It was once my privilege to know a man called Steve – although I doubt that's what his mother called him.
He was a Polish veteran who settled in the UK after WW2, adopting an English name to fit in.
In 1939, he was a young rifleman in a mobile infantry unit, which fought until there was little point in carrying on. His commander announced he was going to try to slip across the border into Hungary (since it was still neutral at the time) and carry the fight on elsewhere. Many joined him.
After negotiations, Steve was able to travel by ship from the Adriatic coast to southern France where he and his fellow exiles signed up to the French army.
The campaign in the West opened before they were combat-ready, and his unit withdrew to Bordeaux under air attack, and from there by ship to Liverpool, where they joined the British army – his third uniform in a year.
I think he must have been remustered into the 24th Uhlans, since it is their regimental history he kept, and which I photocopied. He served in the 1st Polish Armoured division throughout its involvement in NW Europe.
I found his story deeply moving. Ordinary young men in those days did the most extraordinary things, and in the case of the Poles, for many "victory" just meant permanent exile.
The unit history is written in Polish, English and French, and although only a photocopy of the original, might still be of use to someone. There are a lot of photos as well.
I'm wondering how to make it more widely available without making a massive amount of work for myself. I'm guessing there's about 60-70 pages. Is anyone interested in knowing more?
