An Amazing, Huge, Antique Indian Ceremonial Steel Tabar Axe Inlaid in Brass, With Scene of Krishna & Temple Decor. Massive Crescentric Blade and Spike End, And Steel Chhajjas

This is a very unusual and rare tabar indeed, as it is twice the size of any example we have seen before, certainly in the past 100 years.

Of typical shape with a large crescentric cutting edge, embellished with chased brass overlaid figural decoration depicting Krishna playing the flute inside a domed shrine, flanked by two attendants surrounded with etched floral decor with inscription and surmounted by steel chhajjas (domed pavillion-shaped structures) the top of the axe head has a sharp faceted steel spike, the patinated wooden shaft is embellished with brass rosettes and a domed pommel end. ,

This 19th century tabar - or saddle axe - is Indian. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the tabar was a standard weapon given to calvalrymen on the field of battle. The tabar would have been carried under the horseman's saddle. This is the elaborate ceremonial version of the tabar saddle axe.
Krishna
Krishna, Sanskrit Kṛṣṇa, one of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation (avatar, or avatara) of the Hindu god Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right. Krishna became the focus of numerous bhakti (devotional) cults, which have over the centuries produced a wealth of religious poetry, music, and painting. The basic sources of Krishna’s mythology are the epic Mahabharata and its 5th-century-CE appendix, the Harivamsha, and the Puranas, particularly Books X and XI of the Bhagavata-purana. They relate how Krishna (literally “black,” or “dark as a cloud”) was born into the Yadava clan, the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, who was the sister of Kamsa, the wicked king of Mathura (in modern Uttar Pradesh). Kamsa, hearing a prophecy that he would be destroyed by Devaki’s child, tried to slay her children, but Krishna was smuggled across the Yamuna River to Gokula (or Vraja, modern Gokul), where he was raised by the leader of the cowherds, Nanda, and his wife Yashoda.

The child Krishna was adored for his mischievous pranks; he also performed many miracles and slew demons. As a youth, the cowherd Krishna became renowned as a lover, the sound of his flute prompting the gopis (wives and daughters of the cowherds) to leave their homes to dance ecstatically with him in the moonlight. His favourite among them was the beautiful Radha. At length, Krishna and his brother Balarama returned to Mathura to slay the wicked Kamsa. Afterward, finding the kingdom unsafe, Krishna led the Yadavas to the western coast of Kathiawar and established his court at Dvaraka (modern Dwarka, Gujarat). He married the princess Rukmini and took other wives as well.

Krishna refused to bear arms in the great war between the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru) and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu), but he offered a choice of his personal attendance to one side and the loan of his army to the other. The Pandavas chose the former, and Krishna thus served as charioteer for Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers. On his return to Dvaraka, a brawl broke out one day among the Yadava chiefs in which Krishna’s brother and son were slain. As the god sat in the forest lamenting, a huntsman, mistaking him for a deer, shot him in his one vulnerable spot, the heel, killing him.  read more

Code: 25964

A Simply Stunning 15th Century Sengoku Period Wakizashi Samurai Short Sword Circa 1480 With Shobu Zukuri Form Blade

Mounted in wonderous, original, full suite of Edo period mounts based entirely on pure gold and silver ponies, made somewhat in the fashion of a very famous set by Yokoya Somin. The most elegant shobu zukuri iris leaf form blade has to be one of the most beautiful blade styles ever made and is rarely seen. Shakudo nanako and gold fuchi kashira, large silver pony menuki under gold silk on giant rayskin. Matching tsuba with gold and silver ponies. cinnabar lacquer saya with ribbed top section with rubbed gold lacquer. The koto blade has wonderful grain and an undulating hamon. Shakudo is a billon of gold and copper (typically 4-10% gold, 96-90% copper) which can be treated to form an indigo/black patina resembling lacquer. Unpatinated shakudo Visually resembles bronze; the dark color is induced by applying and heating rokusho, a special patination formula.

