Valivade  1946

Valivade 1943-1947

Valivade 1943-1947

(click to enlarge)​

As a result of the misfortunes of war, which began with expulsion into the heart of Russia, over 5,000 Poles found themselves in India, where they remained for more than seven years.

C I V I L I A N   L I F E   F O L L O W I N G   D E P A R T U R E   F R O M   S I B E R I A

​POLES IN INDIA

​Valivade

Before the war, all that most Poles knew about India was limited to exotic fables such as the „Indian Tomb” a popular film of the time, and stories about snake charmers and tiger hunting.

The largest group was in the Valivade Camp near the City of Kolhapur located in the favourable climate south of Poona on the western coast of India. The commandant of the camp was Capt. Władysław Jagiełłowicz. More than 4,500 Polish refugees, the majority of whom were children and youth, lived in this settlement. As a result, many schools were established to accommodate them. This settlement was like a small Polish town with an administration, a post office, a church, workshops, a
hospital, shops, libraries, community centres and of course residences for the populace.

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