RECORDS


If you are looking for Military Records or other information about relatives,  you should start locally by contacting any Veteran's Association that your relative belonged to.  These groups often maintained some records on their members.  If you can't find an organization in your area, you may consider contacting the following organizations to find the branches nearest you.  You may also want to contact the Polish Embassy or Consulate nearest you.  They may be able to help you find Polish Veteran's Organizations near you.


VETERAN'S ORGANIZATIONS

SWAP -Stowarzyszenie Weteranow Armii Polskiej (w Ameryce) meaning Polish Army Veteran's Association (of America) or PAVA.  Persons who fought in Polish units in the First World War, the 1918-21 War and the Second World War who live or lived outside Poland (USA, Canada and France especially) were often members of  this Association.  Haller's (Blue) Army is closely associated with SWAP because American Veterans who fought under Haller returned to the USA after the war and formed SWAP in 1922.
Their National address is:
Polish Army Veteran's Association of America
National Headquarters,
119 East 15th Street,
New York, NY  USA
10003-2392

There is a database of most names of the American and Canadian WW I  Blue Army Volunteers at:
http://feefhs.org/pol/pafi/halrdesc.html

Haller's Army searchable Index
http://www.pgsa.org/haller.htm

POLISH COMBATANTS ASSOCIATION in CANADA (SPK)
Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantow Prezes Marian Fijal
 Polish Combatants’ Association in Canada
 206 Beverly Street; Toronto, Ont M5T 1Z3
 Tel.: 001-416-591-6584, Fax: 001-905-881-9039
 E-mail: jferenc@execulink.com (John Ferenc)
http://www.polish-combatants.ca/

POLISH LEGION OF AMERICAN VETERANS
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/1331/

For Information on Exile Veterans groups, see the list of Veterans Associations in UK & Australia below.



OFFICIAL RECORDS

You can write to this address for information about Official Polish Government pre-WW II records.  They will not likely have too much on specific individuals and it may take a long time for a reply.
Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe
00-910 Warszawa-Rembertow
ASG Blok 124
Poland

Information relating to the award of medals and orders to specific individuals is maintained by the Cabinet of the President of Poland.  This office will not do the research.  Research must be conducted in person, in Warsaw.

The Central Military Library in Warsaw (Centralna Biblioteka Wojskowa) has a website:
http://www.cbw.pl
They have books and reference material relating to military topics.

WW II Exile records are maintained by the Sikorski Institute.  These will be the Polish service records:
Polish Institute
and Sikorski Museum
20 Princes Gate
London, SW7 1PT



POLISH SOLDIERS WHO SERVED IN BRITISH UNITS IN WW II

The British Government records of Poles who served under British Command during WW II can be obtained from the British Ministry of Defense.  You will be required to prove a family relationship to the individual that you are researching.
The Ministry of Defense
Army Records Center, POLISH SECTION
Bourne Avenue
Hayes Middlesex, England UA3 1RF
PHONE 0181-573-3831 FAX 0181-569-2751

REPLACEMENT MEDALS FROM THE BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENSE
The British Army Medals Office issues WW II medals to those entitled persons who have never received them. It also issues replacement medals under certain conditions for entitled personnel.
Send a letter to the Medal Office explaining the precise request and the circumstances behind it. As much of the following information as possible concerning the original recipient or entitled person should be included.  Send PHOTOCOPIES of any supporting documents that you have.
Include:
Full Name,
Date of Birth,
Service Number,
Date of joining first unit,
Date of leaving/transfer/demob.

Inquiries about British Medals granted to Polish Soldiers serving in British units made be made to the following address:

Officer in Charge
The Army Medal Office
Government Buildings
Droitwich Spa
Worcester
WR10 8AU

For more details, visit:
http://www.army.mod.uk/contacts/divisions/medals.htm



A List of Veterans Associations in England
Obtained from: http://www.zem.co.uk/polinuk/fed/members.htm
(Federation of Poles in Great Britain site)

Instytut Jozefa Pilsudskiego
(Jozef Pilsudski Institute)
240 King Street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 748 6197 (UK: 0181 748 6197)
Prezes - Mieczyslaw Stachiewicz

Instytut Polski I Muzeum im. gen. Sikorskiego
(Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum)
20 Princes Gate, London SW7 1Pt
Tel: 44 171 589 9249 (UK: 0171 589 9249)
Prezes - Ryszard Dembinski

Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantow w W Brytanii (SPK)
(Polish Ex-combatants Association)
240 King Street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 741 1911 (UK: 0181 741 1911)
Fax: 44 181 748 4558 (UK: 0181 748 4558)
Prezes - Czeslaw Zychowicz

