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Missions and scientific projects

The Center’s activities include projects of a scientific and research nature. They are carried out in the country and abroad. In carrying out its tasks, the Centre cooperates with various partners, such as scientific units, museums, associations and foundations, state institutions, local government units, embassies, consulates, Polish organizations. Since 2011, more than a dozen projects have been carried out in Poland, Great Britain, USA, Canada, Kazakhstan, Israel, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Romania, Serbia, among others.


Project entitled. “Generations are leaving – source accounts of Polish Siberians from Great Britain” 2012-2016.

 

The project entitled. “Generations are passing away – source accounts of Polish Siberians from Great Britain” was carried out under the National Program for the Development of the Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Thanks to the work of UP scientific missions undertaken in the UK under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, Professor of UP, through the recording technique contained in the “oral history” method, the fate of 132 witnesses to history was saved from obliteration. A priceless thing, insofar as in a few years this will simply be impossible, since “generations are passing away” (many Siberians whose memories have been documented have died in recent years). The collected material has been meticulously compiled. The results of the 2012-2016 tasks were disseminated. Five exhibitions dedicated to the extraordinary fate of the Siberians of Nottingham, Bradford, Leeds, Birmingham and Coventry were prepared, entitled. “Generations Gone. Source Accounts of Polish Siberians,” as well as five documentaries with respectively the same titles, composed of excerpts from the notations of witnesses to history. Most importantly, a 5-volume series of source publications (with accompanying DVDs) has been released in print: “Generations are Gone. Source Accounts of Polish Siberians in Great Britain”. The collections collected during the project, for scientific and educational purposes, are made available to researchers and students collecting materials for their bachelor’s or master’s theses, not only historical, but also philological – Polish philologists. In addition, excerpts from the testimonies of witnesses to history have been made public on the YouTube channel of the project “Generations are leaving – source accounts of Polish Siberians in the UK.”

See video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoh7QX2EsbVZSZLFM-ww_uA


Nottingham scientific mission

 

In October 2012, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four University employees (Dr. Adrian Szopa, Anna Hejczyk, MA, and Alicja Śmigielska, MA) traveled to Nottingham, UK. The trip was an offshoot of 2010 activities, when history students and PhD students conducted research in Leicester. The purpose of the trip to the Islands was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, India, Africa, and ended up permanently in England. The upcoming trips are part of a project to study the fate of the Siberians, entitled “The fate of the Siberians. “Generations are passing away – source accounts of Polish Siberiansfrom Great Britain,” carried out under the National Program for the Development of the Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The mission was preceded by six months of preparation. Invaluable assistance was provided to UP researchers by Father Krzysztof Kawczynski, pastor of a Polish parish, Mr. Juliusz Szolin, president of the Nottingham branch of the Polish Veterans Association, and Ms. Maria Polkowska. In addition to the documentation work, the UP mission attended a meeting at the Polish Saturday School. As part of the celebrations inaugurating the new school year, there was a screening of films made by the Centre combined with a lecture on the history of the deportees. During the two weeks spent in Nottingham, it was possible to document the extraordinary fate of as many as 33 people. This amounts to more than seventy hours of priceless recordings in audio and video format. In addition to the interviews, the Center’s archives received thousands of photos and documents testifying to the tragic history of the heroes. It is important to remember that this type of research is of a rescue nature. In a few years it may already be too late. Stanislaw Cipko, a veteran who took part in the Battle of Monte Casino – he did not have time to give his account…. He died a day before the date of the scheduled meeting with historians. The results of the mission’s work have been disseminated through the preparation of an exhibition devoted to the extraordinary fate of the Nottingham Siberians, the production of a documentary film and a publication with an accompanying DVD.

