us-005578-irn47278-irn61180
type: RecordSet
archival history: The medal and ribbon with fitted box were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2012 by Krystyna Mew, the daughter of Edward (Herzbaum) Hartry.
biographical 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…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: a. Circular, shiny, cupro-nickel alloy medal with a raised rim and smooth edge, 1.375 in. diam. On the front is an embossed image of a male head in left profile, the crowned effigy of George VI, with Latin text circling the border. The reverse has an embossed image of a left facing, triumphant lion trampling a dragon bodied creature with heads of an eagle and a serpent, symbols of the Axis Powers, with dates 1939 and 1945 embossed above the lion. Artist's initial's are embossed on the front and the designer's on the reverse. At the top of the medal is a suspension ring with a straight, cylindrical top bar through which the ribbon (b) is inserted. b. Rectangular, striped grosgrain ribbon with a narrow central red stripe flanked by narrow white stripes, wider blue stripes, and red stripes at the edges, the colors of the British flag. The ribbon is inserted through the suspension ring of the medal (a). The ends of the folded ribbon are not sewn together. c. Rectangular, black plastic box with a hinged lid, a raised gold painted metal border, and a crown stamped in gold paint on the exterior lid. A small tab on the base is used to open the lid. The foam padded interior is lined with black velvet.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
has beginning date: 1939-01-01
has beginning date: 1990-01-01
has end date: 1945-12-31
has end date: 1990-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had some members with language: lat
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn61180
is or was included in: us-005578-irn47278
record resource extent: a: Height: 2.000 inches (5.08 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm) b: Height: 6.000 inches (15.24 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) c: Height: 3.750 inches (9.525 cm) | Width: 2.375 inches (6.033 cm) | Depth: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: British issued War Medal 1939-1945 with striped ribbon and box of issue awarded to Edward Herzbaum for his service in World War II. Edward was a soldier in the 5th Krestowa Infantry, 2nd Polish Corps, British Army from 1942-1945, and in combat with the British 8th Army in Italy from February 1944-May 7, 1945. The medal was received by his daughter in 1990 on his behalf. Many Polish soldiers refused their British medals as a protest against the government for excluding them from the Victory Parade of 1946 due to pressure from Stalin. Edward, 19, left Łódź, Poland, shortly after Nazi Germany occupied the country in September 1939 for Soviet controlled Lvov. In June 1940, he was exiled to a forced labor camp by Soviet security police. Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Edward was released in an amnesty of Polish prisoners. He joined Anders Army, a Polish voluntary military unit. In August 1942, the unit left Soviet territory and became the 2nd Polish Corps. In February 1944, they joined the 8th British Army in Italy. The Corps fought its way north and was honored for heroism in the Battle of Monte Cassino. They were in Italy on VE Day, May 8, 1945. 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 set up his own architecture firm.
title: War Medal 1939-1945, ribbon and box awarded to a Jewish soldier, 2nd Polish Corps