Kolo Oficerow Dyplomowanych na Obczynie
(Circle of the Staff Officers in Exile)
10 Leigh Gardens, London NW10 5HP
Prezes - plk Jan Sochacki

Zwiazek Zolnierzy 5 KDP
(Association of the Soldiers of the 5th Infantry Division)
58 Rydal Gardens, Wembley, Middx. HA9 8RZ
Tel: 44 181 908 4951 (UK: 0181 908 4951)
Prezes - Waldemar Szczepanski

Zwiazek Karpatczykow 3 DSK
(The Third Carpathian Division Association)
21 Noel Road, London W3 0JD 
Prezes - Jozef Wojtecki

Stowazyszenie Lotnikow Polskich
(Polish Air Force Association)
14 Collingham Gardens, London SW5 0HT
Tel: 44 171 373 1085 (UK: 0171 373 1085)
Prezes - Ludwik Martel

Stowarzyszenie Marynarki Wojennej
(Polish Naval Association)
14 Collingham Gardens, London SW5 0HT
Tel: 44 181 560 5319 (UK: 0181 560 5319)
Prezes - Konstany Zubkowski

Zwiazek Polskich Oficerow Marynarki Handlowej
(Polish Merchant Navy Officers Association)
240 King Street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 876 0794 (UK: 0181 876 0794)
Prezes - Boleslaw Pogorzelski

Zwiazek Polskich Spadochroniarzy
(Polish Paratroops Association)
240, King Street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 876 9315 (UK: 0181 876 9315)
Prezes - Zbigniew Gasowski

Kolo b. Zolnierzy Armii Krajowej
(Ex Home Army Soldiers Circle)
240 King street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 992 7421 (UK: 0181 992 7421)
Prezes - Jozef Huczynski

Kolo Oficerow Artylerii
(Artillery Officers Circle)
13 Chatsworth Road, Croydon, Surrey CR0 1HE
Tel: 44 181 688 4784 (UK: 0181 688 4784)
Prezes - Ferdynand Pasiecznik

Zwiazek Inwalidow Wojennych PSZ
(Association of the Disabled Polish Ex-Servicemen)
240 King Street, London W6 0RF
Tel: 44 181 563 2528 (UK: 0181 563 2528)
Prezes - Karol Lesiak

Kolo Szkoly Podchorazych Piechoty
(Circle of Infantry Officer-Cadets)
8 Marsden Road, London SE15 4EE
Tel: 44 171 732 8612 (UK: 0171 732 8612)
Prezes - Jozef Kovar

Kolo Junackie Szkoly Kadetow
(Cadet School Members Circle)
27 Hamilton Road, Bedford Park, London W4 1AL
Tel: 44 181 994 5911 (UK: 0181 994 5911)
Prezes - Jerzy Kulczycki

Zwiazek Kadetow 1918-1939
(Association of the Cadets of 1918-1939)
c/o Instytut J. Pilsudskiego, 240, King Street, London W6 0RF
Prezes - Boleslaw Gozdek

Kolo Kobiet Zolnierzy PSZ
(The Circle of the Women Soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces)
14 Warrick Mansions, Cromwell Cresc., London SW5 9QR
Tel: 44 171 373 3836 (UK: 0171 373 3836)
Prezes - Jadwiga Morozewicz

Kolo Pomocniczej Lotniczej Sluzby Kobiet
(Circle of the Auxiliary Women's Air Force)
14 Stanley Avenue, Wembly, Middx
Tel: 44 181 902 4675 (UK: 0181 902 4675)
Prezes - Alicja Kaliniecka



AUSTRALIA
1-st Polish Armoured Division Association
20 Merrilands Road
Reservoir Vic 3073

Carpathian Club Melbourne Polish Rats of Tobruk
61 Elwood Street
Brighton North Vic 3186

 Polish Branch Air Force Association Victoria
 Greenways Road
 Glen Waverley Vic 3150

 Polish Ex-Servicemen's Association
 13 Saunders Street
 Westall Vic 3169

Polish Home Army Ex-Servicemen
3 Libra Court
Tempelstowe Vic 3106
 

          Kolo SPK Nr 2 w Adelaide

          Kolo SPK Nr 14 w Adelaide

Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantow Kolo Nr. 8
 Polska Szkola Brisbane - Capalaba
 Holland St., Capalaba, QLD 4157, Brisbane

Krajowe Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów w Australii
Polish Ex-Servicemen's Association in Australia
GPO Box 1509, Adelaide 5001



Information about other Polish State Records
http://ciuw.warman.net.pl/alf/archiwa/index.eng.html

Helpful site for those requesting records from Poland
http://www.polishroots.com/genpoland/index.htm

Many more military resources can be found at:
http://maxpages.com/poland/Military_Records



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