F A M I L Y R E S E A R C H L I N K S
Evacuation from USSR to Persia lists
Polska Walcząca (Poland at War newspaper)
Between 1943 and 1944, the Polska Walcząca newspaper published various lists of civilians who had been evacuated to Persia. They contain names, addresses, birth dates etc. The lists are different and it’s worth searching each of them. They only contain names of civilians and not military personnel.
The files are quite large, so will take some time to download, but can be searched once downloaded.
Names of Poles evacuated from the Soviet Union (Osoby wyewakuowane z ZSSR)
Published as supplements to 17 editions, between April and August 1943. Lists 30,300 civilians evacuated to Persia. (Includes names of children evacuated to India, in the last three pages). The list is available here.Names of Poles in Tehran, (Polacy Przybywajacy w Teheranie)
Published in sections between July 1942 and January 1943. The list of 10,300 civilians is available here.
The above lists are copied from the archives of the Polish Library, POSK, Hammersmith, London, UK
Lists of Polish Families (civilians) evacuated from the USSR in August 1942 (Lista ewakuowanych z ZSRR rodzin polskich w sierpniu 1942)
These lists, published in Budapest in December 1942 by “Wieści Polskich” are available from The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum.
Note: the Archives do not hold similar volumes covering letters N - Z. It may be that they were never published.
List of families with members serving in the Polish Armed Forces deported to the USSR
Lists family members remaining in the Soviet Union, together with their last address. Its arranged alphabetically in four files, each file having a brief supplement at its end and the fifth file being a supplement to the whole alphabet. Available from The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum here.
British and Indian Army reports of the evacuation to Pahlevi
The following fascinating British and Indian Army reports describe the arrival in Pahlevi. They are available in the UK National Archives in London and contain details of the ships arriving and initial work in handling the arrivals:
Pahlevi Evacuations Report - March - April 1942 - Lt. Col. A Ross FO371/32630
Pahlevi March - April 1942 - Indian Field Ambulance Report - Lt. Col M Ata-Ullah FO371/32630
Pahlevi Evacuations Report - Aug - Sept 1942 - Lt. Col. A Ross WO204/8711
swoopingeagle.com This site gives details about the evacuations and the ships used.
Polish Government Tehran Archive
The following Polish Exiles of WWII site has lists obtained from the archives of the Polish Government in Tehran. It includes records of births, baptisms, deaths, passports and evacuation to India, Africa and Mexico. The archive is available here.
Refugee Lists
India lists
- List of children sent to India is available here
- List of all 4,863 civilians set to India, published in "Poles in India 1942-1948" is available here on the Polish Exiles of WWII site
Africa list
- List of civilians sent to Africa is available here
- Zabrali nam Polskę - book about camps in Uganda. Contains lots of detailed materials. Online copy is available here
- Sybiracy pod Kilimandżaro - book about Tengeru camp - can be purchased here
- Polskie sieroty z Tengeru - another book about Tengeru, is available from Amazon etc
Mexico - Santa Rosa - List of civilians sent to Mexico is available here
New Zealand - Pahiatua - List of orphans and their carers sent to New Zealand is available here
This site contains many biographies of war immigrants in New Zealand.
Persia - Isfahan - List published in "The Children of Isfahan - Polish Refugees in Iran - Portrait Photographs of Abolqasem Jala - 1942 to 1945" is available here on the Polish Exiles of WWII site
A wide range of other more detailed lists are available on the Polish Exiles of WWII site here:
Church Records
Birth, Marriage, Death and other records from the Middle East, Italy, Africa and India are held by the Polish Catholic Mission in England. You can apply for copies of records or certified copies by contacting the office:
Polish Catholic Mission
2-4 Devonia Road
Islington, London N1 8JJ
United Kingdom
tel +44 (0)20 7226 3439