1946, Edward left Rome, where he was studying architecture at the University of Rome, for England. When Edward was 19, he left Łódź, Poland, shortly after Nazi Germany occupied the country in September 1939 for Soviet controlled Lvov. In June 1940, Edward was exiled to a gulag by Soviet security police. Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Edward was released in an amnesty of Polish prisoners. He joined the Polish Army of the East, known as Anders Army. In August 1942, the unit left Soviet territory and became the 2nd Polish Corps, British Army. In February 1944, they joined the British 8th Army in Italy. The Corps fought its way north and was honored for heroism in the Battle of Monte Cassino. They celebrated VE Day, May 8, 1945, in Italy. Edward learned that his mother died in Łódź Ghetto in 1943. He studied architecture in Rome until the British decided to allow Polish Corps veterans to immigrate to England in October 1946. He then served in the Polish Resettlement Corps for two years, completed his degree, and eventually set up his own architecture firm.
title: POA button cover with a Roman she-wolf owned by a Jewish soldier, 2nd Polish Corps