Guide

Soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces in the West

This guide is for families of soldiers who fought under British operational command: in the army rebuilt in France and, after June 1940, in Britain, in the air force and navy, in the Carpathian Brigade, in General Maczek's 1st Armoured Division, in the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade and in General Anders' 2nd Corps, which grew out of the army formed in the USSR and led out to Iran in 1942. In the summer of 1945 the Polish Armed Forces in the West numbered, by various estimates, some 200,000–250,000 men and women. According to British figures, around 115,000 people passed through the Polish Resettlement Corps, and around 105,000 soldiers from the West returned to Poland.

How to search

1. 01Start with what the family kept: identity cards, the service book, photographs in uniform, badges, field-post letters and Polish Resettlement Corps papers. A sleeve badge, a unit name or a service number makes everything that follows much easier.
2. 02The main source is the personal file kept by the UK Ministry of Defence. Requests for the records of someone who served under British command go through gov.uk (online or by post); give the full name, date of birth and, if known, the service number. According to the page the MOD charges no fee, and a reply can take up to a year. A death certificate is not required, but without one some information may be withheld unless the person died in service or was born more than 116 years ago.
3. 03For airmen and members of the women's auxiliary service, check the Krzystek List straight away: it can be searched by surname, service number, date or place of birth, and gives rank, trade, decorations and often where the person settled after 1947 and where they are buried.
4. 04With a copy of the MOD file, write to the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London. The Institute asks researchers to obtain the personal records first and to enclose copies with their enquiry; its archive helps to trace the unit's path. Research enquiries are charged according to the archive's price list.
5. 05If the soldier was killed, look for the grave in the war cemeteries catalogue of the Polonika database, which can be searched by person. Soldiers who returned to Poland may have left traces in the IPN's holdings: its archival catalogue includes, among other things, personnel registration sheets of PSZ soldiers from 1946–1947.
6. 06If the soldier reached Anders' Army from deportation or a labour camp, part of the story is covered in the guide “Deported to the Soviet Union”. If he was first forced into the Wehrmacht and then joined the PSZ, see the guide “Wehrmacht conscripts”.

Where to search

• Archive / collectionUK Ministry of Defence: records of Polish personnel under British command ↗Personal files of Polish service personnel who served under British command in the Second World War. Requests are made online or by post; the page says the MOD charges no fee.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-the-records-of-a-deceased-serviceperson
• Online searchThe Krzystek List (Polish Air Force personnel in Great Britain, 1940–1947) ↗A name list of more than 17,000 airmen and over 1,300 women of the auxiliary service, compiled from RAF ledgers made available by the MOD. Entries give rank, trade, date and place of birth, decorations and often what happened afterwards.listakrzystka.pl
• Archive / collectionPolish Institute and Sikorski Museum (London) ↗The largest archive of Polish history in the West, holding papers of the government and armed forces in exile. It answers family enquiries but asks people first to obtain personal files from the MOD and enclose copies. Records of the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade are unavailable until 1 March 2027 while they are digitised.pism.org.uk/family-research
• Online searchPolonika database: war cemeteries catalogue ↗A catalogue of Polish war cemeteries and plots abroad, run by the Polonika Institute, with a search by person.baza.polonika.pl/pl/katalogi/katalog-cmentarzy-wojennych
• Online searchIPN Archive: archival catalogue ↗Descriptions of records held by the IPN, including personnel registration sheets with service details of PSZ soldiers in Britain (1946–1947). Access or copies are requested from the IPN archive.inwentarz.ipn.gov.pl

We checked the addresses and holdings on these institutions' own websites. Their rules can change, so check their current pages before sending a request.

Read in the chronicle

• 1945Demobilisation in BritainIn June 1945 Britain began releasing servicemen by age and length of service (Bevin’s plan, launched on 18 June). The war with Japan was still going on.
• 1944Battle of Monte CassinoFrom 17 January to 18 May 1944 the Allies made four assaults on the Gustav Line at Cassino. On 18 May the Polish II Corps took the ruins of the abbey.
• 1945The surrender of German forces in ItalyAt 2 p.m. local time on 2 May 1945 the Caserta surrender came into force. German forces in Italy were the first whole front of the Reich to lay down arms.
• 1940Operation AerialOn 15 June 1940 the British began evacuating troops from the ports of western France. By 25 June they had also taken off Poles, Czechoslovaks and some French.
• 1940Battle of BritainFrom 10 July to 31 October 1940 the Luftwaffe tried to destroy the RAF ahead of an invasion of Britain. It failed, and Hitler postponed the landing.
• 1941Siege of TobrukFrom 10 April to 27 November 1941 Australians, Britons, Poles and Czechoslovaks held Tobruk against Rommel. Supplied by sea, the fortress never fell.
• 1944The Falaise pocketOn 14 August 1944 Canadians and Poles advanced on Falaise in Operation Tractable. The pocket was closed on 19–21 August at Chambois and on the Mace.
• 1944Operation Market Garden17–25 September 1944: Allied airborne troops and XXX Corps tried to seize the Dutch bridges up to the Rhine. They took Nijmegen but were defeated at Arnhem.