Those in Africa who had not left for other continents were relocated to either Tengeru or Koja in Uganda. In 1948, refugees from Valivade in India were also transferred to Tengeru. These two camps remained operational until 1952. In April 1950, there were still 1,033 people waiting to be resettled. Most of these came to the UK by sea on the ship “The Dundalk Bay” arriving in Hull during September 1950. The list of names of passengers was compiled by the East African Refugee Administration and is available with other lists of names on the polishexilesofww2 website.
The port of departure was Krasnovodsk, crossing the Caspian Sea to Persia (Iran). Amongst the throngs of children were many orphans whose parents died either in the camps or en route to freedom. The first mass evacuation of 44,000 to Persia occurred in March/April 1942 and the second was August /September 1942 when about 68,000 left.
More detail can be found on these pages.
Photo taken 1 August 1944
“The history, very sad in some parts but very exciting as well, should never be forgotten. We are grateful to Tanzania as well as Kenya and Uganda for accepting these refugees and we remember it as an act of friendship towards the Polish Nation”. ¶
Producing crops was an important part of camp life to help feed the increasing camp population. Local labourers carried out the heavy work of clearing the ground, providing a water supply and laying roads. Story’s 1942 first year report recorded “Perhaps some of the happiest women in camp are those who accustomed to field work in Poland are doing land work in Africa too, though under different conditions ... Agriculture thus provides occupation for many of the settlers” .
Groups were formed such as scouts, guides, brownies These attracted large membership where Polish culture abd tradition was fostered. Activities took place in dedicated recreation rooms as well as outdoor. A large space used for games was where marching drill was practised. and Church groups which kept the children busy and occupied.
From Basia Borowska Milligan's family album
In 1942, the International Refugees Organisation arranged for the transportation of Polish refugees to locations in East Africa.
The costs of maintaining the settlements were covered by the British authorities but added towards the Polish Government debt.
In August 1942, the Polish Government-in-Exile responded by establishing a diplomatic mission in Nairobi with several dozen employees. At the head of the Polish administration stood the delegate of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MPiOS), Każimierz Każimierczak. Later succeeded by Każimierz Chodzikiewicz. He established Educational Departments in individual settlements to deal with education issues.
The settlement was run by Colonel John Minnery who is described as a most helpful, kind, trustworthy and charming man. He would always do his very best to help the camp population. He lived in a large house, with a large well-kept garden full of fragrant roses. He was deputised by Mr Herbert Story who later on ran the camp for a period of years. In his role he was required to prepare reports to his superiors about the development and progress of the camp. The first 1,045 refugees arrived on 8 October 1942, more than two years since the first deportation to Siberia in February 1940. They arrived at the port of Tangi, then transported to Tengeru Station by train, followed by lorries and cars to the settlement.
Today, Mr Simon Joseph cares and maintains the site alone, acting as caretaker, gardener, contractor and guide for hundreds of pilgrims and visitors who wish to pay their respects and find ancestors. Simon inherited this job from his father who lived and worked with that Polish community from 1942. He lives next door so when he hears the sound of cars and voices, he can then meet the visitors at the gate.
There are lots of bright red flowers amongst the graves and African canopy trees shade the graves. It is a small walled cemetery containing 149 graves, many being children who died from tropical diseases. Some graves are marked by stone crosses, whilst some show the Star of David representing Jewish graves and which are located in a separate part of the cemetery near the wall. The first refugee to be buried was Michał Tocharz who died on 23 October 1942; and the last man to be buried was Edward Wojtowicz on 18 March 2015. The last woman to be buried was Sabina Szeliga in 2007. (Source: see the world travel blog.
Edition dated 25 March 1944 with front page report on the Polish Army fighting in the snowy mountains of Italy
Tengeru settlement staff. Ks Królikowski in the middle, Herbert Story next to him on his right
Photos from Basia Borowska Milligan’s family album
Painted by A Cander, an Italian prisoner of war in 1944/5
Courtesy of Basia Milligan
Herbert Story's handwritten first year report
Polish newspapers were very popular, one being “Pole in Africa” [“Polak w Afryce”] first published on 14 March, 1943. The subtitle stated that it was “A bi-weekly devoted to the Polish exiles in Africa, published by the Ministry for Labour and Social Welfare delegation in Nairobi. In this first issue the editor wrote: "Dear readers! Our magazine is to be a bridge between you and everything that is Polish, it is to be almost the only
There were no glass windows, just open gaps in the walls, with lockable shutters from the inside. In each house there was one large room, and a door, with bolts on the inside. In each house there was one large room, and a door, with bolts on the inside. Leokadia (Lodzia) describes the settlement as looking like a group of huge beehives.
Traveller
Learn the true history, here beside these graves, of wandering sons and daughters of Polish soil.
