8s. POLISH REFUGEES IN EAST AFRICA, 1942-1946 description Object description Kenya Women's Emergency Organisation helpers looking after the large party of refugee women and children. Welcoming signs with Polish flags, white eagles, and words of encouragement often greeted their arrival, high government officials paid them visits, and commemorative monuments were erected in their honor. Having unloaded H.M. Troopship Nevasa at Karachi, then in India, now West Pakistan they were tasked to sail to Khorramshahr, in Persia, now Iran on the 17th of March 1944. South Africa, South Rhodesia, and North Rhodesia also became the home of Poles. The date is May 2000 and it comes The sworn deposition provides evidence of Soviet responsibility for the 1940 massacre of some 22,000 Polish officers in the Katyn forest and other places in what was then the Soviet Union. However, during first years of war the rate of German and Soviet murder of the Poles was much higher than that of the Jews. With a few days, Germany invaded Poland, triggering World War 2. Due to financial reasons, it was decided to limit the number of Polish settlements, leaving only two in Tengeru (Tanganyika) and Koja (Uganda). "De-Polonizing the territories newly incorporated into the USSR", "Near and Middle East: The evacuation of the Polish people from the USSR", "Evacuation of Polish civilians from the Soviet Union to Persia 1942". camps, the Nazis murdered from 15,003,000 to 31,595,000 people, most likely 20,946,000 men, women, handicapped, aged, sick, prisoners of war, forced laborers, camp inmates, critics, homosexuals, Jews, Slavs, Serbs, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Poles, French, Ukrainians, and many others. The next transfer took place in 195559, after Stalin's death.[21]. The Soviet Red Army had taken the Polish officers prisoner after invading eastern Poland in September 1939. Further Polish transports went to India by sea, from the port of Ahvaz to Bombay. Another transport arrived at the Mombasa port in Kenya on September 19. The Koja settlement covered an area measuring over 700 acres and was located on several hills overlooking the lake. Hankiewicza 1 The Indian government agreed to host 10,000 Polish refugees, including 5,000 orphans. The majority refused to return to the country. Zaproszenia ze strony Komitetu Narodowego Amerykanw Polskiego Pochodzenia, Ko?a Oficerw Rezerwy w Nowym Jorku. The pace of evacuation of Polish refugees from Iran to Africa was high. "They were young, and these intercultural encounters have shaped their humanity.". Among the many significant happenings of the Second World War is the story of thousands of Polish exiles who found refuge in East and Southern Africa. Western Poland during the massive population exchanges following Eventually, they migrated mostly to Australia, Canada, and Great Britain. Often it was not accurate, especially as far as dates of birth. The two refugee camps in Uganda were built at Koja, on the shores of Lake Victoria and Nyabyeya, Budongo Forest Reserve in Masindi district in northwestern Uganda. The housing was primitive: dwellings made of clay, with roofs made of grass and banana leaves. He was even more grateful at Yalta, when the Western Allies They were housed in the Polish Children's Camp located in Pahiatua. Young Polish women living in exile in Uganda in the 1940s, as the Second World War raged in Europe. Houses made of clay, in the heart of Africa. Ukrains'ki hovirky u Pol'shi. According to a January 15, 1943, note from Beria to Stalin, 389,041 Polish citizens were freed as a result of that "amnesty.". My mother refused the tempting offer of going to Santa Rosa in Mexico. And the most infamous German death camps had been located in Poland. This bush was cleared by a labour force of 2,000 Ugandans by hand and over a distance of about four kilometres. The resettlement from Abercorn was called Operation Polejump. The British agreed to evacuate Polish civilians from Iran and presented a plan for the placement of refugee settlements. [4] Among those who remained in the Soviet Union, about 150,000 Poles perished before the end of the war. In 1940-41, several hundred thousand citizens of the Second Polish Republic were deported deep into Soviet Russia, which, as a result of aggression with Nazi Germany, occupied the eastern part of Poland after September 17, 1939. The British did not have the intention of keeping the Polish refugees in East Africa when it was decided to take them there. http://www.mapywig.org/m/wig500k/MAPA_POLSKI_1_500_000_PRZEMYSL_12_WYDANIE_LOTNICZE.jpg After aggression of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the conclusion of SikorskiMaisky agreement in July 1941, when Poland and the Soviet Union became allies, authorities in Moscow allowed the Polish population to leave the place of exile. These included 200,828 ethnic Poles, 90,662 Jews, 31,392 Ukrainians, 27,418 Belorussians, 3,421 Russians, and 2,291 persons of other nationalities. Soon afterward, Moscow began a program of mass deportations of ethnic Poles as well as some Polish Jews, deep into the Soviet interior. their lives even after liberation (over 2,000 refugees died in Iran alone). The arrival of the Polish 4.3 . Zustrichi. Such was the lot of Sorokowski, Andrew. Relatives of Polish exiles who died in Uganda where they had found refuge during WW2, refresh the tombstone. For the 733 children and 102 adults it was the end of a long and perilous journey. The Polish migration to Africa has its roots in an event from August 1939. Polish underground courts prosecuted traitors and criminals during the war. There were also teachers, so schools were built. Ukrains'kyi arkhiv. http://lemko.org/genealogy/addresses.htm, Records from the Central They had survived deportation to the Soviet Union, forced . And a few years ago, in 1996 in Chicago, the Poles of Santa Rosa celebrated the 50th anniversary of their arrival in the United States. The first stop of the refugees evacuated with Anders' army was Iran, where they found temporary quarters in large transit camps initially located in Pahlavi and Mashhad, and later in Tehran and Ahvaz. It was set up in 1942. T.3. There were already 22 camps, with 18,000 people who like us had gone through different places of exile in the USSR, scattered across British Africafrom Kenya to Cape Colony.