 


Science mission to Bradford and Leeds

 

On 4-18.04.2013, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four people consisting of University staff and students (Dr. Adrian Szopa, Alicja Śmigielska, mgr. Katarzyna Odrzywołek) traveled to Bradford and Leeds in the UK. The purpose of the expedition to the Islands was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, India, Africa, ended up permanently in the UK. The subsequent trips are part of a project to document the fate of Siberians entitled “Generations are Gone – Source Accounts of Polish Siberians in Great Britain” carried out under the National Program for the Development of the Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. In addition to the documentation work, the University staff took part in ceremonies marking the anniversary of the Katyn massacre. Extraordinary kindness was shown by the residents of Bradford and Leeds, both “old” and “young” emigrants. In Bradford, invaluable help was provided by Romana Pizoń – president of the Veterans Circle, Waldemar Pniewski and Remigiusz Nowak – gathered around the Polish Community Centre. In Leeds, the mission’s activities were supported by Rev. Jan Zaręba – pastor of the Polish parish, Magdalena Ions – president of the Parish Council, Marcin Zajączek and Mr. and Mrs. Stanislawski. During the two weeks spent in Bradford and Leeds, the remarkable lives of as many as 46 people were recorded. This amounts to dozens of hours of priceless recordings in audio and video format. In addition to the interviews, the Centre’s archives received thousands of photos and documents testifying to the tragic history of our heroes. Among them is the remarkable several-volume diary of Ms. Krystyna. In it, the deaf-blind author described her wandering from Siberia through Africa to Britain in 1948. While working in Bradford, the Polish Centre was approached by Thomas Flynn, an employee of the city’s cleaning plant. Among a pile of garbage, he found a box containing items belonging to Antoni Jaworski, a soldier in the II Corps (including pagons that prove he was a sapper). The “treasures” found were donated to the Centre’s Archives. This is just one of the many examples demonstrating the importance of documentation work. The results of the work of the UP missions in Bradford and Leeds have been disseminated through the preparation of an exhibition devoted to the extraordinary fate of the Siberians, the production of a documentary film and a publication with an accompanying DVD.


Scientific mission to Birmingham

 

On 9-20.10.2013, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four people, consisting of staff and doctoral students of the University of the Commission of National Education (Dr. Adrian Szopa, Alicja Śmigielska, Mariusz Solarz, Katarzyna Odrzywołek) went to Birmingham, UK. The purpose of the expedition to the Islands was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, India, Africa, ended up permanently in Great Britain. The next trips are part of a project to document the fate of the Siberians, entitled “The fate of the Siberians. “Generations are Gone – Source Accounts of Polish Siberians from Great Britain,” carried out under the National Program for the Development of the Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. During the work of the mission in the Islands, invaluable assistance was provided by Blanka Kuźmińska – president of the Senior Circle, Maciej Mich – manager of the Polish Millenium House and Alodia Szaniawska. The activities of the UP mission were also supported by priests from the Polish parish: Marcin Kordel, Bogdan Lukoć and Grzegorz Cyganik. During the 11 days spent in Birmingham, it was possible to record the extraordinary lives of 27 people. These are dozens of hours of priceless recordings in audio and video format. In addition to the interviews, the Centre’s archives received thousands of photos and documents testifying to the tragic history of our heroes. The results of the work of the UP mission in Birmingham have been disseminated through the preparation of an exhibition devoted to the extraordinary fate of the Siberians, the production of a documentary film and a publication with an accompanying DVD.

 


Scientific mission to Coventry

 

From 19-30.03.2014, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four members of the University’s staff (Dr. Adrian Szopa, MA Anna Hejczyk, MA Alicja Śmigielska) traveled to Coventry, UK. The purpose of the trip to the Islands was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine, India, Africa, ended up in the UK permanently. Another trip was part of a project to document the fate of the Siberians entitled. “Generations are passing away – source accounts of Polish Siberians from Great Britain,” carried out under the National Program for the Development of the Humanities of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. In addition to the documentary work, University staff presented the Centre’s activities with a screening of the film “They came out of the land of slavery…”. at the Polish Saturday School. They also had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Coventry University and discuss the possibility of cooperation between the two entities in the field of forced migration and student exchanges. The mission’s activities were supported, among others, by Father Romuald Szczodrowski – pastor of a Polish parish, and Ms. Hanna Marzanska – director of the Polish Saturday School. During the 11 days spent in Coventry, it was possible to record the extraordinary lives of as many as 28 people. This is about 50 hours of priceless recordings in audio and video format. In addition to the interviews, the Centre’s archives received hundreds of photos and documents testifying to the tragic history of the heroes. The results of the UP mission’s work in the UK have been disseminated through the preparation of an exhibition dedicated to the extraordinary fate of the Siberians, the production of film notations and a publication with an accompanying DVD.

