No other nation during
WW2 had suffered as much as Poland. No other ally in the war sacrificed as much
as Poland. And no other nation
demonstrated as much courage in the fight against the brutal invaders than the
heroic Polish people. Polish men, women, and even children gave their lives for
love of God, Country and Honour in the hope of reclaiming the freedom and
independence of their beloved fatherland.
Instead Poland was abandoned by its allies and banished behind the Iron
Curtain for forty-five years.
WW2 came to an end almost
seventy years ago but since then ensuing generations, particularly of the
Polish nation, continue to grapple with the catastrophic events that impacted
their lives in countless ways. Few among
the survivors have ever been able to speak of their horrific experiences, much
less write about them. Their children,
and their grandchildren have grown up knowing very little or nothing about the
past, and yearn to know what happened to their beloved parents and
grandparents.
So it is with you in
mind, my dear Polish visitors, that I present this blog post. A few among you have requested my help in
doing research and obtaining military service records. On occasion I have given of my time freely to help particular requests, but it has been very time consuming. So, I have assembled a modest list of resources,
some from the internet and some from my own files, that you might find useful
in your search. Please let me remind you
that it is not possible to find all information from just one source. Doing
research is much like grappling with the roots of a tree - just start with one root and it will lead you to many others. Do not
be discouraged if you do not get immediate results - it takes time and much patience.
Furthermore, I urge you to register for at least
one Forum. It will provide you with the
opportunity to exchange information with other like-minded individuals, some of whom
are indeed expert in the subject of WW2 Polish history. Their input might help open more doors for you.
Wishing
you Good Luck in your search!
RESOURCES: SEARCHING YOUR ROOTS
Polish State Archives
Ministry of Defense (MOD)
APC Polish Enquiries
Building 28-B, RAF
Northolt
West End Road
Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 6NG
( Please note: The British Ministry of Defense keeps the military service records of all military personnel including those of Polish citizens who served in the British Army during WW2. However, you will need to provide official documentation to prove kinship before they will release information to you.)
The Polish Institute and
Sikorski Museum (Polish military service records)
20 Princes Gate
London, England
SW7 1PT
ITS International
Tracing Service
Groβe Allee 5 - 9
34454 Bad Arolsen
Deutschland
email@its-arolsen.org
Polish Catholic Mission
in England and Wales
2 Devonia Road
Islington
London N1 8JJ
bozena@pbfgroup.co.uk
Polish Red Cross -
People Search
Warsaw Uprising Museum
(Poland)
Ministry of National Defense
Republic of Poland
National Archives
Ministry of Defense (United Kingdom)
Service Records
Enquiries Online
International Red Cross
19 avenue de la paix CH
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
Best directory on the
internet. A wealth of resources to explore.
Polski Internet.com
People Search
Polish Roots - The
Polish Geneology Source
Index of Victims of
Soviet Repression 1939-1956
The Central Military Library in Warsaw (Centralna Biblioteka Wojskowa)
(They have books and reference material relating to military topics. Unless you are in Poland, you may not be able to access their resources, but please take the opportunity to contact them for help in your research.)
Jozef Pilsudski
Institute of America
Archival Collections
Poland in Exile - Useful
Addresses
The Polish Mission
Geneology Resources
Polish Geneological
Society of America
Polish War Veteran's Society (in your city)
Polish Library (in your city)
FORUMS
Polish Forums.com
All Things Polish
WW2 Talk
Historium
