VC Sale - Interesting Tale

[Broznitsky]

APR 04, 2004 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN PAGE: A1 / FRONT (NEWS)

RCMP probe missing war medal for sale at auction

A Victoria Cross lost or stolen 30 years ago has mysteriously resurfaced, Randy Boswell reports.

Randy Boswell, The Ottawa Citizen

The RCMP has been asked to investigate how a Victoria Cross won by a Canadian soldier in the First World War appears to have come up for auction 30 years after being lost or stolen from the Canadian War Museum.

The Commonwealth's highest honour for bravery was awarded in 1917 to Filip Konowal -- one of the country's most decorated fighters and a celebrated figure among Ukrainian-Canadians -- but went missing in 1973 from the museum's collection of military memorabilia.

London, Ont.-based Jeffrey Hoare Auctions has announced the upcoming sale of the "historically important" artifact at a Hamilton hotel on May 30. Museum officials want the auction halted until its experts can examine the medal and determine its provenance.

Museum spokesman Mark O'Neill said a curator has been in contact with the auction house to arrange to see the object and try to conclude whether it's the same Victoria Cross that went AWOL from the Ottawa repository of military heritage.

Duplicate VCs have been known to be sold to unwitting buyers, and the history of the medal originally held by the museum is also murky.

Yesterday, the auction house was reluctant to discuss the issue.

"At the present time, we are awaiting resolution of the issues surrounding the Konowal Victoria Cross," spokeswoman Wendy Hoare said. "Until such resolution is reached, we cannot comment on the details surrounding the cross, except to say that we are of the opinion that the cross is authentic. We trust that the issues will be resolved quickly and in a fashion that is beneficial to all parties concerned."

If the item offered for sale turns out to be the original Victoria Cross awarded to then-corporal Konowal -- he was later promoted to sergeant -- in London on Oct. 15, 1917, by King George V, Mr. O'Neill says "we will do everything in our power to recover it."

The museum learned of the pending sale of the medal from Lubomyr Luciuk, the country's leading Ukrainian-Canadian historian and Sgt. Konowal's biographer. Mr. O'Neill said the RCMP was contacted Friday and asked to investigate the matter.

Mr. O'Neill described Jeffrey Hoare Auctions as a "reputable" company that would not knowingly place an item with questionable provenance on the auction block.

Sgt. Konowal was born in Ukraine in 1888 and migrated to Canada in 1913, just before the outbreak of the First World War. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and was serving in France with the 47th Battalion when he performed the act that earned him the Victoria Cross.

"For most conspicuous bravery and leadership when in charge of a section in attack," his citation read. "His section had the difficult task of mopping up cellars, craters and machine-gun emplacements. Under his able direction, all resistance was overcome successfully, and heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy. In one cellar, he himself bayoneted three enemy and attacked single-handed seven others in a crater, killing them all. On reaching the objective, a machine-gun was holding up the right flank, causing many casualties. Cpl. Konowal rushed forward and entered the emplacement, killed the crew, and brought the gun back to our lines."

Remarkably, after Sgt. Konowal returned to Canada he eventually found himself working as a janitor at the House of Commons.

"Spotted washing floors of the Parliament building by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, Sgt. Konowal was reassigned as the special custodian of Room No. 16, the Prime Minister's Office, a post he held until his death," Mr. Luciuk has written.

Sgt. Konowal died in 1959 at the age of 72.

The museum acquired Sgt. Konowal's medals in the 1960s. Mr. O'Neill said when the Victoria Cross was discovered missing in 1973, it wasn't clear what had happened to it.

There is also some question about the provenance of the Victoria Cross that the museum had possessed before it disappeared.

In 1995, museum curator Dan Glenney wrote to Mr. Luciuk that records pertaining to the missing Konowal VC and his other medals "are sketchy; the medals are not described in detail as to engraving. It is possible that we may never have received the original. An exhaustive search of our records at my request this winter failed to shed any new light on the situation."

Mr. O'Neill said he couldn't estimate the potential value of the lost medal. But Victoria Crosses have sold for hefty sums in the past, and a collection of medals won by famed First World War medic and In Flanders Fields poet John McRae fetched $400,000 several years ago at a Jeffrey Hoare auction.

[182 CEF]

Unfortunatly more than a few items have gone missing from this Museum. And we all know that MANY items go missing from smaller private Museums. I don't know how bad it is in other places, but I know of a few here in Ontario.