 


Mission of UP’s Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements in Montreal

 

From 16.05-02.06.2014, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four employees of the University traveled to Montreal, Canada. The purpose of the mission was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, India, Africa, Palestine, Egypt, Italy ended up permanently in Canada. The trip was part of a project of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences co-financed by funds received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the competition for the implementation of the task “Cooperation with the Polish community and Poles abroad in 2014”. During several days spent in Montreal, it was possible to record the extraordinary lives of 25 people (including 22 interviews with Siberians). This amounts to dozens of hours of priceless recordings in audio and video format. In addition to the interviews, the Centre’s archives received hundreds of photos and documents testifying to the tragic history of the heroes. During meetings at the Polish Library and the Polish Institute at McGill University and the Veterans Union House, University staff presented the idea of the Fourth Congress of Polish Scientific Societies Abroad and introduced the activities of the UP CDZWiP. The participants of the expedition were also guests on the Polish broadcasts of Radio CFMB Montreal. The mission’s activities were supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Montreal, the Union of Polish Veterans headed by President Jozef Foltyn and a group of Siberians coordinated by Edward Krajewski. The lasting result of the documentation work in Canada, was an exhibition entitled. “Polish Siberians in the World” presented during the Congress. It was held in Krakow from September 4-7, 2014.

For details, visit the website: http://kptnno.krakow.pl/

Scientific mission to Tarnow

 

On 10-11.02.2014, the staff of the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the University of the National Education Commission, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, documented the fate of the Siberians of Tarnów. During this time, they managed to record fourteen film notations with witnesses of history. Rich source material from so-called “home archives” was also collected. The project was carried out in cooperation with the Circle of Siberians in Tarnów and the Tarnów District Office.

 


Scientific mission in Stoke on Trent

 

A mission of the staff of the University of the National Education Commission went to Stoke on Trent in the UK from 7-17.11.2014 under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio. The purpose of the stay in the Islands was to interview witnesses of history who survived the Second World War, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine, India, Africa, ended up permanently in the UK and all those affected by the tragedy of forced migration. The mission’s activities were particularly supported by Rev. Peter Froelich and Maria and Edward Leligdowicz The project managed to record in audio and video form 14 memoir accounts. The documents, photographs and other artifacts collected during the historians’ work were deposited in the Centre’s archives. They were used to develop the source material. The results of the completed work were disseminated on the unit’s Internet channel. Excerpts of the notation can be listened to at the indicated link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPbD6yd_ZsscOiTr9eTb4J4GT__Kt8rf9. During the mission, a screening of the film “Expellees. Saybusch Aktion.” The screening was attended by the local Polish community.

 


Children of Tehran. Polish Siberians in Israel

 

From 6.05.2015 – 20.05.2015 a scientific mission of the University of the Commission of National Education in Cracow to Israel took place, during which further accounts of deportees to Siberia were recorded. This project was dedicated to a group of so-called Children of Tehran. Witnesses to history who were Polish citizens of the Mosaic faith, while in exile, lost their parents or were given up by them and after the so-called amnesty were placed in Polish orphanages. They were then evacuated from the USSR to Iran, where they were placed mostly in a Jewish orphanage. It was located in one of four refugee camps established for Poles in Tehran. From there, in 1943, a group of about 800 children left for what was then Palestine. This was the first such large group of Jews rescued from the Holocaust. More than a dozen memoir notations were recorded during the mission. The collected source material was used, among other things, in scientific articles and educational exhibitions.

