Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

My dad was called Jan (known as Janek)Dabek and I am sure served in the first armoured division. He met my mother when he was given a billet in their house after the liberation of Breda in 1944. He then went into Germany and later to a settlement camp near st neots in the uk. I have only just started looking for my Polish roots and am so sad that I didn`t ask him more. He just didn`t speak much about his Polish life. I know he was born in a forced labour camp in kostroma.

Was there a tank regiment? I remember those words from when I was young and if so then that is what he was in. I know he went to Normandy

what an excellent lot of info on this thread. I have written for a death cert and will then get army records as next of kin. I found out today that he (Jan called Janek Dabek) was in 24th lancers. All my brothers and sisters are co-operating and I am getting pictures together. My brother has a souvenir book and it has a good picture of the tank unit in Ghent. My dad is on top of a tank. I will be getting the book next week for a loan and will scan pictures. I will try and post some but will have to work out how to do that first

I just found out he had to learn a low class trade as a shoemaker in Codford. It was gutting when I heard that these very brave men were called aliens

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

my dad was born in a slave labour camp, kostroma in russia. I have decided to try and get things together methodically as there is no point in rushing back in time too quickly. My birth cert says st neots and so I looked for army camps and then I remembered that my mum had said `army hospital` and I found it at Diddington. I found one sheet of a newsletter that told about me winning a baby show 6 months later and codford was at the bottom. Then I found out about the accomodation at codford and it linked to a small photo of a hut with nappies blowing in the wind.

This is how I am working, just one step at a time. My siblings are finding a piece of paper here and there and today I got an e mail with a copy of an army reference and it shows my dads army number. A HUGE breakthrough. So now I can get some details from the army records office and later when I am sure of the unit, from the sikorski museum

I have googled non stop and found a map of the route the army took through europe when they liberated Breda and I have lots of printouts of things.

He left Poland in 1939 and went to Scotland and ended up back in the uk in 1947

The hardest gap for me is the time between 1916 and 1939. Slave labour was mentioned lots of times by my mother (Dutch from Breda) but dad didn`t talk about anything in his past. I have found where his parents are buried (Boby) and I found their names and I have a little picture of each of his siblings, including an older sister her husband and son. Her husband and son were shot by the kgb

The more I find out, the more I feel a hole in my heart for Poland. To know now that this hard working, brave and intelligent people were called aliens really hurts and so does the fact that the poles could not walk in the victory march, just to keep stalin appeased

Food / Polish Sour Milk / Maślanka [44]

we were raised on sour milk and potatoes. Old fashioned unpasturised milk just left for a couple of days. No wonder we grew up to be healthy adults with all those natural probiotics. Sourdough bread and sauerkrout too. Masses of good bacteria

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

I know for sure now. My dad was definitely in the 24th lancers. I saw my brother this week and he has kindly lent me a book that he had tucked away in his loft. Its a really precious book, numbered 1069, so there are at least 1068 copies about. It is about A4 size softback and yellowing. On the front is 24 PULK ULANOW (lines through the Ls and a comma over the O ) It looks as though the book was printed in 1945. The eagle and the red and white (or cream) emblems are near the front. 24 is inside 4 wheat wreaths and the other side has HONOR I OJCZYZNA inside a larger wheat wreath. I think it is the 24th lancers flag

I can`t get the Polish alphabet sorry.

There are lots of photos, starting with the cavalry, then tanks. There are several pages of vertical columns of writing in 3 languages, including English. Maps. Photos in Chippenham, Douglas, Arbroath, Galashiels, Kirkudbright. Several other places in europe, including chambois, Gand (Ghent) and there is a great picture of my dad on a tank

Writing on several areas, including normandy. 47 officers and 634 men, 52 sherman tanks, 11 stuart tanks, 6 anti aircraft tanks. Kanski, Rakowski, Drzewinski, Komornicki, Piwonski, Szumanski, Zboski, ziolkowski, Dzierzek. They were the officers

It gives the armoury losses and the enemy losses etc etc. There is a list of people etc at the back plus pictures of medals

I nearly didn`t write this but I am so excited at having it in my hands for a short while. I had to share some detail with you. I`ll look for your name if I can

Can someone please translate this: KRZYZ ZASLUGI Z MIECZAMI

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

Thank you very much caprice

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]

Zoe

Who is Zoe? She is not one of my siblings and has no authorisation to be putting any details of my family in such a posting

If anyone is looking to get army records then the cost is now £30 and you need death certs of anyone above you in the kinship stakes ie father plus mother