Can anybody please tell me if there are any archived lists of members of the Polish forces who were repatriated to Poland 1945-1948?
I know you know but a good place to start PISM Home Page also found this interesting POLISH RESETTLEMENT CAMPS IN THE UK 1946
Thank you, I found PISM first but there is little there to help me. I agree with you that the Resettlement Camps site is very interesting and would be very useful to me but whether it is inter-service rivalry or just fiercely competitive services, this site seems to be all army, navy and displaced persons. The half dozen or so air force camps - whilst they work on exactly the same principles - seem to be totally separate and I have yet to find a site that covers them! I have tracked one particular man all the way through his military career, until May 1946. Then he disappears. I can find no sign of a marriage, children being born or a death so I am assuming he either emigrated or returned to Poland immediately after being demobbed. To make matters worse, even by Polish standards, he had an unusual name and was the only man listed in the Polish Air Force with the surname Szoszkies. His forename of Lew is also very unusual for a Pole. Strangely, his battledress tunic turned up in Luxembourg of all places but that seems a bit too wealthy an area for an ordinary airman to settle in!
Ah My Father had a Polish work mate in the sixties whose first name was Lew Our Migration Story: The Making of Britain WO 315 War Office: Army Records Centre (Polish Section): Records concerning Polish Forces and Polish Resettlement Corps | The National Archives
I digress, but if you are researching Polish War Graves, this dutch website has a lot of info. I was planning to meet the man who set it up and lived in Dorst, but it did not happen. Polish War Graves
The latter looks very interesting - do you happen to know if there is a similar record set for the Air Force group of camps, which would obviously be held with Air Force records and not by the Army?
Yes, I have used these records many times but the man I am researching survived the War and would not be covered by them
49/3. Enquiry - Polish archives, museums and libraries, Polish Air Force. | The National Archives Reference: WO 315/49/3 Description: 49/3. Enquiry - Polish archives, museums and libraries, Polish Air Force. Date: 1942-1945 Held by: The National Archives, Kew Legal status: Public Record(s) Language: English and Polish Closure status: Open Document, Open Description 67/2. Polish Resettlement Corps and Royal Air Force. | The National Archives Reference: WO 315/67/2 Description: 67/2. Polish Resettlement Corps and Royal Air Force. Date: 1946-1949 Held by: The National Archives, Kew Legal status: Public Record(s) Language: English and Polish Closure status: Open Document, Open Description Looks as though WO 315 series might provide the best results for your search Browse records of other archives | The National Archives WO 315 1932-1959 War Office: Army Records Centre (Polish Section): Records concerning Polish Forces and Polish Resettlement Corps This series comprises records of the Army Records Centre (Polish Section) concerning Polish forces and the Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC), set up in 1946 to ease the transition of Poles serving with Allied forces to civilian life in Britain or abroad. The series consists mainly of records of the PRC Records Section, and the Aftermath Liaison Section of the Directorate of Personal Services. They deal with Polish service during the Second World War as well as the aftermath. An analysis of each file, prepared at the time the papers were arranged into their present form, is at WO 315/68 It should be noted that some of the records in this series are in Polish, although for ease of administration English translations were provided in most cases. TD
Just as an update for those of you who showed an interest. I have discovered that he actually emigrated to the USA sometime before 1950 where he married Maria Drezner. He died on a visit to Canada in 1983. So now all I have to do is find his death certificate and I can get his military records. Thanks for your interest.
