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Polish Community Life in Birmingham

Many Poles fought WW2 from the UK and remained after the war and settled in the town nearest the airfield they were flying from. In many cases they anglicised their surnames and a friend of mine's father was one such. Having been born here to an English mother, you would never guess that she was of Polish extraction.

Maurice
 
One of my customers here in the Forest was a Polish gent, ex RAF, a Mr Olchovski, he's passed on now but I think his widow and son are still around.
Also at the war end the daughter of one of mom's neighbours married an ex service Polish guy, it ended in divorce but my brother in Australia told me that their daughter had been in touch with him through Facebook to try to find out more about the time.
 
Thanks for posting Jim. Be interesting to hear from members with Polish ancestry where their families settled in Birmingham. My dad flew with Polish men in the RAF, and he formed a very strong loyalty to those men. Viv.
 
hi viv
i beleive they built there first communitity on top end of Bordesley street digbeth
just below the old grve yard which later became a park there i think it was around 1953 to 55
and you had to go up a flight of steps to enter it was really marvellous inside
As you know that my grand parents was at number 1 newcannal street but also you know they was the big
catureing busines from the thirtys upwards registard at 235 park lane aston cross and they catuerd all the big society
in and around birmingham all there gear was top brass real cut glass and high silver ware and waitress services
they done the councils town halls and the gpo and many more but i mentioned it because my grand father and his brothers got the contract with the irish ccommunitys in those days and i went with him to deliver the goods of requirments with him
to that particular one best wishes Alan , Astonian,,,,,
 
No there was a polish comunity long before then it was about half way up the hill
its where they buil a park or some think before it was a barron land of peoples grave as you walk throgh it this is in the fiftry many moons before any sign of demostrar=tion and there was a little garage repair busines opersite and i beleive there was some kind of an ols vigarage house or some think to do with an possible church when ever that was but there was no church there
in the forty or fiftys i can tell you and they had a polish plaque on the wall out side the millium cetre was not ever dreamt of in those f
days viv
take a walk down crooked lane and cross over the road continiung down on to bordesley stree t as you may recall
its all down hill heading down the hill about four hundred yards on the left as you come down thats where they built it
best wishes viv as always Alan ,, Astonian,,,,
 
In 2011 the Midlands Polish Community Association published a book entitled "In War & Peace,, collected Memories of Birmingham's Poles", with help from the lottery fund,", which collected together the lives of 22 Poles before and after coming to Birmingham in WW2. Cover reproduced below.
In War & Peace.jpg
 
In the 1960's I had a good friend who was Polish. His family lived in Witton and were always welcoming and generous - sometimes too generous, especially with vodka. On one occasion I was taken to the Club Polski on Soho Road.....ooohhh my Gawd! How I got home that night I'll never know, and certainly can't remember. They were good people, unfailingly grateful to we Brits for our support of their cause during WW2.

G
 
And we should not overlook their support in branches of our armed forces. The South West had many Polish servicemen, particularly in the RAF and Royal Navy. Many stayed here.
 
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