Dean

[Broznitsky]

APR 06, 2004 EDMONTON JOURNAL PAGE: A5 (NEWS)

RCMP seize Victoria Cross from Ontario auction house

Believed to be medal awarded in 1917 and stolen in 1973

RCMP seized a controversial Victoria Cross from an Ontario auction house after the Canadian War Museum alerted police the coveted artifact might have been stolen from its collection in 1973.

RCMP Cpl. Nathalie Deschines said the medal -- apparently the original awarded to Canadian soldier Filip Konowal in 1917 -- was removed Monday from Jeffrey Hoare Auctions in London, Ont., and will be analysed by military heritage experts.

"Eventually it will come to Ottawa for the duration of the investigation, to find out who's the rightful owner," Deschines said.

The auction house issued a statement Monday saying the Canadian War Museum "has asserted a claim of ownership for the Konowal VC and has requested that it be returned to the museum. Accordingly, the RCMP have taken possession of the cross while the true ownership is determined."

Jeffrey Hoare had announced the sale of the "historically important" medal as the highlight of its May 30 auction of military artifacts in Hamilton.

Konowal was born in Ukraine in 1888. He immigrated to Canada just before the outbreak of the First World War and enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

In the battle for Hill 70 at Lens, France, in August 1917, he single-handedly killed at least a dozen enemy soldiers and seized a German machine-gun.

In presenting Konowal his Victoria Cross -- the Commonwealth's highest award for bravery -- King George V told him: "Your exploit is one of the most daring and heroic in the history of my army. For this, accept my thanks."

Konowal experienced tragedy and hardship in Canada after the war. He served time in prison for killing a man, apparently in self-defence. He later worked as a janitor at the House of Commons before his death in 1959.

Lubomyr Luciuk, Konowal's biographer, informed the museum Friday of the impending sale. Museum officials quickly called the RCMP and asked that the medal be withdrawn from auction and its provenance investigated.

"They moved quickly and it's a pretty good development," museum spokesman Mark O'Neill said. He said curators from the Ottawa museum will examine the medal next week.

Museum officials aren't sure whether the Konowal VC was lost or stolen in 1973. There's also doubt about whether the medal was the original.

War Amps chief executive Cliff Chadderton said he was pleased the long-lost medal appears to have been found and claimed credit for sounding alarms about it four years ago.

[Terry]

Yes, as I was having coffee at a local restaurant this morning I saw a news report about the RCMP seizing this VC. As I mentioned earlier this has turned into a real soap opera, with lots of twists & turns.

[ianw]

It seems the museum may have difficulty in proving that they held the original especially in view of the letter from the curator. Fascinating.

This does raise an interesting general question about the safety of WW1 items held by various types of museums the world over , in view of the massive increase in value of these items in recent years.

[Broznitsky]

WAR MEDAL'S JOURNEY NEARS END

ANDREW SEYMOUR, OTTAWA SUN

A World War I Victoria Cross that was missing for nearly 30 years before turning up at an auction two months ago will likely be returned to the Canadian War Museum in the next 10 days.

The RCMP said yesterday they are close to completing their investigation into the medal's disappearance and expect to return it to the museum in the next week to 10 days.

"It doesn't look like we're going to lay charges," said RCMP Const. Nathalie Deschenes, adding the passage of time has made it tough for investigators to trace exactly how the medal disappeared from the museum or if it was stolen.

As best as anyone can tell, it appears the medal went missing sometime in 1977. It wasn't reported missing until 23 years later in 2000 before being located in April at a London, Ont. auction.

"There is kind of a big gap of time there," said Deschenes.

The medal is believed to be that of Sgt. Filip Konowal, a Ukrainian-Canadian who lived in Ottawa and received the Commonwealth's highest honour for bravery in 1917 while serving in France with the 47th Canadian Infantry Battalion during World War I.

Deschenes said it appears the person who had put the medal up for auction had purchased it for about $20 at a flea market or similar sale and the auction house voluntarily relinquished any claim to the medal once it was determined that it belonged to the museum.

"The rightful owner is the museum," said Deschenes.

andrew.seymour@ott.sunpub.com

[Guest Pete Wood]

Deschenes said it appears the person who had put the medal up for auction had purchased it for about $20 at a flea market or similar sale and the auction house voluntarily relinquished any claim to the medal once it was determined that it belonged to the museum.

