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My
father Mieczysław was
born in Kraków, he attended
Officer Academy in Grudziąz
and in 1929 was commissioned into the Prince Józef
Poniatowski 8th Cavalry Regiment. While in Grudziądz he
met and married an heiress from a wealthy and long
established family, Halina
Ślepowron- Kossaczewska. They settled in Wilno and had
two children a son Zbigniew (1936) and daughter Elżbieta
(1938). Life was good.
Prior to September
1939 my father was posted to 3rd. Regiment Mounted
Riflemen (Pułk Strzelców Konnych) and was among the last
units, fighting under General Kleeberg, to resist both
the Nazis and the Soviets. He was captured and
spent the rest of the war in Offlag 7 in Murnau.
During this time my
mother survived in Wilno (taking great risks by
bartering for food on the black market). On
June 20th 1941 the family was due to be deported to
Siberia but Hitler's attack on Russia that day meant
that all trains were used to evacuate Red Army soldiers
so Polish civilians were spared deportation.
As a result of the
Yalta carve up Wilno became part of the U.S.S.R. so my
mother with her children moved to Western Poland.
After the defeat of
Germany my father was re-commissioned into the Polish
forces and served in Egypt and Italy before coming to
England to join the Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC). My
Father Mjr. Mieczyslaw Roman Pająk became
Commandant of West Chiltington and Petworth Camps. In
1947 he managed to get my mother and siblings out of
Poland through the so called "Zielona Granica" (border
demarcating the Russian and allied areas of occupation)
into an UNRA/Red Cross transit Camp in West Germany, by
now they had been separated for 8 years. |
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My mother Halina and
father Mieczysław
1935 |
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Dad Kraków 1929 |
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Dad as a prisoner of war in Offlag 7
Murnau 1939-1945 |
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My mother sister and
brother, Poland 1947 |
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PETWORTH POLISH RESETTLEMENT
CORPS CAMP |
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This photo of the family group is an
historic and very poignant memory for us. My parents were
separated in Sept 1939 and re-united eight years
later in Petworth Camp on the 16th June1947 this photo captures that
moment. |
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Elżbieta's first
communion Marsworth camp |
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| My father initially worked
for the National Assistance Board. While a POW he learnt good
English and wrote with a beautiful copperplate hand, he prided
himself that his spelling was better than that of most English
people. Experience of life in camps differed greatly. |
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| After the PRC disbanded, the
family moved to the Polish Camp in Marsworth near Dunstable
where my brother Andrzej was born, and finally to
Wheaton Aston where I was born. We lived in the camp from 1950
to 1958. |
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LIFE IN WHEATON
ASTON CAMP |
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For the young it was
wonderful to grow up and play, with many friends and few
restrictions, in the countryside. Teenagers also coped well,
learnt the language, learned new skills then moved on and
prospered. |
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The 2 handsome young men in front of the camp
are me aged 2+ and my brother Andrzej age 3+. This photo must
have been taken in 1954. Although at the time we
were not aware of poverty, rationing was still in place for
many years and this photo captures post war austerity. |
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These good looking young boys again - obviously
fed on "kluski"- I am to the left with my Godmother
Bożena Kolmer and my brother Andrzej is with our
sister Elzbieta 1954 |
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For older and elderly people
it was very different and very difficult - not just because of
post war austerity
and rationing. They were unable to settle in and integrate because they
couldn't speak the language so couldn't learn or transfer
skills. Many, particularly middle class professionals,
harboured expectations of returning to Poland and resuming
their pre-war life. People took any job they could - mostly
manual - just to tide them over until they could return to
Poland. Hardly surprising that people placed such importance
on maintaining the past, Polish dances, folk songs,
traditions, religious observance. |
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A pre-school
group (Nov 1952). |
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Children St. Nicholas day |
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SCHOOL AND CULTURE |
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Photo left top;- My
brother Andrzej is in the black hat middle front row. The two teachers were Mrs. Podwojska
and head misters Antonina Załęska.
When the
parish moved to Stafford Mrs. Podwojska's
husband gave up his Saturday afternoons to teach Polish
children until approx 1966 |
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Photo top;-The
post war baby boom generation - all the friends I grew
up with - I am standing top right in front of the
Christmas tree. On the far left stands Professor Luszowicz.
Still alive I believe- over 90 and always
active in SPK affairs. |
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Photo left:- My sister Elizabeth is at the back of the group in
fundraising Akademia on behalf of Skarb Narodowy dated 11/11/51
and signed on reverse by Przewodniczący Komisji : płk
Jerzy Bajan. I imagine scenes like this were repeated throughout
UK Polish DP Camps |
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A typical
procession. I am the 8- 10 year old altar
boy to the left so I guess 1959-61. |
Jadwiga and Jan Sarnecki's
wedding reception 1958. The curved shape of the Nissen hut is clearly visible.
