us-005578-irn522033-irn515268
has or had holder: us-005578
biographical history: Henryk Zguda was born on July 12, 1917, in Krakow, Poland, to Catholic parents, Wincenty and Karolina Zguda. Wincenty fought for the Austrian Army in World War I (1914-1918). In 1918, he returned to Krakow with malaria. He had a seizure and was taken to a hospital in Berlin where he died. Henryk and Karolina lived in a two room apartment with five other family members. After Karolina got a job at the state tobacco factory, they moved to their own apartment. In 1933, Henryk joined the Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), where he swam and played water polo competitively. He dropped out of school in 1935 to work full time for the Emil Freege seed company. In 1939, he was attacked by a group of youths for looking Jewish. His friend, Kazimierz (Kazio) Szelest, organized a group and retaliated against the other group. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, Henryk was at work. He headed east with a friend, Tadeusz Glab, and made it to the Vistula River, where hundreds of others had gathered. They untied a barge and loaded it with about 100 people. On the other side, he and Tadeusz met up with a Polish scout and kayaked down river. After two days spent hiding in the bushes, the Polish scout left. Henryk and Tadeusz found a nearby village where peasants gave them food and shelter. With nowhere to go, they returned home. Henryk obtained German identification and work papers and returned to work at Freege. On May 30, 1942, Henryk was stopped by the German Security Police. Even though Henryk had papers and spoke German, they beat and arrested him and loaded him into a truck, where twenty friends from the YMCA sat. They were taken to Montelupich Prison where Henryk was interrogated and beaten for two weeks. On June 15, 1942, the prisoners were transported to Auschwitz concentration camp. Henryk was shaved, assigned prisoner number 39551, and issued a uniform with a red triangle with the letter P, identifying him as a Polish political prisoner. He was quarantined…
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
scope and content: Polish Union of Swimming badge awarded to Henryk Zguda between 1947-57 when he was a sports trainer and swim coach for the Polish Army. In 1952, he took the Polish water polo team to the Olympics. The badge features the Polish eagle, the national crest of Poland, represented without the crown during the Communist era. Henryk, a 25 year old Catholic, was arrested in occupied Krakow by the German SS on May 30, 1942. On June 15, Henryk was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp. He was given a red triangle with the letter P to identify him as a political prisoner. He was transferred to Buchenwald on March 12, 1943, where he worked in the stone quarry. In spring 1945, Buchenwald was evacuated and, on April 10, Henryk was forced on a death march to Dachau. He was liberated by American troops on April 29. Henryk was hospitalized and then sent to Neu Freimann displaced persons camp. He returned to Krakow in 1946.
title: Polish Union of Swimming red felt badge with an eagle awarded postwar to a Polish Army swim coach
record resource extent: overall: Height: 5.125 inches (13.018 cm) | Width: 3.875 inches (9.843 cm)
date: approximately 1950
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn522033-irn515268/alternateIDs/1
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn522033-irn515268/acquisitions/1
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Shield shaped red felt badge with a light brown felt, uncrowned, Polish dexter facing eagle basted in the center with light brown thread. The eagle has a red metallic thread embroidered eye, silver metallic thread embroidery on the body, wings, leg, and tail, and gold on the beak and talons. The letters PZP are embroidered in silver metallic thread at the top edge and have paper backing.
has record set type: Item
archival history: The badge was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2004 by Nancy Zguda, the wife of Henry Zguda.
has or had some members with language: pol
identifier: irn515268
type: RecordSet
is or was included in: us-005578-irn522033