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Post by tessapilipczuk on Mar 27, 2016 3:29:05 GMT -7
Hi, my grandfather and his family were from Chełm Lublin, Poland. My grandfathers dad-Maksym was in the army!
My grandfathers brother was born in 1913 and my grandfather was born in 1923, so quite a big gap between them!!!!
Which Army would he of fought in? If he was from the eastern side of Poland!!! And I'm presuming sometime between 1913-1922- can anyone help?
Kind regards,
Tessa
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Post by pieter on Mar 27, 2016 7:28:38 GMT -7
Dear Tessa, Like my own Polish grandfather your great grandfather Maksym probably fought in the Russian Czarist Imperial army during the First World War, because Eastern-Poland was occupied by the Russians. The Poles in West-Poland, occupied by the Prussians (Germans) fought on the German side in the First World War, and the Poles in Southern-Poland occuppied by the Habsburg Empire (Austria today) fought in the Austrian army, an allie of Imperial Germany back then. After the First World War he would have probably joined the new Polish army of independent Poland in which the former Polish segments of the Russian Imperial army, the German Imperial army and the Austrian army merged. While these soldiers and officers had fought on opposide sides and maybe have faced eachother on the Eastern Front, they were all Polish patriots and held no grudge against one another.  My Polish dziadek (granddad) somewhere at the Eastern front where he served as an artillery, guiding, planing and coordinating officer in the Imperial Russian Army. I don't know if the men next to him are fellow Poles, Russians or a mix of Poles and Russians. My dziadek spoke excellent Russian (My grandma and mother told me), but my mother never heard him speak Russian. My dziadek, Jozef Kotowicz is the guy in the middle. Cheers, Pieter |
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Post by tessapilipczuk on Mar 27, 2016 11:48:37 GMT -7
Fantastic, thank you Pieter, at least that's a start  ? Well, I have spent years trying to find out how my grandfathers mother died, but i have hit a brick wall so thought I'd try researching my great grandfather Maksym pilipczuk. I know where he was born (ostrów Lublin) , he married Zofia Mańkowska in 1910 in Rakołupy and his fathers name was (Ivan or jan Pilipczuk) and his mother was called Magdalena Demusiak. Now, my next question is "Are there still Army records for ww1??" If so, where could I find them? My grandfather had put in his army papers that when he was a young boy he was ploughing the fields with his mother. My grandfather and his brother was captured in 1940 and taken to siberia (chopping wood) but there was no release certificate to suggest his mother or father went with them!! They was then released and joined Anders Army, and fought in Monté Cassino. He also says in his papers that he speaks fluent Russian but I'm not sure if that's from being held in a labor camp for a couple of years! I love that photo you sent! I love old photos, there's so much history! I have a lot of my grandfathers photos and was lucky enough to receive a Medal that he had not been awarded from the polish M.O.D ?? Once again, thank you for your reply Happy Easter, kind regards, Tessa |
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Post by pieter on Mar 27, 2016 15:25:51 GMT -7
Dear Tessa, It is sad when a Ministry of Defence doesn't reward a soldier or veteran during his lifetime, but gives a medal to his granddaughter, but at least he got some recognition through the medal you received. And you must have felt some comfort and recognition in that award? I fear that to my regres I can not help you further. I am a West-European from the North-Western Europe who is only able to speak and read in three West-Germanic langgages, Dutch, German and English unfortunately. (Joke, *I should have studies Germanic studies at the university  ) I have very few connections to Poland and am not an expert on Poland in the beginning of the 20h century, what they call the Interbellum period (1919-1939). I am interested in it from a cultural, literary, historical, political and social-economical point of view, but can only read about it in Dutch, German, English and a tiny little bit of French sources. You must het help from the side of the Polish diaspora in the USA, Polish-Americans with a connection to Poland, and active Polonia organisations over there. Polish Americans who are first generation Poles who still speak the language and probably could be a mediator between you and Poland. I don't know if the Polish genalogical research institute USA is a good organisation? I don't know if you could contact the Polish embassy. Probably the best chance of finding out Tessa is by going to Poland. Genalogical research takes time and effort. Another great source of information are the Mormons of Utah, they gaten information about people all over the world and have amazing archives. What can I say dear Tessa, maybe you could try the War Museum in Warsaw or the National archives in Warsaw or the National Archives in Krakow. I don't know how else I can help you. www.muzeumwp.pl/?language=ENwww.ank.gov.pl/en/about-us/archive-guide/our-roleThe National Archives of Poland in Warsaw ul.Rakowiecka 2D, 02-517 Warszawa tel.(+48 22) 565-46-00, fax (+48 22) 565-46-14 email: ndap@archiwa.gov.pl And maybe another interesting link is: polishgeno.com/?page_id=2P.S.- Seriously I thought about studying German language at the Free University in Amsterdam just before I left for Arnhem. I did a level and language test at the university, but choose to go to Arnhem instaid! |
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Post by Jaga on Mar 27, 2016 20:50:06 GMT -7
Tessa, your grandfather could also fight in Polish-Soviet war which was a bit controversial and not really talked about until 1989 when Poland was able to go away from being Soviet's satellite country. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War |
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Post by JustJohn or JJ on Mar 28, 2016 8:02:07 GMT -7
Tessa, your grandfather could also fight in Polish-Soviet war which was a bit controversial and not really talked about until 1989 when Poland was able to go away from being Soviet's satellite country. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War
The Polish-Soviet War Anna M. Cienciala A. Historical Background. There had been many Polish-Russian wars over the borderlands, that is Belarus (formerly Belorussia), Ukraine, and the lands that would later become Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. At its greatest extent, in the early 1600s, Poland had included most of these lands, but gradually retreated as Russia expanded. Russia acquired some Belorussian and Ukrainian lands in the 17th century, plus what is today Latvia and Estonia in the early 18th century, while it acquired the rest of the borderlands as well as most of ethnic Poland in the Partitions of 1772-95. www.conflicts.rem33.com/images/Poland/polsov_war.htm |
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Post by Jaga on Mar 28, 2016 21:52:35 GMT -7
John,
although there were many Polish-Russian conflicts, the Polish-Soviet War was only once in 1920 year. It was a war with the "miracle at Wisla river".
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?
) I have very few connections to Poland and am not an expert on Poland in the beginning of the 20h century, what they call the Interbellum period (1919-1939). I am interested in it from a cultural, literary, historical, political and social-economical point of view, but can only read about it in Dutch, German, English and a tiny little bit of French sources.