My
Mother Halina is seated centre. |
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My father was Chairman of the Parish
Committee for many years and often made patriotic speeches on
significant dates (3 May/11 November etc ). I suspect
from the background this photo was taken in St. Austin's
primary School Stafford circa 1960. I have included it because
to Dad's right is Fr. Bossowski and
to his left Dr. Jones Parish Priest at St. Augustine's and well
disposed towards Poles. |
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St. Austin's primary School
Stafford |
This photo (late 50's) shows a typical
gathering. Dad seated 3rd from left, behind him, with bow tie,
Mr. Janusz Kolmer |
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| I regret that my parents
didn't live to see the collapse of the Soviet system & had to live
their lives as émigrés. It is for this reason that I am happy to
contribute to your site so that there is some record for future
generations. |
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| Jurek (George) Pająk |
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Bronia
Koźminska's nee Petela's
story - from the age of ten.
From Poland through Siberia and Africa to Wheaton Aston Camp. |
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Bronia Petela in Africa |
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I lived a happy, relatively comfortable life with my mother,
father, sister and three brothers in the small town of Biskowice in eastern
Poland, now in the Ukraine. I was only 10 when war broke out, and all hell
was let lose, families in our town were rounded up by the soviet
NKVD (a precursor to the better known KGB) and deported to work camps in
Siberia.
On the 10th of February 1940 the dreaded knock came to our
household, one of my brothers, Leopold who was in a boarding
school at the time escaped deportation, but the rest of us
mother, father sister Hela, and brothers Edward and Tadek with a few
belongings, there was no time to pack, we were taken to the railway station,
bundled into cattle trucks and taken to Skorodum in the depths of Siberia.
The train journey took several days we had little food
and with temperatures down to minus 40o C we
were very cold. In Siberia we lived in the forest in wooden
huts, some times six families to a hut but at least we
could huddle together to keep warm and we were always
hungry. Father and the other men worked as loggers in the
forests it was hard work and extremely cold and in 1942 sadly
our father died. By now the soviets became allies of the west
and, under the command of General Władysław
Anders, a Polish Army was formed. All able bodied men
that were deported to Siberia joined the army and were allowed
to leave this god forsaken land with their families. In
all about 130,000 people left Siberia. We travelled to
Iran though Pahlavi, Teheran and on to Africa. Thrown from the
intense cold of Siberia into a hot but welcoming Africa.
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Here we lived in a mud hut in a
huge camp in Tengeru in what in now Tanzania. The camp was well organised, we were looked after
and fed, we were clothed by an organisation called U.N.R.A. The camp had a church with Polish priests providing all the spiritual
needs and there were schools with Polish teachers providing education
to all the young people. I went to the high school where I learnt to be a dressmaker, I
also learned some English.
All the girls had a school uniform which we were very proud of. We
lived in the camp for five years before sailing from Mombassa to
Southampton to a new life in England.
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School in
Tengieru teacher Mrs. Stanisława
Osolinska. |
Sewing lessons. Kasia Cichocka, Bronia Petela,
Teresa Nykel, Irka Maciuba. 1944 |
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We arrived at Wheaton Aston camp in
Staffordshire on the 27/7/1948. Conditions in
the camp were basic, sometimes several families had to share a
barrack
and so, to get some privacy, blankets were hung from the ceiling as
dividing walls, you did not see but you heard everything. There were communal
wash and toilet blocks and we did our cooking on little round stoves.
Luckily I did not have to live in the camp very long as I met and married a
Polish soldier Henryk Koźminski, I found work
in Longton, at the Kent Pottery and we moved out of the camp
into rented accommodation. My sister also married and moved out, our
mother stayed in the camp until we became more established and then she came to
live with us. After eight years of uncertainty and hardship, of
being pushed from pillar to post, we found peace and stability in
North Staffordshire. In the 50s Polish people were well
established in the Stoke on Trent area with a Polish priest looking
after our spiritual needs, there were Polish doctors and when I needed an
operation, in the late 1950s, I was sent to the Polish Hospital in Penley
North Wales.
Henryk (he was known as
Harry) and I raised three lovely daughters. Sadly Harry died some years
ago. I really do not
like talking about the experiences and hardships that all deported Poles
suffered during WW2 and I block out all the bad things and just
remember the better times. |
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| Bronia Petela and Henryk Koźminski
with a group of of friends outside one of the barracks 1948. |
Julia and Bronek Kozioł
and Bronia Petela |
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Some of the names; Antek Piechowicz my sister
Hela our mother Maria, my cousin Tadek brother Edward
and me Bronia. |
Hela Petela, Edward Samek, Bronia
and Tadek Petela |
Julia and Bronek Kozioł |
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Bronia Kozminska |
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Page 1
Wheaton Aston |
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Page 2 Current |
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Page 4 List of residents and employment 1953 |
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