Can anyone please help with identification of this badge and 4 KCKM. I know nothing about it except it was taken mid to late war and it could have a Polish connection although I believe the uniforms are British.
The epaulettes look quite Polish-style, certainly not British. They're not airforce, are they ? The eagle badge certainly looks like the sort of thing adopted by the Polish Airforce in Exile.
Google search for "4 KCKM" gives one Polish result for same designation from Sep 1939 Boje Polskie 1939-1945. Przewodnik Encyklopedyczny"4+kckm"&source=bl&ots=Hq-dI2_bnq&sig=3806_34Cp_qEyajp7ariY47tSyI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMiInSt4nfAhWrUxUIHcC5ApUQ6AEwAnoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q="4%20kckm"&f=false
CKM = ciężki karabin maszynowy = Heavy Machine Gun Ckm wz. 30 - Wikipedia I dare say the photo is a 4 Heavy MG Company
Sorry, yes they are air force - that's why I put the query here - but I should have said that. I know absolutely nothing about the photo except that it was found among the effects of a Polish Airman.
If you are right, it must have been taken in Persia and it must have been of his friends or family because he was a pilot
Rich Payne was thinking along the same lines as me. It does look Air Force but I couldn't find a Polish Air Force badge exactly like it. It looks like the Polish white eagle superimposed on the V for Victory or possibly the V representing the 5th Corps. All of that suggests the Middle East or North Africa/Italy but the uniforms are not tropical
That's typical ! I dived straight in from 'New Posts' without noting the sub-forum ! I wonder if they're wearing denims ? In any case, wool BD was widely worn in MEF and certainly in Italy for much of the year.
Thanks, I didn't know that but it makes sense because, just in a side remark, the lady who sent this photo has just told me that her father served in Iraq before leaving for England to join the Polish Air Force so your opinions appear to be on the button!
This is something I never knew - Evacuation of Polish civilians from the USSR in World War II - Wikipedia In 1942, about 120,000 refugees from Poland began their exodus to Iran from remote parts of the Soviet Union.[16] Despite political instability and famine in Iran at that time, Polish refugees were welcomed by the smiles and generosity of the Iranian people[17]. In late 1942 and early 1943, Polish camps in Iran were located at Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Ahvaz. First schools were opened in Tehran, where after one year there were ten Polish educational institutions. At Isfahan Polish orphanage and children camp was opened, where 2,300 children and 300 adults stayed and eight elementary schools were created. Iran - Poland 540 Years of Diplomatic Relations They may be a part of Anders Army - Anders' Army - Wikipedia TD https://www.amazon.com/Warsaw-Rome-General-Anders-Exiled/dp/1473894883 The Polish Army was evacuated to Iran in 1942 and subsequently incorporated into the British Army as the Polish II Corps.
TD, You are totally correct and between the British and Iranians, the Poles were very well cared for by way of feeding, clothing and medical treatment. Some of the Poles were specially selected to serve in the Air Force and were sent to England - the rest went to North African and Italian theatres of war and it was the Poles who eventually took Monte Cassino. The men in the photo above were ex soldiers who eventually joined the Air Force and the one I am trying to track was actually arrested in Poland by the Russians and released after Operation Barbarossa