Saunter with me through some of the famous Polish cemeteries I've visited through the years, within and outside Poland's boundaries. Poland's All Saints Day on 1st November is a national...
August 29, 2020
Do you know much about your family history at the time of World War I or just after? The last century was an incredibly traumatic one for our ancestors. The war front...
July 18, 2020
Let's raise a glass this weekend for Ognisko Polskie in Kensington, London, celebrating 80 years of serving the Polish community in exile. A success story which throughout the Second World...
June 26, 2020
The heady scent of flowers on a summer’s evening is potent as a group of zuchy run excitedly down the road: they have earned the right to spend 10 minutes...
June 12, 2020
With planned changes at the Penrhos Residential Polish Home (near Phwhelli in Wales) in mind, I came across a gem of a film about another residential home, Ilford Park in the...
May 6, 2020
The official British Victory Parade to celebrate the end of World War II took place on 8 June 1946, once hostilities with Japan had ended. The Parade was a show...
April 10, 2020
Did you know pre-war Polish cuisine, that of our grandparents or great grandparents was quite different to current dishes? For Wielkanoc (Easter) there were no faszerowane jajka (stuffed eggs), no...
March 14, 2020
If for you Lent is already dragging on, there's one day coming up when all Lenten obligations are thrown off and weddings, celebrations and other feasts can take place. St...
February 9, 2020
It is 80 years since on 10 February 1940, over 1 million people were sent from the Eastern borderlands of Poland to slave labour in Soviet Russia. A few survivors recorded...
January 27, 2020
Which books or films influenced your knowledge of the Holocaust? Although I had heard a little of World War II from my family by the time I was at primary school,...
December 30, 2019
This Christmas I've been dreaming of the Polish tradition and romance of kuligi (sleigh rides). Who wouldn't want to be sliding swiftly through the night underneath a frosty sky, behind...
December 20, 2019
I'm not sure how aware I was that new kolędy (carols) are constantly being conceived as we tend to sing the ones we know from childhood, many dating from the...
October 25, 2019
As the leaves start to fall around us and the last of summer's rays warm our limbs, the season of endings as well as new beginnings and great beauty drives...
September 27, 2019
Recently I had a convoluted conversation with friends about the names of meals in Polish and English. What is the difference between drugie śniadanie and lunch? Is there one? And...
August 23, 2019
I first saw the sky high grey concrete communist blocks in the district of Wola to the west of Warszawa’s centre as a child. My second aunt and uncle lived...
About This Site
Polish identity, culture, history and heritage for those of us born around the world. For more click here.
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1.Tracing Family History pre-WW2
2. Tracing Family History WW2