War Resettlement Rooting and Ageing - An Oral History Study of Polish Émigrés in Britain - A PhD Thesis by Michelle Winslow (2001).pdf

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War, resettlement, rooting and ageing:
An oral history study of Polish emigres in Britain.
Michelle Winslow
Submittedfor the degree Doctor of Philosophy,
of
University of Sheffield,
Department of History.
March 2001
Summary
The aim of this research has been to draw attention to the extent to which the
Second World War has exerted a major influence over the lives of Polish emigres
living in Britain. Memories of war trauma, loss of homeland, families and friends,
the struggle to adapt and cope in an alien environment, when most Poles longed
and
to return to Poland, has affected everyday lives from the initial period of settlement
the present day.
until
This thesis is an exercise in oral history. The life stories of Polish emigres, collected
the focus of this study, and the narratives reveal that
using oral methods, are
processesof remembering have influenced attitudes and shaped identities. These
memories, supported here by definitive archival studies of other scholars, contribute
to our understanding of historical and sociological issuesregarding the settlement of
Poles in Britain. Further, in the context of mental health, oral testimonies emphasise
the especial problems that are affecting many Polish emigres.
A particular problem amongst ageing Polish emigres is that of feeling like a
foreigner again in later life, since their language skills have tended to deteriorate at
the same time as age-related immobility has increased. Hence, many emigres have
become withdrawn from British society; isolated in their homes, with traumatic
memories.
Perceptions of difference have also emerged as important to the Polish experience of
living in Britain. Generally, Poles have reported that a cultural distinction has not
been made between themselves, as white Europeans, and white British people,
in certain circumstances has been detrimental to their health and welfare.
which
Later Polish migrants, and many of the `second generation', have also found the
Polish community to be dominated by first generation culture, which has prevented
them from developing a strong senseof belonging to it. As a consequence,with only
interested in maintaining Polish organisations, the
a minority of younger people
future of the Polish community in Britain looks uncertain.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks are extendedto the Polish communities and
individualswho havecontributedtheir time andeffort to assist
for this study.
with research
The advice and support received from Colin Holmes has been
As has assistance given by Graham
greatly appreciated.
Smith, Tim Smith, Witold Szablewski, Barbara Szablewska
and Zygmunt Zaleski.
For their encouragement
a special thank
and perseverance,
to Simon Winslow, Katie Winslow, Jack Winslow,
you goes
AlexanderWinslow andJacquiSmith.
Contents
Chapter One
Introduction
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1
............................................................................................
2
6
8
9
Polishemigres
history andreminiscence
1.5 Considering
work with
oral
1.6 Exhibiting oral history
"Forget? No, I never"
......................................................................
An introduction to Polish emigre history
.........................................
Estimates of the size of the Polish population in Britain
.................
Some problems of settlement
...........................................................
.......................................................................
11
19
Chapter Two
Methods of research
.............................................................................
22
2.1 Part one:Methodologicalconsiderations
.........................................
in
history
2.2 Motivations for
taking part oral
research .........................
2.3 The interviewer/interviewee relationship
.........................................
2.4 Secondlanguage interviewing
..........................................................
2.5 Transcription
.....................................................................................
23
25
27
28
30
2.6 Part two: The research
project
Chapter Three
..........................................................
31
Narrating the Second World War
........................................................
........................
42
43
3.1 Part One: Poles, Poland and the SecondWorld War
3.2 "Gologota"
3.4
3.5
.........................................................................................
57
3.3 Part Two: Remembering the war
3.6
3.7
......................................................
The SeptemberCampaign
................................................................
Soviet occupation
.............................................................................
`Amnesty'
...............
.
.
...
.
.
...................
.
.
..............................................
Fighting back
....................................................................................
44
57
60
64
68
3.8 The Katyn massacre
.........................................................................
72
3.9 The death of General Sikorski
..........................................................
74
3.10 Polish forces
...................................................................................
77
3.11 The Monte Cassino
3.12
3.13
3.14
3.15
3.16
.........................................................
Nazi occupation
..............................................................................
"War is war, but this..."
..................................................................
The Warsaw Rising
........................................................................
Victory?
..........................................................................................
Concluding comment
.....................................................................
campaign
78
82
86
89
93
69
Chapter Four
The Polish Community in Britain
........................................................
94
4.1 Part one: Six decades communityorganisation Britain
in
of
...........
4.2 The myth of community?
.................................................................
4.3 The formation of the Polish communityin GreatBritain
................
95
96
97
4.4 Part Two: Polish community narratives
...........................................
4.5 Return to Poland or stay in Britain?
.................................................
4.6 Origins of the Polish community in Britain
.....................................
4.7 Religion and the Polish community
.................................................
4.8 Accommodation and employment
...................................................
4.9 Hostility and discrimination
.............................................................
4.10 The question of integration
............................................................
4.11 Marriage and children
....................................................................
4.12 The Third Republic of Poland
........................................................
4.13 Change, continuity and growing older
...........................................
4.14 Community `outsiders'
...................................................................
4.15 Concluding comment
......................................................................
110
111
112
118
119
127
132
135
138
141
148
153
Chapter Five
War, settlement and mental health
......................................................
156
157
177
178
5.1 Part One: The development of research
...........................................
5.2 Part Two: The past in the present
.....................................................
5.3 Coping with mental illness in the early days of settlement
..............
5.4 Mental healthandthe Polishemigremajority
..................................
5.5 Becoming`invisible' in society:A disadvantage mentalhealth
for
....
5.6 Issues
specificallyconcerning
women .............................................
5.7 Issuesthat have negatively impacted on the settlement of Polish men
5.8 Growing old in a secondhomeland
..................................................
5.9 A growing necessityto communicate in Polish
................................
5.10 The problem of inadequate support
................................................
5.11 Concluding comment
......................................................................
181
188
191
195
198
204
210
212
Chapter 6
Conclusion
..............................................................................................
213
214
220
6.1 Summarising first generation narrative
............................................
6.2 The future of the Polish community
..................................................
Appendices
Appendix 1: Map showing German/Soviet demarcation line and Polish
defensive positions of the SeptemberCampaign, 1939.
.....
Appendix 2: Map showing destinations of Poles deported to the USSR
....
Appendix 3: Correspondencebetween H.MacMillan and General Anders
225
226
the Victory Parade,1946.
regarding
...................................
Appendix4: Certificateissuedfollowing the liberation of Dachau
........
Appendix5: Map showingPolish bordersbeforeand after the Second
World War.
.........................................................................
Appendix6 Conditionsof Servicein the PolishResettlement
Corps,as
issuedto officers
.................................................................
Bibliography
..................................................................................
227
229
230
231
233

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