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HUSBAND BOSWORTH CAMP 1948-1956 |
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Husbands Bosworth in
Leicestershire was one of many aerodromes built in WW2
that after the war became Polish displaced persons camps. These D.P.
Camps were all run by the National Assistance Board and had English
administrators. In its hay day Husbands Bosworth housed as many as 500 people, Polish ex soldiers, civilians, mothers and
children. Many
came to England from camps in Africa, India and other countries making their
home in the disused nissen huts. People settled in to rebuild their lives
as well as they could under the circumstances. Being devout Catholics and
driven by their faith one of the first priorities, with their priest Fr. Franciszek Dziduszko
at the helm, was to turn one of the brick barracks into a place of
worship. |
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Corpus Christy procession in the 50's winding its way around the camp, you can
see the metal nissen huts in the background. |
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Edek Merkis
with his memories |
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Mr. Edek Merkis now in his 70s
came to Husbands Bosworth camp as a young man from Africa in 1948. His
recollections of the camp are still quite vivid. The camp was very
well organised, there was a church with a Polish priest, a small
recreation room for various occasions and a large hall which was used
for dances and theatre. I met my future wife, Jadwiga Rafał in the
camp. There were various organisations like the sewing classes,
amateur dramatics and a Polish folk dance group. We had a surgery with
a Polish doctor and a nursery for the younger children. For the first
two years, meals were prepared and served in the mess hall three times
a day. Later, facilities were provided so that families catered for
themselves. Living conditions were rather primitive. People lived in
huts made from corrugated metal sheets, without any insulation, there
was a small round coke burning stove in the huts but not enough to
heat the metal, so we froze in the winter and fried in the summer.
People who had work in the factories in near by towns had transport
provided by the employers. In 1956 the camp was finally liquidated and
people were re-housed by the council in near by towns like Market
Harborough, Northampton, Rugby, Leicester and Melton Mowbray. Nothing
remains of the camp now, ONLY MEMORIES. |
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| Edzio Merkis and Jadwiga Rafał
on their wedding day. They were married on the 18/6/1955
in Husbands Bosworth church |
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Children's first communion with their parents and
priest Fr. Franciszek Dziduszko. |
Young people vowing their solidarity .(Sodalicja
Marianska) |
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A typical reception with young
people and visiting senior clergy |
Back row. Czesław
Jana, Basia Bock, Hubert Bock, Jadzia Rafał, Boguś Rdzanek, Mila Kmiec,
Sitting. Stefa Poważka, Ks.Stanisław Skudrzyk, Ks. Franciszek Dziduszko, Ela
Kubis |
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Camp's amateur dramatic group |
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The camp had a thriving amateur dramatic group with their director Zbigniew Szolc. They were young and enthusiastic, performing many
plays for the camp's residents. The
group also took part in all national celebrations; 3rd. of May
(constitution day), 11th. November national independence day, reciting poetry and singing patriotic songs. They entertained children
in the camp on St. Nicholas day dressing up as traditional characters,
angels, imps, goblins, devils and of course one person was St. Nicholas
giving out small gifts to the children. All in all the life in the camp
reflected all aspects of Polish culture and traditions. |
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Sitting: Zygmunt Miarkowski, Marysia Leszczełowska, Janusz Rafał,
Standing: Mr. Henryk Kozłowski (Education Officer) Mila Kmieć,
Kazik Miarkowski, Jadwiga Rafał, Stefan Guryn. Edek Merkis, Gienia
Świstak, Stanisław Brodalko and Władek Rataj. |
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Dressed in uniform are Kazik Lecznat, Janusz Rafał,
others are Jadzia Rafał, Marysia Sarniak, Stanisław Józefczyk, Edek
Merkis, Zygmund Miarkowski and Eugeniucz Kania. |
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play "Jestem
Zabójcá" T.Okuniewski, Jadwiga Rafał,
Edek Merkis, Stanisław Brodalko, Marysia Leszczełowska and Kazik
Mirkowsk. It is worth mentioning
that Marysia Leszczeołowska's daughter Ania
Krupska is the co-founder, dance teacher and choreographer of the Polish
dance troupe 'Polesie' in Leicester.
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Sitting Z. Miarkowski, S. Poważka,
E. Kubiś, M. Leszczełowska, J. Rafał, D. Okuniewska, K. Cieślak,
Zbigniew Szolc - director of the camp theatre. |
Stefa Poważka, Danuta Okuniewska, Jadzia
Rafał, Janusz Rafał, Edzio Merkis, Zbigniew
Szolc |
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Some of the ladies in the camp formed a sewing circle.
Learning how to make their own clothes. |
Jadzia Rafał,
Ela Kubis and Mila Kmieć with Fr. Dziduszko and
his pride and joy, a baby Austin. |
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Jadzia Rafał, Edzio Merkis, Ela
Kubis, Mila Kmieć |
Jadzia Rafał and Edzio Merkis with
corrugated iron nissen huts in the background |
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Irena Pluszyńska
remembers her time in the camp. |
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I came to to England with my
mother in 1948 from Africa. My father was in the army and already in
England. We sailed from D.P. camps in Africa to Southampton and were sent to Daglingworth, a transit
camp in Gloucestershire. From there we were sent to Husbands Bosworth camp in Leicestershire. The camp was slowly filling up with mothers, children and the elderly. The administration in the camp was English but
helped by Polish solders whose job at that time was to unite families, torn
apart by the war, with their fathers, husbands and sons who were in the army
and already on British soil. That was where we were reunited with my father
and where I met the man that later became my husband Andrzej Gundelach.
Conditions in the camp were somewhat primitive, metal nissen huts with a cast
iron stove in the middle to keep us warm, but after years of being pushed
from pillar to post half way around the world nobody complained. We got
ourselves organised as best we could. There
was a communal mess were we had our meals, one of the barracks became a
church for our spiritual needs, a kindergarten run by Mrs. Lucyna Derkacz, a
qualified nursery nurse from Poland, and recreation hall were we had weekly
dances. To start with we were given 2 shillings and 6 pence (2/6d) per
week with
which we bought fruit from the local farmer and some personal hygiene items.
We supplemented this income by potato picking at the local farm. Arriving
from hot Africa we had no warm clothes, so with mine and my mother's first
earnings I bought a warm winter coat. Later that year the young and able
were offered work in local industry in Leicester, Coventry and Market
Harborough so we had to live away from our parents in hostels
provided for us in the various towns. The older generation, my mother
included, and the very young stayed and so the camp became a typical polish
"village" in the middle of Leicestershire. Today there is no sign of the
camp and the airfield is a glider training centre. |
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Sunday walks after church were very
popular 1948 |
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Irena Gundelach by her hut
with her most prized possession, a bike 1948. |
Czesiek Siwek, Wanda
Leszczełowska Irena Gundelach |
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If you lived in the Camp and would like to share your
memories and photos please contact me. |
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