I opened my desk yesterday thinking I would do a tiny bit of decluttering, and managed not an iota. I found so many interesting things, and important things, none of which I wanted to get rid of. Many I had totally forgotten about. Like this envelope. I didnt recogise the handwriting in the first instance and then I had difficulty deciphering it. It took a while:

Pani Barbaro. Oto i ” bonus”: kartka z autografami. Najserdeczniejsze życzenia dla Pana Ojca; dla Państwa ukłony . JE 20 07 08

Barbara – here is a bonus – a card with autographs. Best wishes to your father and greetings to you.

What could this mean? I looked inside and brought out this first day cover.

And then I realised. Juliusz in his working life had been a graphic designer, and he had designed these stamps and First Day Cover for the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1984. We had been talking about my father who was a veteran of Monte Cassino, and he had decided to make me a present of the set, to show/give to my father. I must admit, I don’t know if I ever did show them to him, because I think I put the envelope away not to see the light of day till yesterday.

I feel a bit guilty now, because my father was an avid stamp collector and a great admirer of General Anders. So he would have appreciated this.

In the envelope was also this bonus postcard:

A souvenir from the exhibition to mark the fortieth anniversary of Monte Cassino

I cannot decipher these signatures at all. Can you help?

This, as I said , was quite a special find.

This year will be the 80th anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino and I believe there are many preparations around the world to commemorate the event. Sadly I don’t think there are many veterans left, certainly very few Polish ones, but I would like to know about those who are still alive. My father died in 2015 at the age of 96 – almost the last of his particular group of friends.

But Juliusz, the inspiration of this blog, was younger, but died sooner. He in his later years was a well known voluntary worker, activist and photographer. His main hobby was accompanying Gen Anders’ widow to her many engagements. He was also Chair of Trustees of the Care Home Antokol – which is how I knew him.

But everywhere he went – and he went everywhere – he took countless photos. A lot of them were very good. I believe. He would always promise to send them to interested parties. Very occasionally he did. But not often. He took too many to sort. I am still waiting for quite a few. 

A rumour went round that the reason there were no pictures of the nativity of Christ was that Julius had been appointed photographer!