 


Mission to Penrhos

 

On 19-26.06.2015, under the leadership of Dr. Hubert Chudzio, a group of four people consisting of staff from the University of the National Education Commission and volunteers from the Centre went to Penrhos, Wales. The purpose of the mission was to interview witnesses of history who survived the tragedy of World War II, exiled to the backwoods of Soviet Russia, through Iraq, Iran, India, Africa, and ended up permanently in Great Britain. In less than a week, the centre, known as the “Polish Soplicowo,” which is now home to about 100 residents, managed to record 17 remarkable memoir accounts.

 


Mission to the USA

 

In June 2016, under the direction of the Centre’s director Prof. Hubert Chudzio, a mission to the U.S.A. took place. Ten days of hard and fruitful work, full of amazing meetings with many Polish heroes and great personalities. A big, big thank you to Piotr and Beata Krajewski for their total dedication and selfless help… Thanks to Beata Kaczmarek from New Britain. Greetings to the wonderful Siberians, Africans, Soldiers of the Home Army and II Corps. Hugs to the Poles who have lived here for years, including Mrs. Antonina Bogdanska and Ryszard Smigielski.

 


Expedition to Uganda

 

From 17 to 24 November 2017, representatives of the Centrefor Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the University of the National Education Commission in Krakow took part in another expedition to Uganda. This time, its purpose was to celebrate the opening of the Health Centre in Koji and to name it after the “Polish Siberians”. It was in Koji that a Polish settlement existed between 1942 and 1951, where Polish refugees from the Soviet Union found refuge. On the occasion of this important ceremony, His Magnificence Prof. Dr. Kazimierz Karolczak, Rector of the University of Pedagogy, addressed a letter to those gathered. Today, the stay of Poles in Koji is remembered by a cemetery, rebuilt in 2012 thanks to the joint efforts of the Siberians, the UP Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlement, state institutions and a Salesian priest, Ryszard Józwiak, together with alumni from Namugongo. In addition, representatives of the Centre participated in an international conference entitled. “Refugees in Uganda, then and now. The history of the Polish Refugees in Eastern Africa and the situation of refugees in Uganda nowadays”, organised at the National Museum of Uganda. The conference was accompanied by an exhibition entitled. ‘Africa – the new home. From the snows of Siberia to the sun of Africa. Poles in Africa 1942 – 1952″, prepared by the Polish Embassy in Nairobi in cooperation with the CDZWiP. The above events were attended by Siberians – Africans from Poland, Canada and Australia, as well as Senator of the Republic of Poland Maciej Łuczak, Sergiusz Wolski – Chargé d’affaires of the Polish Embassy in Nairobi, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu – Minister of Tourism of Uganda and the Honorary Consul of Poland in Uganda and others.

 


Scientific project in Gliwice

 

In cooperation with the Museum in Gliwice, the project ‘Memory of the Borderlands among the inhabitants of Gliwice’ was carried out from 19 to 23 February 2018, during which the director and staff of the Centre recorded 15 interviews with witnesses of history – former inhabitants of the Second Polish Borderlands. The recordings, together with the collected materials, were placed in the archives of the Centre and the Gliwice Museum.

 


Mission to Zimbabwe 2018

 