[12]. In time, various Polish institutions, including 24 schools serving some 3,000 students, were established in Iran and several. In Tanganyika, the largest settlement was Tengeru (4,000 refugees) and smaller camps were located in Kigoma, Kidugala, Ifunda, Kondoa, and Morogoro. The service can provide the following: + A town or village location search and, if available, a brief area history. 37-700 Przemysl There were no towns or villages nearby, only a small piece of land that had been cut out of the lush tropical forest. The expected end of the war limited further evacuations. The Jewish population of 8,700,000 was trapped under the control of the Berlin government; at least sixty percent (or about 5,100,000) were exterminated by the Germans during World War II. The last camp that was built in Northern Rhodesia at Abercorn (today's Mbala, Zambia). 1,400 people arrived on board ship, then they were transported to Dar es Salaam. Sanok-Przemysl-Belz area. Father Waclaw Zajaczkowski even As a history student, he was surprised about the lack of information about Poles seeking sanctuary in Africa his professor had never heard of Polish refugee camps on the continent. Camp life was organized, there was a school, scouts, and religious life. Military Archives in Warsaw Kenya Women's Emergency Organisation helpers looking after the large party of refugee women and children. My two aunts lived in Koja Camp for several years and spoke of their time there with great affection. There, all were divided into several groups and began their education. Also: Language. At the peak period, 4,018 people lived in it. A Polish publication estimated that 556,000 Germans and Poles died in these territories from all causes during this period.30 The West German Federal Ministry for Expellees, Refugees, and War Victims calculated the loss from 1945 to 1950 as 1,225,000 for Germany's eastern territories.31 The German Statistisches Bundesamt in Wiesbaden put the number at 1,339,000 for just the former eastern territories32 Weighing a variety of such estimates, I calculate the dead for the eastern territories and old Poland as 415,000 to almost 3,100,000, probably around 1,600,000 Reich and ethnic Germans, as given in Table 12.1. Among the deportees 52 percent were Poles, 30 percent were Jews, and 18 percent were Ukrainians and Byelorussians. Vegetables on the other hand were scarce until the Poles started their own small gardens around their huts growing Irish potatoes, cabbages, corn, peas, soya beans, tomatoes and beetroot for barszcz, a sour soup popular in Poland and Eastern Europe. And none of these monstrous figures even include civilian and military combat or war-deaths. Thousands of Europeans sought sanctuary in Africa during World War II among them were many Polish people. Records. Language--U. Vinnipeh, 1969. Some exiles also found asylum in India in transit camps set up in Quetta, Mount Abu, Panchgani, Bandra, and in and near Karachi (such as the Country Club Camp, Haji Pilgrims Camp, and the Malir Camp). It is not only near Poland's 500-kilometre border with Ukraine where citizens are keen to show their solidarity with the refugees. Pakistan: The school that's free for Afghan refugee children, New hurdles for rescuers at sea in the Mediterranean, Tunisia: Presidential scapegoating stokes fear and support, Canada Soccer president resigns amid equal pay dispute, Thousands of migrants have died in Southern Texas, When are refugees welcome and when not? In Africa, Polish schools, churches, hospitals, civic centers, and manufacturing and service cooperatives were founded and Polish culture prospered. Society volunteers offer a limited research service to members for a reasonable After twelve days, we reached the port of Beira in Mozambique. papers in Archiwa IJP, Polish version, http://dione.ids.pl/~ijp/pol/aog4.html or Polish See for full text and footnotes: There were many babies in arms in the party and several women of 70 or more. Some, no doubt, are still there. Several scout groups, schools, training centers, a Women's Auxiliary Service, and an Officers' Legion were established. Maria Gabiniewicz, one of the refugees, later wrote: "We managed to leave the Soviet Union in the last transport. Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Parstwowych (NDAP) The dead were buried at various graveyards in East and Southern Africa. In all, 16 Polish schools were attended by some 2,300 Polish children in India. Polish territory was occupied, so the government could only count on the Britons help in finding shelter for the population. It is no longer just a footnote in history. Polish-American archives: http://wilson.ctstateu.edu/lib/archives/polish/ Wherever they went the Polish refugees encountered effusive good will not only on the part of the respective governments that invited them but also on the part of the native populations. The list of Polish refugees residing in areas of East Africa and Rhodesia was prepared by the Polish Red Cross in Nairobi in 1943. One of the camps was in Abercorn, in the remote Northern Province. When using our website, the cookie files are downloaded onto your device. . As for what happened to those who never got out, God only There were sports teams, a choir and activities groups. This was a small fraction of the approximately 1.7 million Polish citizens who had been arrested by the Soviets at the beginning of the war. A few hundred people remained in Tanganyika. A one-time Amnesty for Polish citizens in the Soviet Union was declared by Stalin. A commandant usually a British official stood at the head of the administration of each of the settlements. They were surrounded by dense, wildlife-infested forest. The [following] article Korespondencja - sprawy urze dowe i osobiste (1946-1947). Language--E. Cambridge, MA, 1988. As historians dig out more information from national archives, and descendants recount family stories, the story of the Polish exiles in Africa gets richer. T.2. Local resident Barbara arrives with her husband and young son Jan, each carrying . Own farms were run. Pictures taken at Nairobi station, when hundreds of refugee Polish women and children, deportees rescued from Soviet captivity in Siberia, passed through on their way to build a new life in Uganda. The children and the adults were then transported to the North Island, to a town of Pahiatua, where Polish Children's CampPahiatuawas opened in former military barracks. "It was often their first contactwith whites," he told DW. 492s. That was when Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin signed a non-aggression pact that divided several eastern European countries, including Poland, into German and Soviet spheres of interest. All the camps and settlements established in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, India, Africa, Mexico, and New Zealand were meant to be temporary quarters for the Polish refugees until the end of the war and the expected liberation of their country. With a few days, Germany invaded Poland, triggering World War II. 35-959 Rzeszw In 1940, following the invasion and annexation of large parts of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, there was a mass de-Polonisation of the occupied territory, and between 320,000 and one million Polish nationals were rounded up and deported to the Urals and Siberia. Expectations and the execution of rules concerning the refugees . of the deportees from Eastern Poland who managed to get out of the Soviet This agreement was signed on July 30 1941 and enabled all Polish people to be freed for the purpose of forming an Army and help Stalin fight Hitler. US membership $20; Canadian membership is $25. Although provisions were made to resettle several thousand Poles in that country, only two transports arrived in the summer and fall of 1943 with a total of 1,432 refugees. At Isfahan Polish orphanage, a children's camp was opened, where 2,300 children and 300 adults stayed and eight elementary schools were created. Warszawa Poland, The Archives of Audio-visual Approximately 90% of them were non-Jewish Poles, with most of the remaining ones Jewish. There was a kindergarten, a men's school, a women's school, and a middle school. Some had to travel by land to Ashgabat. and Polish archives The family later immigrated to Canada via Iran and Italy. And from 1939 to 1941, they deported en mass about 1,6000,000 Poles, including 400,000 Jews. Unfortunately, due to bad health conditions caused by the poor living standard in the Soviet Union and the hardships of traveling, more than 2,100 people (5.7% of the total) died in Iran due to dysentery, typhoid, malaria and diseases caused by malnutrition. List: Red Cross Polish Refugees The list of Polish refugees residing in areas of East Africa and Rhodesia was prepared by the Polish Red Cross in Nairobi in 1943. [15] The single man has not been traced; the woman, Josefa Bieronska, moved to South Africa with her children. Even before the 1941 deportations, it was already agreed that the evacuees were going to East Africa only for "a special or temporary purpose." Abercorn camp 4.1. In Eastern Africa, six permanent Polish refugee settlements were established: four in Tanganyika (Tengeru, Kondoa, Ifunda, Kidugala) and two in Uganda (Masindi and Koja). That was when Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin signed a non-aggression pact that divided several eastern European. Living in Africa was very difficult for the Poles who were unfamiliar with local customs and languages and were not used to tropical weather. In my view, this toll is the direct and indirect responsibility of the new Polish government (although aided, abetted, and promoted by the Soviets), as I will establish in the next section. [3] Thanks to a remarkable reversal of fortune well over 110,000 Poles, including 36,000 women and children, managed to leave the Soviet Union with Anders' Army. Information onsurname meaning, frequency, and distribution in Poland. Their home became a deserted hacienda in Santa Rosa, near Leen. Together, they immigrated to Canada. Children were taken care of by the Polish Red Cross and residents of Bombay. A large Polish settlement was also founded in Mexico. It was in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, where the exiles got their first glimpse of Africans close up. Records The second group (726 refugees including 408 children, mostly orphans) to arrive on the USS Hermitage that fall were also quarantined, this time in a U.S. army camp near Los Angeles called Santa Anita. 68p. PHOTO | UGANDA NATIONAL ARCHIVES. The bishop came from Kampala to consecrate it. donation. 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