pre-WW2 Polish Commemorative Gorget 14th Jazłowiec Lancers Regiment for Colonel Godlewski – (Buszek Lwów)

The ryngraf is shaped as a slightly convex shield made of silver sheet. At the upper center is an applied plaque depicting Our Lady of Jazłowiec, the patroness of the 14th Jazłowiec Lancers Regiment. Below the image of the Virgin Mary, aligned on the central axis, is a miniature of the regimental badge in the form of a white enameled Maltese cross. At the center of the cross is a circular medallion enameled in blue and black—the colors of the Virtuti Militari ribbon—with a miniature Virtuti Militari cross superimposed on it. Behind the Maltese cross is a circular rosette, the so-called “Sun of Podolia,” bearing the letters UJ (Ułani Jazłowieccy) and the year of the regiment’s founding: 1918.

The reverse is plain, showing five rivets securing the Virgin Mary plaque and regimental badge miniature. At the top is an engraved inscription:

“1918 – 1935, TO A COMRADE-IN-ARMS OF THE JAZŁOWIEC FIELDS, IN REMEMBRANCE, YOUR FELLOW SOLDIERS.”

At the edge of the lower rim are three silver hallmarks: the Lwów assay office mark, the goldsmith’s initials “W.B.,” and the full maker’s mark: W. BUSZEK LWÓW.

This is one of the very few known original commemorative gorgets of the 14th Jazłowiec Lancers Regiment, awarded on special occasions to the most distinguished individuals in pre-war Poland. According to our research, at least seven were issued, including to Marshal Józef Piłsudski, General Tadeusz Komorowski, and General Franciszek Kleeberg.

The offered piece is one of two awarded in 1935. The first was given to Colonel Andrzej Kunachowicz upon his departure as commander of the 14th Lancers. The second was presented to his successor, Colonel Edward Godlewski, who returned to his original unit after many years. Kunachowicz’s ryngraf is nearly identical to this one and was likely made as a pair—presumably presented at the same ceremony.

This item originates from the collection of General Antoni Grudziński. It was once part of a commemorative display panel, likely housed at the Jazłowiec Uhlans’ House in London. The final photo shows the original form of the panel..

Antoni Grudziński (b. 17 November 1897 in Wilno, d. 1 December 1981 in London) – a General Staff-trained cavalry officer of the Polish Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West. In 1964, he was promoted to brigadier general by Władysław Anders. He studied at the Polytechnic in Petersburg and began military service in July 1918 with a Uhlan squadron in the Kuban, later converted into a regiment within General Żeligowski’s 4th Rifle Division. He returned to Poland with the division. From November 1919 to April 1920, he attended officer training school. During the Polish–Soviet War, he commanded a platoon in the 14th Jazłowiecki Lancers Regiment and served as adjutant to the same regiment until November 1926.

On 2 November 1926, he was assigned to the War College in Warszawa as a student of the 1926–1928 Regular Course. Upon graduation on 31 October 1928 and receipt of his General Staff diploma, he was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Division Headquarters in Warszawa. On 24 April 1930, he became Acting Chief of Staff of the 2nd Cavalry Division. On 1 November 1930, he joined the staff of the Army Inspectorate in Lwów. In November 1934, he returned as squadron commander in the 14th Jazłowiec Uhlan Regiment in Lwów. In January 1935, he was assigned to Section III of the General Staff. In July 1939, he was appointed deputy commander of the 14th Uhlan Regiment in Lwów.

During the September Campaign, he served in the Operational Section of the Commander-in-Chief’s Staff in Poland, and then in France, where he was assigned to the Operational Section of the XX French Corps Staff. From June 1940, he served as Deputy Chief of Section III of the Commander-in-Chief’s Staff in London. On 30 June 1941, he took command of the reconnaissance squadron of I Corps, which was reorganized into the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment on 30 June 1942. On 13 July 1942, he relinquished command and became Deputy Commander of the 16th Armoured Brigade. He served as special aide to the Commander-in-Chief in London from 1943 to 1944, and from March to September 1944 as liaison officer to the British 21st Army Group. In September 1944, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the 10th Armoured Cavalry Brigade. From June 1945 to June 1947, he commanded that brigade. In June 1947, he joined the Polish Resettlement Corps and took command of the 54th Brigade Group.

After demobilization, he settled in London. On 27 May 1978, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Military Adjudication Commission. He was a collaborator of the Sikorski Institute in London. He died in a road accident on 1 December 1981.