Shakudo Was historically used in Japan to construct or decorate katana fittings such as tsuba, menuki, and kozuka; as well as other small ornaments. When it was introduced to the West in the mid-19th century, it was thought to be previously unknown outside Asia, but recent studies have suggested close similarities to certain decorative alloys used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Wakizashi have been in use as far back as the 15th or 16th century. The wakizashi was used as a backup or auxiliary sword; it was also used for close quarters fighting, and also to behead a defeated opponent and sometimes to commit ritual suicide. The wakizashi was one of several short swords available for use by samurai including the yoroi toshi, the chisa-katana and the tanto. The term wakizashi did not originally specify swords of any official blade length and was an abbreviation of "wakizashi no katana" ("sword thrust at one's side"); the term was applied to companion swords of all sizes. It was not until the Edo period in 1638 when the rulers of Japan tried to regulate the types of swords and the social groups which were allowed to wear them that the lengths of katana and wakizashi were officially set.

Kanzan Sato, in his book titled "The Japanese Sword", notes that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tanto due to the wakizashi being more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside. Wakizashi were worn on the left side, secured to the obi waist sash. The Sengoku period Sengoku Jidai, "Warring States period") is a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war, social upheaval, and intrigue from 1467 to 1615.

The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga Shogunate. Various samurai warlords and clans fought for control over Japan in the power vacuum, while the Ikkō-ikki emerged to fight against samurai rule. The arrival of Europeans in 1543 introduced the arquebus into Japanese warfare, and Japan ended its status as a tributary state of China in 1549. Oda Nobunaga dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573 and launched a war of political unification by force, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War, until his death in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. Nobunaga's successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed his campaign to unify Japan and consolidated his rule with numerous influential reforms. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but their eventual failure damaged his prestige before his death in 1598. Tokugawa Ieyasu displaced Hideyoshi's young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and re-established the feudal system under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Sengoku period ended when Toyotomi loyalists were defeated at the siege of Osaka in 1615.

The Sengoku period was named by Japanese historians after the similar but otherwise unrelated Warring States period of China. The Edo period habaki small copper-gilt blade collar has been perfectly restored and we shall photograph it soon. The photos that show it still in place see photos 2 and 9 are before it was restored.  read more

Code: 23939

A Fine Koto Period Wakizashi, Circa 1500 With Exceptional Mounts & Blade

The fuchigashira, are very special indeed hilt mounts and decorated with dragonfly and signed with an archaic style gold makers seal mark, and the menuki grip fittings, are of also stunning quality made in stunning quality shakudo. The menuki are based around the meditating Daruma. Daruma is a repesentation of a 5th century Buddhist monk,and has a design that is rich in symbolism and is regarded more as a talisman of good luck to the Japanese. He is completely wrapped in his robe, he holds a hossu-fly, the opposing menuki is showing, what is likely a view of Daruma wrapped in his cloak from behind, is inlaid with a pure gold seal mark of the maker, signed, Masayuki. The details in very high relief are accented with finely shakudo and gold inlaid in a Yanagawa style. This notable school takes rank with the Goto, the Nara, and the Yokoyoya in the extent of its influence, the numbers of its pupils, and the importance of the branch school founded by them. The founder, Yanagawa Naomasa (1692 ?1757 ) was a pupil of the early Yokoya and of the Yoshioka, and combined characteristics of both this school. Shakudo was historically used in Japan to construct or decorate katana fittings such as tsuba, menuki, and kozuka; as well as other small ornaments. When it was introduced to the West in the mid-19th century, it was thought to be previously unknown outside Asia, but recent studies have suggested close similarities to certain decorative alloys used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The fittings are set within their two bespoke wooden display cases. Antique Japanese koshirae Japanese samurai sword mounts and fittings are considered as fine object d'art in their own right, and have been collectable as individual items or sets, since the Edo period. The tsuka ito hilt binding is of leather. The tsuba is a fine sukashi tsuba in iron. The saya is decorated with intricately layered pine needles, placed in position to appear natural and random but are actually methodically put in position, in an incredible time consuming skillful manner to appear random, but are not. The surface is then over laid in clear lacquer. The whole process to make thgis saya could have taken an artisan a year or even longer. Overall 24 1/4 inches long, blade length tsuba to tip 17 5/8 inches long  read more

Code: 23140

A Most Interesting & Unusual Form of Antique Tibetan Buddhist Large Dagger-Short Sword. A Dpa'dam. Decorated With Repousse Dragon and Buddha, Seated in the Padmasana Pose, in Dhyana Mudra, With Mandorla, a Coral Stone Bead Inset & Unalome Spiral Sun

The Buddhist spiral unalome sun represents the confusing, winding path of life before spiritual awakening, with its detours and obstacles. Carved polished bone handle. Single edged steel blade.

