Polish Armed Forces in Scotland Project
- Reference:GB 254 MS 145
- Dates of Creation:2000-2002
- Name of Creator:
- Physical Description:1 box (0.15 linear metres)
Scope and Content
Oral history recordings, memoirs, photographs and related papers.
Administrative / Biographical History
The Polish Armed Forces Project was set up by Dr Petr Lesniewski, honorary research fellow at the University of Dundee. The object of the project is to collect oral history, memoirs, testimonials, recollections, documents and any other related material recording the presence of the 200,000 plus Polish soldiers, sailors and airmen who arrived in Scotland between 1940 and 1947. During the Second World War, Polish servicemen were interned in Hungary and Romania, held in forced labour camps in Russia, or forcibly conscripted into the German Army. Many thousands of them escaped to join the Allied war effort and were sent to Scotland for retraining at the Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, stationed in and around Leven and Largo in Fife, and the Polish First Armoured Division in Perth and towns and villages throughout Angus. At the end of the war many of the Polish soldiers trained in Fife who returned to their homeland became secret agents with the underground Home Army and lost their lives, whilst others vanished in Stalin's camps. As a result, thousands of the Polish servicemen stationed in Scotland chose to remain and were assimilated into Scottish society.
Arrangement
Usually chronological within series.
Access Information
Open for consultation subject to preservation requirements. Access must also conform to the restrictions of the Data Protection Act (2018), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018) and any other relevant legislation or restrictions. Clinical information is closed for 100 years.
Note
The Polish Armed Forces Project was set up by Dr Petr Lesniewski, honorary research fellow at the University of Dundee. The object of the project is to collect oral history, memoirs, testimonials, recollections, documents and any other related material recording the presence of the 200,000 plus Polish soldiers, sailors and airmen who arrived in Scotland between 1940 and 1947. During the Second World War, Polish servicemen were interned in Hungary and Romania, held in forced labour camps in Russia, or forcibly conscripted into the German Army. Many thousands of them escaped to join the Allied war effort and were sent to Scotland for retraining at the Polish Independent Parachute Brigade, stationed in and around Leven and Largo in Fife, and the Polish First Armoured Division in Perth and towns and villages throughout Angus. At the end of the war many of the Polish soldiers trained in Fife who returned to their homeland became secret agents with the underground Home Army and lost their lives, whilst others vanished in Stalin's camps. As a result, thousands of the Polish servicemen stationed in Scotland chose to remain and were assimilated into Scottish society.
Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements
The records are on magnetic tape and paper and include photographs.
Archivist's Note
Description compiled by Gemma, Lee, March 2007.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction is available subject to preservation requirements. Charges may be made for this service, and copyright and other restrictions may apply; please check with the Duty Archivist.
Accruals
Expected
Additional Information
Published
Catalogued
MS 145
Subjects