Author Topic: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps  (Read 2433 times)

Offline sarah

  • Administrator
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • ********
  • Posts: 17,685
  • RootsChat Co-Founder
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #9 on: Thursday 31 January 19 16:54 GMT (UK) »
some great replies mrsbogscat :)
For Help on how to post an Image on RootsChat
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=459330.0

If you have been helped on RootsChat be sure to spread the word!

UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Skoyen89

  • RootsChat Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 158
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #10 on: Thursday 31 January 19 23:28 GMT (UK) »
If you put 'Polish Resettlement Camps Oxfordshire' into google you get a number of resources including a book which may list them all.  I had heard of a number of camps in the Oxfordshire countryside because I had researched US Military Hospitals in Oxfordshire and they were often reused as Polish Resettlement Camps eg Checkendon,Northwick Park but none actually in Oxford itself. 

The other place to look would be the National Archives at Kew - I am sure there will be files there that list the camps but you may need to find a day or two there to go through them. 

Good luck!
Honeyman and Callaway Families
Men and Women commemorated on Tetsworth War Memorial

Offline IMBER

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 2,006
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #11 on: Thursday 31 January 19 23:45 GMT (UK) »
Your local public library could get this for you on loan from another library through the inter-library loans scheme:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/POLISH-RESETTLEMENT-CAMPS-ENGLAND-WALES/dp/0956993494/ref=pd_rhf_ee_p_t_1_VK2A

Imber
Skewis (Wales and Scotland), Ayers (Maidenhead, Berkshire), Hildreth (Berkshire)

Offline Elliven

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 946
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 09 February 19 23:35 GMT (UK) »
Being interned in Stalag VI B suggests that he was taken Prisoner during the very early days of the war - in fact by about 17th September 1939 which is the point when the Germans had taken most of Western Poland and the Russians came in from the East.  With Neu Versen being near the Dutch border, he is likely to have been liberated not too long after D-Day and would have been one of the earlier prisoners to arrive back in the UK.  Many of these were housed in former British or American barracks that had been vacated by troops taking part in the D-Day landings and those following in the weeks afterward.  They were not immediately placed in camps run by the Polish Resettlement Corps but were placed in camps reserved for displaced persons.
Relatively few of these men's records survived but you may find something in the Sikorski Institute records in London - a previous poster has given you that address.  There may be something in the records of MI 9 which was debriefing of former POWs at the National Archives but I think most of these were Poles who had served in Polish units under the operational command of the British forces.  You might also find something under his name on the Kresy-Siberia memorial wall - this covers a huge number of Poles, both military and civilian, even those who were not deported to Siberia.
It would be helpful if you could give us his name, date of birth and whether he was army, navy or air force and where in Poland he originated from.  I specialise in Polish Air Force but I will try to help you if you can give me this information.


Offline Elliven

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 946
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 09 February 19 23:43 GMT (UK) »
Two possible camps were:
      Communal Site, Stanton Harcourt, Oxford
     Nettlebed South Camp, Nettlebed, Oxfordshire

Offline medpat

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,351
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #14 on: Sunday 10 February 19 07:56 GMT (UK) »
Many Poles settled in Nottinghamshire and General Sikorski's body was buried in the section of Newark  on Trent's cemetery where the Polish war graves are.

General Sikorski's body was only repatriated in 1993 when Poland was free of Russia.

It's possible there may information about what happened just after WW2 at the Polish Eagle Club based in Nottingham - just Google it for the address.
GEDmatch M157477

Offline mrsbogcat

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 3
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: world war 2 polish POW's Oxford area camps
« Reply #15 on: Sunday 10 February 19 22:13 GMT (UK) »
Thank you everyone who commented and gave some really good information for me to find out more about my Polish grandfather's arrival in the UK. I will keep you updated as to how I get on.