Tibetan craftsmanship, blending deep spiritual symbolism with intricate artistic detail.

Buddhist symbols on oriental weapons include images like Buddha, seated in the padmasana pose, in dhyana mudra, with mandorla, the Dragon, Vajra (thunderbolt), the Dharma Wheel, the Lotus flower, and Kannon, the thousand-armed deity, the Sun Wheel Spiral. These symbols serve as protection for the user, represent inner power or the Buddha's teachings, and reflect spiritual qualities like mindfulness and the growth of the spirit through practice. Engravings of Buddhist figures like Fudo and Sanskrit characters are also common for warding off evil.

Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism that evolved in Tibet and is practiced in the Himalayan region, Bhutan, Mongolia, and parts of Russia, with a global following. It combines Mahayana Buddhist teachings with Vajrayana (Tantric) practices and elements from the indigenous Tibetan religion, Bon. Key aspects include a strong emphasis on the teacher-student relationship, the Tulku tradition (recognized reincarnating lamas), and a spiritual ideal centered on the bodhisattva, who seeks enlightenment for all beings.

Overall 19.5 inches long, blade 14.5 inches long  read more

Code: 25963

 read more

Code: 25962

Charles Dickens Ist Edition Of Dombey & Son From the Shandon Collection of Robert Napier Half Bound With Marble Leaves. With Illustrations by Hablot Knight Browne "Phiz." One Of The Greatest Of All His Works

Our most popular book purchases from The Lanes Armoury, for gifting at Christmas, will always be a fine Charles Dickens 1st edition! An heirloom for generations to come, that combines to be a fabulous read as well as an antiquarian joy.

London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848 Frontispiece, vignette title, and 38 plates by Hablot Knight Browne (Phiz); plate 35 being the first published example of a "dark plate" Normal staining and foxing to the frontispiece,with foxing as usual, to the plates, browned and stained. A very good copy. The one dark plate in Dombey and Son is "On the Dark Road," p. 547. The smooth blending of light and shadow on this illustration vividly contrasts it with the other illustrations in the novel and is a fine example of the dark plate process"

There's no writing against such power as this - one has no chance' William Makepeace Thackeray.

First edition, this novel is "now recognized as one of the greatest of all his works... It is also the first one to have an explicitly contemporary setting"

Following issue in parts from September 1846 to March 1848, Bradbury and Evans issued the novel in book form in the present cloth. In the 19th number of the part issue, a slip advertised the novel, ready for delivery on 12 April, at £1 1s. in cloth, or £1 4s. 6d in half morocco. The slip goes on to note "Subscribers desirous of having their copies bound in a similar style can have them done by Messrs. Chapman & Hall, 186, Strand, or through their Booksellers, at the following prices:– Whole bound, morocco gilt edges 6s. 6d. Half bound, marble leaves, 4s. 6d. In cloth, lettered 1s. 6d".

For Dickens's novels, the publisher kept a stock of first edition sheets, and bound up copies and issued them over time as demand required. So too, owners of the parts could make use of the binding services long after publication.


A compelling depiction of a man imprisoned by his own pride, Dombey and Son explores the devastating effects of emotional deprivation on a dysfunctional family. Paul Dombey runs his household as he runs his business: coldly, calculatingly and commercially. The only person he cares for is his little son, while his motherless daughter Florence is merely a 'base coin that couldn't be invested'. As Dombey's callousness extends to others, including his defiant second wife Edith, he sows the seeds of his own destruction.
Robert Napier, (1791-1876, second son of James Napier of Dumbarton and Jean Ewing of Rosneath was born at Dumbarton on 18th June 1791. Like his cousin David, he was educated at Dumbarton Public School. One of his teachers, a Mr Traill, recognised his aptitude for mechanical and architectural drawing and encouraged him in developing this skill. Being the eldest son (his brother having died in infancy) and in accordance with Scottish custom, the intention had been that he should enter the Church. However, he felt more forcefully drawn towards following the blacksmith’s trade and at the age of fourteen began working for his father. In 1812 he went to Edinburgh, obtaining a post at Robert Stevenson's works. He returned to Glasgow in 1815 and opened a small blacksmith’s business in Greyfriar’s Wynd. His success there led him to lease the Camlachie works from his cousin David, when David moved his own business to Lancefield. At Camlachie his main business was ironfounding and engineering, constructing marine engines for steamships.