Another study mission to the Black Continent took place from 19 August to 10 September 2018. It was organised to South Africa and Zimbabwe by the Polish Scouting Association in Warsaw and the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the University of the Commission for National Education in Krakow. Scoutmaster Michał Synowiec was the main organiser and head of the mission. The Center for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements was represented by Mariusz Solarz, who, among other things, provided substantive supervision of the whole undertaking. The other participants of the expedition were ZHR instructors: Lena Olszewska, Marianna Wiszniewska, Ignacy Olszewski, Jakub Pajkowski and Jan Pajkowski. The participants of the mission managed to reach three Polish necropolises: Rusape, Marandellas and Gatooma in Zimbabwe. An inventory, film and photographic documentation was carried out at each cemetery. Memorials to Polish refugees were cleaned and restored. Members of the mission also managed to access the hard-to-reach archive in Harare – the National Archives in Zimbabwe. This was thanks to the help of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland Mrs Krystyna Grabowska and her husband Mr Wiesław Grabowski. In total, more than twenty archival units were found. In the course of further activities, on the basis of archival material previously collected by the Centre, it was also possible to find the former Polish settlements in Rusape and Gatooma (today Ngezi) and the buildings in which Poles lived and are now used by African families. An important discovery was made when Polish graves were exhumed from the former Polish cemetery of the Gatooma (now Ngezi) settlement to the Kadoma (formerly Gatooma) cemetery in 1970. This was made possible by finding the register of people buried in the Old Kadoma Cemetery (Municipality of Gatooma. Cemetery Register ). In South Africa, invaluable assistance was provided by Mrs Zofia Pater and her son Dobek Pater and Barbara and Marek Kukulski, for which we would like to thank them.

 


The scientific project “Poles in Serbia. Ostojićevo 2019” – expedition of the University of the Commission of National Education in the Balkans

 

From 1-9.10.2019, the staff and students of the UP Institute of History and Archival Studies and our Centre carried out a scientific project dedicated to the study of the cultural heritage of Poles living in the village of Ostojicevo in Serbia. We would like to thank the entire Polish community for their warm welcome, as well as Polish organisations and the Polish Embassy in Belgrade for their fruitful cooperation and support of our activities.

 


Rusape mission 2019

 

Restoration work has been completed on the Polish cemetery in Rusape, Zimbabwe, where the deceased residents of the Rusape settlement, which existed in the 1940s, are buried. These were Polish citizens who were deported deep into the USSR after the outbreak of the Second World War and managed to leave their place of exile as a result of the Sikorski-Mayski agreement. Some of them were sent to an established camp in Zimbabwe. The mission to restore the forgotten Polish necropolis was organised by the Union of Polish Scouts from Warsaw and the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements at the University of the Commission for National Education in Krakow. On site, the work was supervised by Scoutmaster Michał Synowiec of the ZHR and Hubert Chudzio, Ph.D., Professor of UP, Director of the CDZWiP of UP in Krakow.

 


Mission in Kidugala

 

Mission of the team of the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the University of the National Education Commission successfully completed! Another Polish cemetery in East Africa has been thoroughly renovated by our Centre’s expedition. After three intensive weeks – the conservation and renovation work on the Polish necropolis in Kidugala (Tanzania) has been completed. The deceased residents of a settlement that existed in the 1940s are buried there. These were Polish citizens who were deported deep into the USSR after the outbreak of the Second World War, and who managed to leave their place of exile as a result of the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement. In 1942, they were sent to refugee settlements in Africa. Some of them were sent to a camp set up in what was then Tanganyika (now Tanzania). The photographs show the final result of the work and its various stages. In addition to the restoration and renovation work, it was possible to restore the identity of two children buried there. Their names appeared on the previously nameless tombstones. The mission to restore the Polish cemetery was organised by the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the University of the National Education Commission in Cracow in cooperation with the Polish Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the UP “Pro Universitatis” Foundation and the Franciscan Provincial Custody in Dar es Salaam. At the site, the expedition’s work was led by Prof Hubert Chudzio of the UP Institute of History and Archival Studies, director of the Centre. The work carried out as part of the project was financed by funds from the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport from the Cultural Promotion Fund as part of the Places of National Remembrance Abroad 2021 programme.

