WW2 Polish Badge 10th Dragoon Regiment, J.R. Gaunt – Gen. Antoni Grudziński

The badge was awarded to General Antoni Grudziński. The item comes from a set of memorabilia belonging to General Antoni Grudziński. The last photo shows the entire set.

Overall condition as shown in the photos.

Provenance:

• Christie’s Auction “Militaria”, July 11, 1986, Lot 227

• Private collection, Scotland

• 1995–2002, Deposited and exhibited at the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London

• Private collection, Scotland

• Private collection, Poland

• Auction “Gabinet Numizmatyczny Damian Marciniak”, Poland, 2019

• Private collection

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.