Oh come on.....!!! This is the seller's 'alibi'.....?? "I bought it for $20, and never thought it might be stolen." Yeah, yeah

I don't understand how the auction house can "relinquish any claim to the medal." Surely it is the 'property' (!!) of the guy who decided to SELL the medal, and it is up to him to relinquish any claim......?? Wasn't the auction house merely acting on behalf of the seller.....??

I hope the museum will give the chap back his $20

[WJBates]

Peter: Enjoyed the story, there are probably more like that out there, a pretty likely $20....jack

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

The way museums treat a lot of their exhibits and items. I am surprised this sort of thing does not happen more often.

I remeber hearing how one of the Military Museums in the UK only had enoguh space to exhibit 15% of the tiems it had collected or had been donated to it over the years. Indeed there is a Museum not far form us, non-military, that no longer accepts any donated items.

Ian

[Broznitsky]

JUN 29, 2004 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS PAGE: A8 (CITY)

Rare medal returned, but mystery remains Officials mum on its 31-year disappearance

by Alexandra Paul

A rare Victoria Cross that suddenly surfaced on the auction block 31 years after it vanished from the Canadian War Museum is being returned to its rightful owners while the story behind its disappearance remains a mystery. Ottawa RCMP and war museum officials confirmed yesterday the medal is being returned to the museum.

"The RCMP will give the medal back Wednesday at the latest and we will be having a ceremony to commemorate its return Aug. 23," museum spokeswoman Christina Selin said.

She deferred questions about its 31-year disappearance to RCMP in the capital who headed the investigation.

RCMP Sgt. Andre Digras said yesterday he did not have access to the file on the investigation, so he couldn't clear up the mystery either.

"I do know the medal is being returned to the museum. I don't believe there are any charges yet," Digras said.

The medal is important because it is one of only 95 Victoria Crosses awarded to a Canadian. The medal, which is the British Commonwealth's highest honour for bravery, was awarded to Filip Konowal for killing 16 soldiers in hand-to-hand combat near Lens, France, in 1917. It is the only Victoria Cross known to have been awarded to a Ukrainian-Canadian.

Its return to the museum was greeted with mixed feelings yesterday.

Ukrainian-Canadian historians say they are pleased the medal is safe, but they're perplexed about the silence they say has descended on its disappearance and the investigation into its recovery.

"As far as it coming home to where it belongs, it's a great ending to the story, but there's a big story (to be told) on how it went missing and how it went up for auction," said former Winnipegger Peter Melnycky, an Alberta historian who has written about Ukrainians in Canada and collects military medals.

The man who tipped the museum off in April that the medal was being auctioned echoed the sentiments.

"I'm delighted a piece of Ukrainian-Canadian history is being rescued, but there is still a tale to be told," said Lubomyr Luciuk, research director with the Ukrainian-Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

He said the lack of explanation casts a shadow on the good news of the medal's return.

"Would you be comfortable sending your father's medals or your grandfather's medals to a place where you know really rare medals can go out the back door?" Luciuk asked.

It's thanks to Luciuk the medal, valued at $240,000, was spotted before it disappeared for good.

Luciuk said he found out about the medal this spring from a British man who saw it up for private auction on a website and recognized its priceless value to Ukrainian-Canadian heritage.

Once Luciuk confirmed the report, he notified the museum and within hours the RCMP started an investigation.

RCMP seized the medal from Jeffrey Hoare Auctions in London, Ont., in April. The valuable artifact went missing in 1973 after a photo session at the museum and was long thought to have been misplaced somewhere in the museum's collections.

"The bizarre part is there are no criminal charges and there's no story being told on where this prodigal medal has been for 30 years," Luciuk said.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

[Terry]

I wonder what other treasures have disappeared out the back door of this museum, and others, over the years. So many people think that a museum is the best place for family heirlooms, but in fact medals are often better cared for, and displayed for the public in many cases at conventions and militaria shows, when they are in the hands of collectors who truly love and appreciate medals.

[Tom Morgan]

This is a really puzzling series of events. I'm sure that this hidden story isn't going to lie down and go to sleep. It will be very interesting to find out what's been going on.