In 1827 he moved his business to larger premises at the Vulcan Foundry in Washington Street, which was nearer the harbour, and in 1835 he took over the foundry at Lancefield when his cousin David moved to London. Combining this with the Camlachie and Vulcan works, Robert Napier thus pioneered an integrated engineering and shipbuilding firm. At Lancefield between 1836 and 1840 he supplied engines for a number of vessels, including those of the East India Company and vessels which would run between England and New York. In 1840 he first became involved in supplying engines to Samuel Cunard, for vessels carrying mail to North America. At his recommendation Cunard was persuaded to increase the size of these vessels, and to enter into partnership with others, a move which proved to be the origin of the Cunard Company. Robert Napier supplied engines for all the paddle-wheel ships operated by Cunard over the next fifteen years. Napier's business was concerned mainly with supplying engines until 1841, when he opened a shipbuilding yard at Govan, building his first ship, the Vanguard, in 1843 for the Glasgow Dublin route. In 1818 he married his cousin Isabella, daughter of John Napier and sister of David. His sons James Robert and John were taken into partnership in 1853. He owned a country estate at West Shandon, and was a prolific collector of works of art and of pottery, his collection becoming known as the Shandon Collection. He died at West Shandon, Glasgow on 23 June 1876.

A very good and beautiful copy with one small corner tear on a later plate.
One picture in the gallery is from an original newspaper showing his play Dombey and Son being advertised {for information only}  read more

Code: 25955

An Absolutely Beautiful Antiquarian Dickens 1st Edition, The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby; With Illustrations by "Phiz." Frontispiece After a Portrait Painted by Daniel Maclise, With Faithfully Yours, Charles Dickens Beneath

Our most popular book purchases from The Lanes Armoury, for gifting at Christmas, will always be a fine Charles Dickens 1st edition! An heirloom for generations to come, that combines to be a fabulous read as well as an antiquarian joy.

Dickens, Charles
Published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1839
Pages: 624 complete, list of plates, or contents - this is complete. Bound in half Morocco.
The cloth was the cheapest option for buyers of the time of printing, and then a price premium was put on the half Morocco and full Morocco. A complete suite of plates by Phiz. 624p.p. 8vo.

Two blank front endpapers, two blank rear endpapers one small corner torn. All 39 plates present, though have browning at edges; foxing to the first few pages. The interior is in good clean condition with the pages in good order bar the odd spot however some of the plates have a certain amount of minor soiling - some more than others

Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, is the third novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published as a serial from 1838 to 1839. The character of Nickleby is a young man who must support his mother and sister after his father dies.

Background
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the Nickleby Family1 saw Dickens return to his favourite publishers and to the format that proved so successful with The Pickwick Papers. The story first appeared in monthly parts, after which it was issued in one volume. Dickens began writing Nickleby while still working on Oliver Twist.  read more

Code: 25956

An Exceptionally Handsome 500 Year Old Samurai Katana, Signed Bizen Osafune ju Kanemitsu, A Museum Quality Piece of Early Samurai History

In a classic and highly sophisticated all black ensemble of koshirae, and a sword that has a breathtakingly impressive curvature. It has all its original Edo mounts, of patinated copper, decorated with takebori relief dragons, an early iron Koto o-sukashi tsuba, a stunning, original, Edo period uniformly narrow ribbed black urushi lacquer saya, in super bright and glossy original condition. Deeply curved blade showing an outstanding active and vibrant hamon in great polish. The tsukaito is over-lacquered silk, in black, over-wrapped on pure gold and shakudo menuki which in turn are on traditional samegawa giant rayskin.

