POLISH RESETTLEMENT CAMPS IN THE UK 1946

After World War 2 the majority of Polish soldiers who had fought alongside the western allies chose not to return to a communist dominated Poland. Reluctantly the British government allowed them to stay in Great Britain. A Polish Resettlement Corps (PRC) was raised in 1946 as a corps of the British Army into which Poles were enlisted for the period of their demobilization up to 1948. The now disused army and air force camps were utilised as temporary accommodation for the Polish Troops. There were many such camps in the UK most were built in the early 40s in rural areas, often in the grounds of large country estates, as Military Hospitals, Army Bases and Airfields for use mostly by American, Canadian and other allied troops.

Following the invasion of Europe some of these camps became prisoner of war camps and when the war ended the same camps served as home to Polish soldiers returning from the battle fields of Europe. Later they were joined by their wives, children and dependent relatives who were scattered in Displaced Persons Camps throughout Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East bringing the total estimated numbers to over 200,000 displaced people. Among them were Polish orphans and children separated from their families by the war who lived in orphanages in Africa and India.

The camps in the UK were given up by the MOD for housing Polish Families and they were administrated by a number of organisations, National Assistance Board, Local Authorities, National Service Hostels Corporation. Some became hostels for working single men and a handful were Polish boarding schools run by the Committee for the Education of Poles. There were also a number of Polish Hospitals, the best known was Hospital no.3 in Penley North Wales.

Not all displaced people came to the UK. America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Argentina took in the young and healthy Poles. Many others emigrated from the UK to these countries in the 1950s.

I lived in a DP camp for 15 years and you can follow my experience by clicking on the 'Life in a typical Polish DP Camp' link above. I am particularly interested in camps that were home to Polish families and you can see the information that I have been able to gather by following the 'LIST OF AND INFORMATION ON OTHER CAMPS' link above. I would be most grateful for any information, personal stories and photographs of these camps. It would be sad if we allowed the history of our parents' generation go unrecorded.

If you have information and photos of any of the Polish camps in the UK and would like to contribute to the site please contact

zosia@northwickparkpolishdpcamp.co.uk

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