The Polish Carpathian Lancers were "some of the most remarkable fighting men of World War II, not least because when the war was won they had nowhere to go," auctioneers John Taylors said.
Poland's Carpathian Lancers
"They stole a train to get into the war . . . started their campaign against Rommel’s tanks on horseback . . . got themselves into the thick of some of the most ferocious fighting of the entire Second World War . . . and in one famous battle resorted to throwing rocks at the Germans after running out of ammo," John Taylors noted.
Brought over to England, the Carpathian Lancers found themselves billeted in a former Italian prisoner-of-war camp in the fishing port of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
They were given the choice of staying in the West or returning to a Poland that was then in the grip of Stalin, the auctioneers pointed out.
Almost to a man, the Lancers decided to stay in the West, many in England and quite a few in Lincolnshire, John Taylors said.
Captain Tomaszewski and his treasure trove
Captain Wincenty Tomaszewski married a Grimsby girl, returned to his trade of motor mechanic, became the owner of a large local garage – and cared for a fabulous treasure trove of Carpathian Lancers material and mementos until his death in 1985, the auctioneers said.
Now, 37 years later, the collection is to go under the hammer at an auction at John Taylors Auction Rooms in Louth, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday, October 11.
War photos, medals, uniforms
John Taylors noted that "the collection includes some remarkable photograph albums packed with shots taken during the Lancer campaigns in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy, with some extraordinary snaps taken during the ferocious battle of Monte Cassino."
It also includes original campaign maps, various souvenirs taken from defeated Nazi soldiers, German propaganda leaflets and other ephemera . . . as well as Captain Tomaszewski’s uniforms and medal awards, John Taylors said.
A smiling Lancer running through smoke during the Battle of Monte Cassino.
The History of the Carpathian Lancers
Auctioneer James Laverack said: “It is an extraordinary collection relating to a scarcely believable story.”
He added: “The Carpathian Lancers regiment was formed in Syria in early 1940 from around 500 men who had managed to escape after Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Syria was at the time part of the French sphere of influence in the Middle East but when France was defeated just a few weeks later the Poles quickly moved on, commandeering armoured cars, horses and even a train to reach British Palestine.”
The auctioneer noted that “The Lancers went under British command, joining the Eighth Army in the Western Desert, initially patrolling on horseback before, rather reluctantly, becoming a motorised regiment. One young lancer later recalled ‘We felt sad to say goodbye to the horses, which we loved, but it was our chance to take revenge on the Germans’.”
The Lancers were sad to lose their horses but delighted to get armour to fight the Germans.
Tobruk, El Alamein, Monte Cassino
Mr Laverack said: “They were part of the forces that successfully defended Tobruk during the eight month siege in 1941, fought in the Battle of El Alamein and served in the front line during the Italian campaign, most notably in the savage four month long battle of Monte Cassino that saw hand-to-hand fighting and the occasion when the Poles threw rocks at the Germans after they ran out of ammunition.”
Captain Tomaszewski, who was a second lieutenant commanding a platoon in the final assault on the historic hilltop abbey, later recalled: “I went up there with 32 men and came out with only seven – the rest were either wounded or dead,” as cited by John Taylors.
Mr. Laverack added: “Captain Tomaszewski’s wartime collection . . . including his Virtuti Militari, the highest Polish military medal, awarded for outstanding valour in battle . . . has passed down several generations since his death and it is family descendants who have decided that the time is right for it to become part of a more extensive collection.”
The auction
The auction catalogue is available on the firm’s website (www.johntaylors.com).
The auction starts at 10 o’clock on Tuesday, October 11. It is to be webcast live on the Internet via www.the-saleroom.com.
For further information please contact James Laverack at John Taylors on 01507-611107 or 07958-453636 or (james@johntaylors.com).
(dn/pm)