How to Find Your Polish Roots

How to Find Your Polish Roots

Author: Ognisko Polskie July 6, 2024 Duration: 33:29
MONTE CASSINO 80
HistoryCultureEducationSocietySociety & Culture

In this episode of Monte Cassino 80, with thanks to Kresy Family Polish WWII History Group, we meet Jan Zajaczkowski. Jan is a volunteer at Kresy Family who has become an authority on navigating the available archives as well as adding to the tools to help you find your Polish Roots. In this podcast he explains what is accessible if you are researching a family journey from Kresy, through Siberia, Drugi Korpus 2nd Corps and service in the Italian campaign.


KRESY FAMILY RESEARCH LINKS PAGE

https://www.kresyfamily.com/family-research-links.html

KRESY FAMILY VIDEO Family Research Webinar I - Pre war records, Maps, Deportation Lists (Siberia, Kazakhstan, etc)

https://youtu.be/rlFiPVpkXKE?si=soyDH2QfM8gc-YxY

KRESY FAMILY VIDEO Family Research Webinar II - Evacuation from USSR to Persia, Military service, Refugee camps

https://youtu.be/ytJjs_yqkhs?si=PghN_nwl09FRUjn8

THE POLISH ARCHIVE AND SIKORSKI MUSEUM WEBSITE

https://pism.org.uk/how-to-use-the-archive/

JERRY KUBICA MONTE CASSINO WEBINAR:


https://youtu.be/xBm5kYG2KZ4?si=A6weTplE_ZNSN53_


Jola reads an excerpt from the document "W sprawie z plebiscytu urządowego przez Sowieckie władze w październiku 1939" which was written her aunt, Zofia Nowińska on the 10th of April 1943. Ochotniczka Zofia Nowińska went on to serve in 316 Transport and at Monte Cassino delivered supplies to the 2nd Front Line, she drive on the treacherous supply road under cover of darkness, with only the battle to light up the sky.

The document is one of thousands of other similar testimonies recorded in 1943, scanned and held in the Hoover archive. Zofia's document had been unread by anyone in her family until it was discovered by Jola in June 2024 after she followed the advice given by Jan Zajaczkowski while recording “How to Find your Polish Roots”.

"The piece of advice he gave me was that once you have located the folder number, download the folder and you will find that it is uncatalogued. Don't give up - go through every document until you find the one you are looking for, it takes time but it is in there."




Ognisko Polskie’s Monte Cassino 80 podcast is presented by Jola Piesakowska

Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute

Produced by Salt and Pepper Productions in association with #MyLondyn


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Marking the eightieth anniversary of one of the Second World War's most brutal and consequential clashes, MONTE CASSINO 80 is a reflective audio series from Ognisko Polskie. This podcast moves beyond a simple military chronicle to explore the deep layers of history, memory, and human experience surrounding the Polish contribution to the battle and the wider Italian Campaign. Each episode serves as a thoughtful examination, piecing together how the events of 1944 continue to echo through the decades. We delve into the strategic decisions and the grim reality of the fighting, but with equal weight given to the cultural and emotional legacy left in its wake. The series considers the personal stories of soldiers, the geopolitical complexities that placed them there, and the enduring symbols-from song to sentiment-that the name Monte Cassino evokes within Polish identity and beyond. Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute, this is a nuanced journey for anyone interested in how history is lived, fought, and remembered. Listen to this podcast for a multifaceted exploration that connects past sacrifice to present understanding, asking what it means to commemorate such a pivotal moment eight decades later.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 10

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MONTE CASSINO 80
Podcast Episodes
In conversation with Prof Norman Davies author of Trail of Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:53
"I get more correspondence from" Trail of Hope "than anything else... Lots of books about Monte Cassino but not very much about the whole Odyssey".'Trail of Hope' situates the Anders Army's journey within the broader con…
Polish Women Warriors of 317 Transport - Tola Styraniec [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
In this podcast we meet Nuna Staniaszek whose mother Tola Turska, nee Styraniec was a volunteer with 317 General transport 2nd Polish Corps. Her service as listed in her Military records began in the Middle East and then…
Porucznik Danuta Gradosielska PSK 316 Transport Company [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
"I realise now, that at 18, I was too young to understand just how dangerous this was." Danuta (Mączka) Gradosielska was 18 years old when she saw active service at Monte Cassino and the Italian Campaign as a driver with…
Corporal Waleria Sawicka PSK Signals 2 Corps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:17
"...because Polish people are actually very brave and they fight well... even the women"Marking the 80th anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino in May 2024, Pani Sawicka spoke to me for this podcast at her home in So…