The activity in the hamon is, simply, spectacularly beautiful, and shows the wide Hi horimono groove on one side and a double Bo Hi on the other side of the blade face.

The Incredible Story of Japanese Lacquer on Samurai Swords Scabbards, called Saya

Japanese lacquer, or urushi, is a transformative and highly prized material that has been refined for over 7000 years.

Cherished for its infinite versatility, urushi is a distinctive art form that has spread across all facets of Japanese culture from the tea ceremony to the saya scabbards of samurai swords

Japanese artists created their own style and perfected the art of decorated lacquerware during the 8th century. Japanese lacquer skills reached its peak as early as the twelfth century, at the end of the Heian period (794-1185). This skill was passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice.

Some provinces of Japan were famous for their contribution to this art: the province of Edo (later Tokyo), for example, produced the most beautiful lacquered pieces from the 17th to the 18th centuries. Lords and shoguns privately employed lacquerers to produce ceremonial and decorative objects for their homes and palaces.

The varnish used in Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the urushi tree, also known as the lacquer tree or the Japanese varnish tree (Rhus vernacifera), which mainly grows in Japan and China, as well as Southeast Asia. Japanese lacquer, 漆 urushi, is made from the sap of the lacquer tree. The tree must be tapped carefully, as in its raw form the liquid is poisonous to the touch, and even breathing in the fumes can be dangerous. But people in Japan have been working with this material for many millennia, so there has been time to refine the technique!

Flowing from incisions made in the bark, the sap, or raw lacquer is a viscous greyish-white juice. The harvesting of the resin can only be done in very small quantities.
Three to five years after being harvested, the resin is treated to make an extremely resistant, honey-textured lacquer. After filtering, homogenization and dehydration, the sap becomes transparent and can be tinted in black, red, yellow, green or brown.

Once applied on an object, lacquer is dried under very precise conditions: a temperature between 25 and 30°C and a humidity level between 75 and 80%. Its harvesting and highly technical processing make urushi an expensive raw material applied in exceptionally fine successive layers, on objects such as bowls or boxes.After heating and filtering, urushi can be applied directly to a solid, usually wooden, base. Pure urushi dries into a transparent film, while the more familiar black and red colours are created by adding minerals to the material. Each layer is left to dry and polished before the next layer is added. This process can be very time-consuming and labor-intensive, which contributes to the desirability, and high costs, of traditionally made lacquer goods. The skills and techniques of Japanese lacquer have been passed down through the generations for many centuries. For four hundred years, the master artisans of Zohiko’s Kyoto workshop have provided refined lacquer articles for the imperial household . Overall 37.75 inches long, blade tsuba to tip 27 inches  read more

Code: 24324

1st Edition Hardback. The Third Man and The Fallen Idol by Graham Greene Publisher Heinemann. Frequently Voted As One of The Greatest Films of All Time.

Publication date: January 1, 1950 Hardback with original dustjacket, unclipped, priced 6 shillings, 188 pages, overall in super condition, original cloth binding {under the dust-jacket} is near mint. London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1950. Original presentation recipient's name and date on the inner first leaf

Complete with a loose newspaper clipping in the book {likely from the 1960's} detailing the burial of the actual "Third Man" Nikolaus Borrisov aka Benno Blum. And, as a smuggler of cigarettes and kidnapper of Russian born fleeing emigre's, returned into the hands of Russian Intelligence over the Austro Hungarian border, Borrisov was earning an incredible sum of around £2,500,000 per year from his enterprise of smuggling and kidnapping from 1947 to 1950. This fantastic sum today would likely be, the equivalent, of over one billion pounds a year.

First hardcover edition, and the first time Greene's novelization of his famous screenplay saw print. "Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime and thus begins this legendary tale of love, deception, and murder." Basis for the Oscar-winning 1949 film directed by Carol Reed, starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten.

The Third Man is a 1949 British-American film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotton as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-World War II Allied-occupied Vienna, the film centres on American writer Holly Martins, who arrives in the city to accept a job with his friend Harry Lime, only to learn that he has died. Martins stays in Vienna to investigate Lime's death, becoming infatuated with Lime's girlfriend Anna Schmidt.