Tom

[Broznitsky]

AUG 23, 2004 THE STARPHOENIX (SASKATOON) PAGE: A8 (NATIONAL)

Lost-long medal back in museum

Bruce Garvey, CanWest News Service

OTTAWA -- It's the medal of all military medals -- the Victoria Cross, the one that marks the very zenith of individual valour and bravery through 150 years of British Commonwealth empire-building, world wars and military might.

Only 1,348 of them have been awarded -- 95 to Canadians -- and they're all special. But none more than the simple brass cross beneath a crimson ribbon pinned on Ukrainian immigrant Filip Konowal by King George V that goes on display today at the Canadian War Museum.

Behind the medal lies not only the extraordinary story of Corp. Konowal, but the modern-day mystery of how it went missing for 31 years. It's a tale that has confounded the RCMP and now seems destined to pass unsolved into Canadian military lore as the Great Medal Mystery.

As far as the RCMP is concerned the medal is back with the museum and the case is closed.

"We're not exactly sure what happened," said Sgt. Andre Digras. "It was 30 years ago, so there's a time factor. There are no charges and the medal is back where it belongs."

But if the fate of Konowal's medal will never be known, the exploits that earned it will never be forgotten.

You have to go back to the muddy, rat-infested trenches of France and the hell that was the First World War -- that's where Konowal found himself in 1917. It was there he earned the coveted military decoration. In the space of 48 hours in the battle for Hill 70 he stormed two German machine-gun nests with his rifle and bayonet, was captured and escaped, and killed 16 German soldiers in hand-to-hand combat before being shot in the face by a sniper.

It took Konowal three months to recover and he carried a bullet lodged in his head for the rest of his life. He continued to serve on the western front and later in Siberia, fighting for the White army against the Bolshevik Reds in the Russian revolution.

Konowal returned to Canada in 1919 -- a hero and the only Ukrainian Canadian to ever win the Victoria Cross.

When he died in 1959, Konowal left his medals to his widow, who fell on hard times and sold them to a collector who in turn sold them to the War Museum for $3,750 in 1969.

The mystery began in 1973, when the medal went missing following a photo session and for years was presumed to have been misplaced among the museum's thousands of artifacts.

And that's the way it stayed -- one dead hero, one lost medal -- while Lubomyr Luciuk, a political geography professor at Kingston's Royal Military College and research director of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, campaigned for a series of plaques and monuments honouring the Konowal legacy.

Then this past April, Luciuk received a tip from a fellow British war buff that the Konowal medal was being offered for sale on the Internet by the Jeffrey Hoare Auction House in Hamilton, Ont. Almost immediately the war museum contacted the RCMP who seized the medal.

Whatever happened to the Konowal medal, Luciuk will be at the war museum today for a celebratory ceremony to mark its return.

[Broznitsky]

AUG 24, 2004 THE OTTAWA SUN PAGE: 5 (NEWS)

MYSTERY REMAINS AS VC BACK ON DISPLAY

HOLLY LAKE, OTTAWA SUN

Cpl. Filip Konowal's Victoria Cross went on display at the Canadian War Museum for the first time in 31 years yesterday.

The VC disappeared from the museum in 1973 and only turned up this past April at a London, Ont. auction house.

'MOVE FORWARD'

"There's a part of me that says, 'let it go and move forward,' " said Joe Geurts, the museum's director and CEO. "But there are obviously a lot of people who'd like to know how this happened."

Lubomyr Luciuk, a professor at the Royal Military College and the research director of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, has a theory, but until he reads the RCMP's report, which he's applied for under Access to Information, he's keeping it to himself.

"We're not interested in criminal prosecution or finding someone to be punished. We're simply interested in finding out where that medal was all those years."

Like each of the 95 Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadians, Konowal's is steeped in history. Konowal earned his VC 87 years ago this week in the Battle of Hill 70 in France.

There he led attack after attack against German machinegun positions and killed at least 16 Germans before being shot in the face.

While she was young when her grandfather was alive, Claudette Wright of Orleans said he was a quiet, humble man.

SPOTTED BY PM

"He worked as a little janitor (on Parliament Hill) and he wasn't recognized much until Mackenzie King happened to notice his medal (while he scrubbed floors)," she said.

King quickly appointed him cleaner of the Prime Minister's Office -- a job Konowal held until his death in 1959.

The Cross was on display for only one day. When the new Canadian War Museum opens in May, it will be a part of the regular collection.

holly.lake@ott.sunpub.com