Authors

Olga Topol¹;  ¹ British Library, UK

Discussion

In the concluding stages of the First World War, Sir Lewis Bernstein Namier – originally Ludwik Bernstein Niemirowski – cautioned against shaping the emerging European order solely based on historical claims. Instead, he advocated considering ethnic factors while delineating new boundaries. Namier, a British historian of Polish-Jewish origin and a specialist at the British Foreign Office on matters concerning Galicia and Poland, had profound insights into the intricate ethnic landscape of what Poles referred to as Kresy – the region at the crossroads of European powers and Russian political interests. This area was marked by tensions among the Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish populations. Unfortunately, both Polish nationalists and other involved parties paid little heed to Namier's perspective. The commencement of the Second World War, coupled with Soviet aggression towards Poland, substantiated the validity of Namier's assertions.
In a bid to restructure the ethnic composition of the region and eliminate the 'dangerous element' that could challenge Soviet claims to the territory, the Soviets initiated extensive deportations of Polish forest workers, civil servants, and landowners to Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Khabarovsk Krai. Over four waves of deportations, hundreds of thousands of families were forcibly resettled in deplorable conditions. Families were torn apart, leaving women to care for their children and themselves for years, grappling to survive.
This paper retraces the paths of women who endured the tragic journey of displacement and subsequently sought refuge in the United Kingdom, becoming integral members of the vibrant Polish community in Britain, thanks to The Polish Resettlement Act of 1947. Understanding the trajectory that Poles undertook to settle in the United Kingdom, beyond a mere acknowledgment of its war-related origins, is pivotal to grasp the composition of the British Polish community in the post-war years. The article draws on primary sources generated during 'The Forgotten Force – Polish Women in the Second World War' oral history project by The Piłsudski Institute of London, along with various secondary sources, to depict the journey of a generation of women whose narratives remained concealed within the mainstream discourse predominantly focused on pivotal military events. These women played a vital role in holding their families together, ensuring survival, engaging in frontline struggles, all while preserving Polish language and traditions. Their narratives and experiences were instrumental in shaping the identities of second and third-generation British Poles who have integrated into contemporary British society.