Polish Order of the White Eagle 1921-1939- number awarded?

[P.F.]

Gentlemen,

Is the precise number of White Eagle Orders awarded for the period of the Polish 2nd Republic known?

Thank you
Pierce

Edited May 7, 2016 by P.F.

[paul wood]

Pierce,

Are you talking of the Period 1921-39? If so Wesolowski gives a figure of 95 awards (this does not include awards made by the government in exile).

Paul

[P.F.]

Thank you Paul. I had read online (wiki) that there were 112 bestowals during this period...and another source there gave 116.

Kind regards
Pierce

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

Polish Wiki gives the complete list of 24 Polish (including 3 presidents ex officio) and 88 foreign recipients between 1921 and 1939, with the exact date of each award.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_Or%C5%82a_Bia%C5%82ego#II_Rzeczpospolita_.28lista_pe.C5.82na.29

[P.F.]

21 minutes ago, Lukasz Gaszewski said:

Polish Wiki gives the complete list of 24 Polish (including 3 presidents ex officio) and 88 foreign recipients between 1921 and 1939, with the exact date of each award.

https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_Or%C5%82a_Bia%C5%82ego#II_Rzeczpospolita_.28lista_pe.C5.82na.29

Thanks for your reply. Yes, this is the page I found but I also came across this one:
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kategoria:Odznaczeni_Orderem_Or%C5%82a_Bia%C5%82ego_(II_Rzeczpospolita

Here there are 116 recipients listed, including Hermann Göring, which is probably a mistake!

On ‎06‎/‎05‎/‎2016 at 10:45, paul wood said:

Pierce,

Are you talking of the Period 1921-39? If so Wesolowski gives a figure of 95 awards (this does not include awards made by the government in exile).

Paul

Does Wesolowski give the names of recipients?

[Lukasz Gaszewski]

I have looked into my sources. There were 112 recipients (24 Poles and 88 foreigners) between 1921 and 1939. Some sources say 111, as one (Stanislaw Car, awarded posthumously in 1938) is not always included. I have not found any source which would prove that kings Fuad and Farouk, as well as Camillo Perini were ever awarded.

With Göring, there was a rumour a few years  ago, made by a Polish journalist who insisted that Göring was would be awarded in 1936, but the award was kept secret (!) after the war. Later on, it turned out that he simply mistook the Yugoslav Order of the White Eagle (which Göring indeed did have) with its Polish counterpart, but the affair started living its own life.

What regards Mr Wesolowski's book, I have no idea where he got his 95 recipients from. Wesolowski did a great thing, as he was probably the first person who wrote about Polish orders and medals in English. The bad thing about him is that he did not bother to update his figures in subsequent editions, even when access to the sources was facilitated.

[P.F.]

18 minutes ago, Lukasz Gaszewski said:

I have looked into my sources. There were 112 recipients (24 Poles and 88 foreigners) between 1921 and 1939. Some sources say 111, as one (Stanislaw Car, awarded posthumously in 1938) is not always included. I have not found any source which would prove that kings Fuad and Farouk, as well as Camillo Perini were ever awarded.

With Göring, there was a rumour a few years  ago, made by a Polish journalist who insisted that Göring was would be awarded in 1936, but the award was kept secret (!) after the war. Later on, it turned out that he simply mistook the Yugoslav Order of the White Eagle (which Göring indeed did have) with its Polish counterpart, but the affair started living its own life.

What regards Mr Wesolowski's book, I have no idea where he got his 95 recipients from. Wesolowski did a great thing, as he was probably the first person who wrote about Polish orders and medals in English. The bad thing about him is that he did not bother to update his figures in subsequent editions, even when access to the sources was facilitated.

Lukasz

Thank you for checking this.

Regarding Göring, I agree- it was a mix up with the Yugoslav Order of White Eagle, which Göring had from 1934/1935.

Kind regards
Pierce