 


The research project “Emigration of Hearts. Poles in Hungary”

 

From 18-24 September 2022, work took place on the project entitled “Emigration of Hearts. Poles in Hungary”. The task, on a partnership basis, is being carried out by the Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements of the Polish Academy of Sciences (UP) in Krakow under the direction of Prof. Hubert Chudzio and the Polish Research Institute and Museum in Budapest headed by Jozsef Virágh, in cooperation with the Foundation Helping Poles in the East, as part of the Programme Polonia and Poles Abroad 2022 of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. To date, we have already filmed 23 memoirs! At the Polish Saturday School, we also held lectures dedicated to the 83rd anniversary of the aggression of the USSR against Poland and Siberians Day. In addition, as part of the exchange of experiences and good practices, we held a curatorial tour of the Museum’s new permanent exhibition ‘Poles – Hungarians. A 1000 Years of History’. A revisit will take place in the near future, when we will inaugurate at the Centre’s headquarters – the Skotniki Fort – an exhibition titled “The Siberian Exiles. “Exiled to Siberia. The fate of Polish citizens deported deep into the Soviet Union during World War II”.

 


Scientific mission in the Kłodzko Valley

 

December 2022 saw the Centre for the Documentation of Deportations, Exulsions and Resettlements of the University of the Commission for National Education realised in Kotlina Kłodzka! We opened it with the opening of an exhibition prepared by the Centre entitled Sybir. “Captured in the frame – recorded in images”, presented in the Kłodzka Land Museum. The inaugural lecture was given by the Director of the Centre, Prof. Hubert Chudzio. The main premise of the project is to record the accounts of Siberians who settled in this area after the Second World War. Work has already been carried out in Kłodzko, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Polanica Zdrój, Bard, Lądek Zdrój, Międzylesie, Gorzanów, Kamienna and Pławnica. Witnesses to history shared with us their memories of the difficult times of exile to Siberia, and donated priceless mementos to the Centre’s collection . One of these is the Picture of the Holy Family shot twice by an encroacher on the day of deportation. Our special thanks go to Mr Janusz Kobryń – for his commitment to the project and his crucial help in establishing contacts with the Siberians!We would also like to thank the staff of the Kłodzko Land Museum, headed by Director Krzysztof Miszkiewicz, as well as all the Siberians and Kresovina people and their families for all their help and great kindness. The research mission in Kotlina Kłodzka is being carried out as part of a project entitled “Diaspora of Polish Siberians in the World – Record of Source Accounts/Notations and Home Archives of Siberians in the Country – Archival Complex”, funded by the Ministry of Education and Science as part of the programme “National Programme for the Development of the Humanities”.

 


Scientific mission to Olsztyn

 

From 10-14 September 2023, another task was carried out as part of the Ministry of Education and Science’s National Programme for the Development of the Humanities project entitled. “Diaspora of Polish Siberiansin the world – recording of source accounts/Notations and home archives of Siberians in the country – archival team” in Olsztyn, where the Centre’s team met extraordinary people, exceptional fates and tragic stories. The result was recorded memoirs with witnesses of history in Olsztyn. We would like to thank the Olsztyn branch of the Siberians Association for its fruitful cooperation.

 


Mission of the Centre at Ilford Park Polish Home in the UK

 

The UKEN Centre for Documentation of Deportations, Expulsions and Resettlements mission in the UK is underway. Prof. Hubert Chudzio and Dr Mariusz Solarz are carrying out research at the last centre of its kind for Polish veterans and their relatives (wives, children), under the authority of the UK Ministry of Defence in Ilford Park Polish Home. The last witnesses of history associated with the events of the Second World War, including soldiers of the Polish army, are staying there. During just a few days of work, it was possible to record 15 accounts of witnesses to history and to acquire hundreds of photographs and archival documents for the Centre’s collection. Work is currently underway in London at the Polish Social and Cultural Centre (POSK) and the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum (IPMS). The expedition to Cornwall and London was organised in partnership with the IPMS, the Ilford Park Polish Home authorities and with the support of the Polonia Aid Foundation Trust (PAFT). We would like to thank all the extraordinary residents of the Ilford Park centre who shared their memories.