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WHEATON ASTON CAMP Staffordshire
1947-1965 |
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also
known as Little Onn |
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| To the north of Wheaton Aston village in
Staffordshire between
Marston and Little Onn along the Shropshire Union Canals is a disused WW2
airfield built in 1941 as "Service
Training School No. 21" for foreign pilots, mainly Americans.
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| After the war the camp was abandoned and in 1947 some of the
accommodation was used a " transit depot" for the Polish
Resettlement Corps. A large number of Polish people passed through
Wheaton Aston
on
their way to the USA, Canada and other parts of the world but many stayed
and made their homes in the prefab huts which were situated on 4 sites to
the west of the airfield. In 1948 the National Assistance Board (NAB) took over running
of the camp. |
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Wheaton Aston was, to all intents and
purposes, like all the other Polish Camps run by the NAB that were
scatters throughout the U.K. It had very basic
facilities like communal ablution blocks and central catering for the
inhabitants. Dances, film shows and plays were held in the camp's communal
hall and the church always played a large part in Polish community
life. In Wheaton Aston a hut situated on the communal site was converted
into a chapel where the resident priest, Fr. M Bossowski, held
regular services and Sunday masses. He also prepared
children for their first Communion and looked after the spiritual
needs of his flock. |
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In
this photograph the church looks large but in fact it was about 10 x
4metres. The building still stands, although now deconsecrated and
used to store silage for cattle. |
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Fr. Mieczysław
Bossowski was born in Poland in 1915,
and ordained
on the 10th September 1939 in Przemyśl.
For the first year
of his priesthood he helped out
in his home parish of Haczów. There he
joined the underground, escaped arrest by
the Gestapo by moving to a different parish where
he continued his ministry under an assumed name while
still working actively in the Polish Underground Army (AK).
He was arrested in 1945 by the Soviet NKVD but
with the help of Friends, managed to escape and made his
way through Slovakia and Hungary to Italy, where in May
1946, he became a Chaplin in the Polish 2nd Corps. He
came to the UK with the 2nd Corps and ministered to the
Polish community.
He was sentenced to death, in absentia, by the
Communist Goverment so could not return to Poland until
the fall of Communism. He managed to spend a few days in
Poland just before his death in 1994. |
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Fr. Mieczysław Bossowski |
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| In
1950/51 Staffordshire local authority took an interest in the camp and
wanted to use part of it to re-house some of their own people. Negotiations
took place between The Ministry of Labour, NAB and local council to convert the huts into 2 and 3 bedroom
accommodation with internal sanitation. It was agreed that out of the 125
converted units about 20 will be used to house British people. |
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The conversions took some time to be completed and, in the mean time, the
NAB worked hard to find jobs for
the people in the camp but the major local industries would not take
Poles so as not to alienate an initially critical and at times hostile
public. In time, the Polish work force turned out to be hard working and conscientious and a great asset to the local coal mining and
pottery industry. |
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| NAB control of
what was formerly the Wheaton Aston Polish Resettlement Camp terminated on the 7th May 1954 and
it became
known as Little Onn, a British-Polish housing estate of converted huts
managed
by the local authority. This was one of a handful of camps were Polish and
English People lived side by side. |
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Wheaton Aston in winter and summer |
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A view of some of the prefab huts |
Mrs. Baniowska working in the garden by her hut. |
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Marian Nowakowski, with his mother
Antonina and sister Genowefa, sailed to England on the Dundalk
Bay from Mombassa to Hull arriving on the 2nd September1950. They were
given accommodation in Wheaton Aston camp and lived there for many years.
Marian is in all the photos taking
an active part in the life of the camp. Today Marian is still
very active in the White Eagle Polish Club in Stafford.
Marian
colleted many of the photos on this page. |
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First communion 1951 |
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Krzysiek Kolmer, Irena Szymańska, Zygmund Kryśnuk Marian Nowakowski, Andrzej Śliwa |
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First communion from various years
with
Fr. Mieczysław Bossowski officiating. |
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Can you name any one? |
Can you name any one? |
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CORPUS CHRISTI AND OTHER RELIGIOUS PROCESSIONS |
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Can you name any one? |
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| Can you name any one? |
Procession, leadind girl Stasia Parciankowska, leading
boy Zygmunt Krysiuk |
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CULTURE AND TRADITIONS |
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Children from the camp, some in national dress. Can
you name any one? |
Bożena Kolmer,
Krzysiu Kolmer, Marian Nowakowski, Andrzej Śliwa,
Zygmund Krzysiuk, Paweł Waniuk, Wanda
Śitek, Irena Szymańska
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1953 |
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Celebration
of Poland's 3rd. of May Constitution
The first
democratic constitution in Europe |
Enjoying a party. Left: Staszek Baniowski,
Marian Nowakowski, L.Luszowicz.
Pawel Waniuk, and Zdziszek Guryn. |
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Every camp had their own football team and football
matches between Polish camps were important in maintaining contact with
people from other camps. General Anders recognised this fact and
instigated an annual football competition, with the finals taking place in
Cannock and the General himself would present the Gen. Anders Cup. Sadly
Wheaton Aston football team "Switezanka" never reached the finals. |
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Football team Switezianka. |
Switezianka 1963 |
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Back Row S. Budryk, Pawel Guryn, B. Wojtulewicz, W. Wojtulewicz,
Bolesław Gurgul ,
B. Studziński,
Font Row:- Unknown, Stanisław Baniowski, Jan Skurkiewicz ,
T .Wojtulewicz, unknown.
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Back Row:- Andrzej Sliwa, Pawel
Guryn, Krzysztof Kolmer, B. Wojtulewicz, B. Petrie, unknown
Front Row. J. Lodz, Piotr Guryń, Marian Nowakowski, T. Durkin, unknown. |
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The camp closed in 1965 and families that were still in the camp
were given council houses in Gnosall and Stafford. Today what is
left of the camp is now used by farmers for storage and the rest of the land
has been returned to agriculture. |
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What is left of the camp today - photographs sent in by Zbyszek
Hryciuk. |
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If you have any memories or photos of Wheaton Aston
camp or you can name any oneplease send them to me and I will post them on this page.
Zosia@northwickparkpolishdpcamp.co.uk
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