Defence Medal issued for service in the British Army during World War II

Object | Accession Number: 2000.226.3

2000.226.3 back
Defence Medal issued for service in the British Army during World War II

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Date: commemoration: 1940-1945
Language: Latin
English
Classification: Military Insignia
Category: Medals
Object Type: Medals, English (lcsh)
Credit Line: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Joan Ringelheim

Physical Description: Circular, silver colored cupro-nickel alloy medal with a striped grosgrain ribbon. On the front is an embossed image of a male head in left profile, the uncrowned effigy of George VI, with Latin text circling the border and artist's initials, HP, below the bust. The reverse has an embossed image of the Royal crown resting on a stylized oak tree supported on either side by a heraldic lion, with the dates to the left and right. Below are embossed wavy lines to represent the sea and English text. At the top of the medal is a suspension with a cylindrical top bar through which the ribbon is inserted. The vertically striped ribbon has a wide, central orange stripe flanked by 2 broad stripes of green with superimposed narrow black stripes. The colors symbolize enemy attack during the war: orange for the fires of the Blitz, green for the green and pleasant land, and black for the Blackout. The ribbon is frayed and unsewn at tthe top.
Dimensions: overall: Height: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Width: 1.500 inches (3.81 cm) | Depth: 0.125 inches (0.318 cm)
Materials: overall : metal, cloth
Markings: front, embossed around edge : GEORGIVS VI D : G: BR: OMN : REX ET INDIA : IMP.
front, below bust, embossed : HP
back, top, embossed : 1939/1945
back, bottom, embossed : THE DEFENCE MEDAL
Topical Term: Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Poland--Personal narratives.
Jewish soldiers--Poland--Biography.
World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Jewish.
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Polish.
Corporate Name: Poland. Polskie Siły Zbrojne. Polski Korpus, 2--Biography.
Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Provenance: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2000 by Joan Ringelheim.
Conditions on Access: No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use: No restrictions on use
: Record last modified: 2022-07-28 18:29:21
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn520468

Also in Marcus Rosenzweig and Claire Ringelheim families collection

The collection contains military medals and insignia, documents, photograph albums, and publications relating to the experiences of Marcus Rosenzweig and Claire Ringelheim families during the Holocaust.

Date: 1940-1991

Rosenzweig and Ringelheim families papers

Document

The Rosenzweig and Ringelheim families papers include biographical materials, correspondence, music, photographs, and restitution files documenting Marcus and Claire Rosen and their families. Rosenzweig family materials document Marcus Rosen’s musical and legal training, military service in the Anders Army, immigration to the United States, marriage to Claire Ringelheim Rosenfeld, and efforts to receive compensation for Holocaust-era suffering and losses. A Rosenzweig family photograph album depicts Marcus Rosen and his family before, during, and after the war, including during his service in the Anders Army. Ringelheim family materials document the time Claire Rosen spent in Italy with her first husband, Henryk Rosenfeld, his death in 1943, her immigration to the United States, her marriage to Marcus Rosen, and her efforts to receive compensation for her family’s real estate and small business losses in Jarosław and Przemyśl during World War II. A Ringelheim family photograph album depicts Claire Rosen, Henryk Rosenfeld, and the Ringelheim family before, during, and after the war, including the time she spent in Pisa with her first husband. Rosenzweig family biographical materials include identification papers and student, military, and career records documenting Marcus Rosen’s education, military service in the Anders Army, evacuation to England following the battle of Monte Cassino, and his immigration to the United States. Student records include report cards, diplomas, and certificates documenting his high school, musical, and legal training. Applications, certificates, and a curriculum vitae document his status as a lawyer and his work at the Polish General Hospital in England after World War II. Military papers include vaccination, promotion, and service records, information about medals he received, and membership cards for service and veterans associations documenting his World War II military service. Identification papers include passports, registration documents, and naturalization certificate documenting his Polish nationality, alien status in England, and immigration to the United States. Correspondence with the British Health and Social Security Department documents his efforts to receive a pension for his World War II service. Rosenzweig family correspondence includes congratulatory telegrams documenting Marcus and Claire Rosen’s marriage, letters from Marcus’ brother Idek describing what happened to their family during the Holocaust, and letters from Marcus to Dov Levin describing his World War II experiences and particularly his service in the Anders Army. Music files include programs featuring performances by Rosen, published sheet music for Co Warte Nasze Zycie and Na Bezludnej Wyspie, and handwritten sheet music for untitled pieces. A Rosenzweig family photograph album and loose photographs depict Marcus Rosen and his family before, during, and after the war, including during his service in the Anders Army. A set of military photographs of aircraft and servicemen is accompanied by a 1947 letter seeking information about photographic material relating to the 311 Bomber Command of the Czech Army. Rosenzweig family restitution files include correspondence, forms, statements, receipts, and medical records documenting Marcus Rosen’s efforts to receive compensation for suffering during the Holocaust. Medical records include correspondence, reports, medical histories, and lists of expenditures documenting his illnesses and injuries resulting from World War II. Correspondence, checks, and receipts document the United Restitution Organization’s efforts to help him receive compensation for Holocaust-era medical claims. Claims Conference records include correspondence, statements, and receipts documenting his efforts to receive compensation for Holocaust suffering from the hardship fund of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. This series also includes correspondence and forms documenting his efforts to receive compensation for gold and silverware expropriated during the Holocaust. Ringelheim family biographical material includes Claire Rosen’s Italian student identification card, immigration records, and death certificate; death certificates for her first husband, Henryk Rosenfeld; and her father’s 1903 American naturalization certificate. Ringelheim family correspondence consists of letters from Claire Rosen to her sister, Dina Reich-Ingber, which describe her survival, learning of the death of her first husband in the Holocaust, and her remarriage. A Ringelheim family photograph album and loose photographs depict Claire Rosen, Henryk Rosenfeld, and the Ringelheim family before, during, and after the war, including the time she spent in Pisa with her first husband. Ringelheim family restitution files include correspondence, notes, payments, receipts, and decisions documenting her efforts to receive compensation for real estate and small business losses in Jarosław and Przemyśl during World War II.

Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross

Object

Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross [Krzyż Pamiątkowy Monte Cassino] awarded to Marcus Rosenzweig, a soldier in the 2nd Polish Corps, British Army, for participation in the Battle of Monte Cassino, as well as Piedimonte and Passo Corno in Italy. This May 1944 victory was the fourth attempt by Allied forces since January 1944 to break through German defenses blocking the advance into Italy.