In 1940 at night, Soviet secret police pursuing ethnic cleansing, transported them and their children to Siberia.
The hammer and sickle ideologues intended to build a utopian paradise on earth through re-education in prisons, gulags and work camps, conversion to “homo sovieticus” (soviets), citizens without God, without a church, without family, without friends.
Death interrupted the wanderings of these exiles miraculously freed from an inhuman land whilst longing to return to a free homeland.
Traveller, pray for them and the souls departed, Our Father, Hail Mary.
Father Łucjan Z. Królikowski, Siberian survivor
books, visitor books and newspapers. (Courtesy of Mr Simon Joseph, Curator of the Memory Room and Caretaker of the cemetery).
On one wall there is a quote by Polish author Adam Mickiewicz “If I forget about them – God in heaven, forget about me”.
The upkeep of the cemetery is funded by the Polish Embassy in Kenya and visitor donations. Aleksander Kropiwnicki, Minister-Counsellor at the Embassy in Nairobi said
Collection of photographs from Basia Borowska Milligan’s family album
- “Slaves in Paradise” - Leokadia Majewicz. Recollections of deportation, life in Siberia, exodus to Persia, life in Africa and settlement in UK.
- Maryon Allbrook and Helen Cattalini “The General Langfitt story: Polish Refugees Recount Their Experiences of Exile, Dispersal and Resettlement” - 1995. Polish immigrants to Australia.
- “Polish Orphans of Tengeru” - Lynne Taylor. Dramatic story of their long journey to Canada 1941 - 1949.
- “Stolen Childhood: A saga of Polish War Children” - Father Lucien Królikowski. The controversial immigration of orphans to Canada.
Photos from Basia Borowska Milligan’s family album
Simon shows visitors around the site and maintains the Guest Book for guests to sign where it is kept in the Memory Room. There are also various publications available to take away on the history of Tengeru.
On the wall of the memory room hangs this plaque.
- “Trail Of Hope” - - Norman Davies. The Anders’ Army. An Odyssey across three continents.
At the end of the first year Story wrote ”Tengeru, the most attractively situated of the camps or settlements, is also the largest having grown to a population of over 3,500 over the space of a year". By March 1946, he reported that the population stood at 4092 and that there were 1300 huts and 21 orphanage and school dormitories An administration building run by Poles stood opposite the large public square where people gathered to receive any news of their relatives and collect post.
Collection from Basia Borowska Milligan’s family album entitled Course of the River Wisła
At the side of the Church was a slope with a sign made from a cultivated hedge which read “19-Poland-42” representing the year the camp opened. During the early days in Tengeru there was only one priest to administer spiritual guidance and deliver pastoral care, but as the settlement grew so did the number of priests, who came and went. Not all had been deported to Siberia. One of the first priests was Father Dziduszko, followed by Father Jan Śliwowski, Father Piotr Rogiński, Father Krewczyk, and the
- Tadeusz Piotrowski “The Polish Deportees of World War II: Recollections of Removal to the Soviet Union” 2004. Collection of personal stories by survivors from across Polish society of their deportations and experiences in settlement camps across the world.
The first Christmas in Tengeru was all about preparing for this very special time of year. A Christmas tree was delivered, and the children set about making all kinds of things to hang on it, from reeds, seed heads, coloured tissue paper, sweets and their wrappers. A priest obtained the Christmas white wafer (Opłatki) for Wigilia (Christmas Eve) to be shared out between the people, and fresh fish from the lake, pierogi (dumplings), barszcz (beetroot soup) and fruit compote was prepared. Carols were sung around the Christmas tree before attending midnight Mass. During the next few days prior to New Year’s Day the priest and altar boys visited each house, saying prayers and blessing them. In return the priest received a small gift from the head of the household. ¶
Photo taken in 1955/56 after the Poles had left and was used by the local Catholic and Anglican population. Photo by courtesy of www.ntz.info
Inevitably during the period of the settlement’s existence, deaths occurred amongst its inhabitants particularly as more continued to arrive, many of them diseased and so it became necessary to build a cemetery. The cemetery is described as being a beautiful and peaceful place containing a perfect lawn with flowers encircling the graves, and in the distance are Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Polish word that will reach you regularly and connect you with the world. We would like it to become your friend, your advisor, your confidant. Write to us about the young people and the youngest Polish refugees from the USSR; about what makes you happy and what problems you have; about your hopes, fears and wishes. We will try to help you and advise you as best we can.”
In Tengeru there were four kindergartens with a total of 79 children. Elementary school was for the first six years. There were three elementary schools with 1171 students occupying 36 classrooms.