The use of black-and-white German expressionist-influenced cinematography by Robert Krasker, with its harsh lighting and Dutch angles, is a major feature of The Third Man. Combined with the use of ruined locations in Vienna, the style evokes exhaustion and cynicism at the start of the Cold War.

Greene wrote a novella as a treatment for the screenplay. Composer Anton Karas' title composition "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing international fame to the previously unknown performer. The Third Man is considered one of the greatest films of all time, celebrated for its acting, musical score, and atmospheric cinematography.

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of all time. In 2011, a poll for Time Out ranked it the second-best British film ever

Henry Graham Greene OM CH (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century, and one of the The Lanes Armoury's, partner's, father's, drinking companions when he was in Brighton and imbibing in the Cricketer's Inn, Brighton's 500 year old oldest pub, and one of our neighbours here in The Lanes.

Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).

Presented to Richard Whittington-Egan who was a British writer and criminologist in 1950, the author of Liverpool Colonnade and Liverpool Roundabout, two colourful chronicles of Liverpool's historical characters, crimes and mysteries. And was considered in his day to the greatest living authority on Jack the Ripper.

First edition. The Third Man was written in eight weeks as "the screen treatment that Greene created as a first step in the production of the film version, which appeared in 1949 and which won first prize at the Cannes film festival" (ODNB). This is the first appearance of the story as a novel.

The Fallen Idol was based on Greene's 1935 short story "The Basement Room", which was adapted into the Oscar nominated film in 1948.

Original black boards, spine lettered in perfect silver, light brown endpapers. With dust jacket unclipped. named to presented original author owner dated 20th July 1950  read more

Code: 25961

Original, 1939 Pattern WW2 Free Polish Forces (Army In Exile) Beret Side Cap Badge. Cast With Threaded Stem Mount

The Polish Army in France, which began to be organized soon after fall of Poland in 1939, was composed of about 85,000 men. Four Polish divisions (First Grenadier Division, Second Infantry Fusiliers Division, 3rd and 4th Infantry Division), a Polish motorized brigade (10th Brigade of Armoured Cavalry, 10me Brigade de cavalerie blinde) and infantry brigade (Polish Independent Highland Brigade) were organized in mainland France. Polish Independent Highland Brigade took part in the Battles of Narvik in early 1940; after the German invasion of France, all Polish units were pressed into formation although, due to inefficient French logistics and policies, all Polish units were missing much equipment and supplies particularly the 3rd and 4th divisions, which were still in the middle of organization. A Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade was formed in French-mandated Syria, to which many Polish troops had escaped from Romania and would later fight in the Middle East. After the fall of France (during which about 6,000 Polish soldiers died fighting), about 13,000 of Polish personnel had been interned in Switzerland. Nevertheless, Polish Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister General Wladyslaw Sikorski was able to evacuate many Polish troops to the United Kingdom (estimates range from 20,0002 to 35,0004). The Polish I Corps was formed from these soldiers. It comprised the Polish 1st Armoured Division (which later became attached to the First Canadian Army) and the Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, and other formations, such as the 4th Infantry Division, and the 16th Independent Armoured Brigade. It was commanded by Gen. Stanislaw Maczek and Marian Kukiel.

Despite its name, it never reached corps strength and was not used as a tactical unit until after the war, when it took part in the occupation of Germany as part of the Allied forces stationed around the port of Wilhelmshaven. Prior to that date its two main units fought separately and were grouped together mostly for logistical reasons. In 1941, following an agreement between the Polish government in exile and Joseph Stalin, the Soviets released Polish citizens, from whom a 75,000-strong army was formed in the Soviet Union under General Wladyslaw Anders (Anders’ Army). This army, successively gathered in Bouzoulouk, Samarkand, was later ferried from Krasnovodsk to the Middle East (Iran) through the Caspian Sea (in March and August 1942). The Polish units later formed the Polish II Corps. It was composed of Polish 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division, Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade and other units.

Zbigniew Mieczkowski at the unveiling of a statue of General Stanisław Maczek (commander of the famous 1st Polish Armoured Division) in Edinburgh, November 2018 Credit: Barbara Eva Photography  read more

Code: 25959