The “gimnazjum” (between 1932 and 1948 secondary or middle school) and “liceum” (equivalent to 6th form) were named after Stefan Batory and the director was Edward Zawisza Czerwiński with 314
The Memory Room was built in September 2001 and opened on 1 November 2001 by an official from the Polish Embassy in Dar es Salaam. It is a small stone building adjoining a wall of the cemetery, and contains Polish WWII history in Polish, English and Swahili languages. There is a map “From Poland to Siberia - refugee settlements around the world during and after the war”. together with history
Theatre productions. Photos from the Basia Borowska Milligan's family album.
The first Easter 1943 for so many was very sad, not knowing if their close family members were safe or their whereabouts. Soup plates were decorated with leaves and wild flowers, and decorated eggs using pencils and crayons. On Easter Saturday the decorated eggs were taken to the Church to be blessed. After Sunday Mass, families would gather together and the mother of each family would divide the eggs into pieces wishing each person health, happiness, and that soon their families would all be reunited and they would all return to a safe and free Poland. After that, it was a modest breakfast, very different from the lavish breakfasts prior to WWII. There were boiled eggs, a few slices of cold meat, a tin of Swiss cheese, homemade jam, and plain egg cake with only a jam filling. Lodzia remembers her mother making the jam from mango and pineapple.
He reported each child receives 4 meals a day but bread rations were insufficient and there were problems with the delivery of eggs. Flour was bought on the so-called black market. Vegetables were plentiful being supplied by the farm on the estate. There was no dietary kitchen, children received milk and rice as a diet only on doctor's orders. Supplies of fruit were limited but could be bought easily on the market.
Suffering from exhaustion, disease and malnutrition but free
TENGERU, Africa: refuge after enforcement in Siberia
1. Background
In September 1939, under the terms of the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed on 23 August 1939, Poland was attacked by Nazi Germany from the west and invaded by the Soviet Union from the east. In 1940 and 1941, the Soviets completed four mass deportations from across Eastern Poland military settlers, educated elite, police, civil servants, smallholders, business owners right across the social stratas. Whole families were taken including ethnic Jews to work and perish in slave labour camps in Siberia, Kazakhstan and elsewhere.
In June 1941, the German attack on the Soviet Union, led to the Polish- Soviet Pact leading Stalin to issue an “amnesty” for all Poles in labour camps (Posiołki). The thousands who managed to flee the Soviet Union endured very long and arduous journeys to join the newly forming Polish Army, with many dying on the way from starvation, exhaustion and disease. Those who reached a recruiting post were gaunt, exhausted, lice ridden, malnourished and dressed in rags (source: Norman Davis - Trail of Hope.) ¶
From Persia they were sent to many parts of the world, some to Africa.
2. African Settlement Camps
The British, then allies of the Soviets, agreed to a proposal in which refugees from Europe would be spread across the vast British Empire for safety. To begin with in 1942, the British Government and the Governments of Kenya, Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Uganda agreed for 10,000 Poles to be given refuge in special settlements.
In her book The Polish Deportees of World War II Zdzisława Wójcik describes the chain of command for the settlements which had British commanders, mostly former army officers. Their remit was liaison with local authorities, construction and expansion and provisioning of food and clothing supplies. However, the working of the settlements and arrangements were overseen by MPiOS, for example, Deputy Delegate Tadeusz Kopeć was in charge of education, Dr Wiktor Bincer supervised health services.
From 1943 the settlements were funded by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and later by the International Refugee Organisation. Late in 1943, the Delegation of the Ministry of Religion and Public Education (MWRiOP) led by Seweryn Szczepański was established to oversee secular and religious education that provided for the varying denominations. It fulfilled the functions of an educational superintendent's office and was given the powers of a school board ensuring standards, the status of secondary school certificates and their recognition in various countries.
Alongside the offices of the two Delegations in Nairobi, the Polish Red Cross under the directorship of Eustachy Sapiecha assisted his countrymen with the task of making sure that their letters reached their destinations often scattered throughout the world. The organisation also handled the huge numbers of enquiries for the whereabouts of family members lost during the war as so many families had been separated.
Nairobi was also the location for the Polish consulate which processed requests for Polish passports and visas to countries. Anyone wishing to travel as an individual rather than as part of a larger transport provided by the authorities needed their own passport.
Eventually, more than 18,000 Poles were sent to twenty-two various settlements throughout Africa including Kenya, Uganda, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), the Union of South Africa (South Africa) and Tanganyika (Tanzania). The largest camp of seven camps in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) -was Tengeru, no. 22 circled on the map above. (Source: The East African Magazine)¶
3. Tengeru settlement Camp
The Tengeru settlement, a former British colony, was located at the foot of Mount Meru, lying near Africa's highest mountain peak - Kilimanjaro. The settlement in Tanganyika , a former British colony, was located in Maasai territory. It was situated at 5,000 ft. above sea level on the southern slopes of Mount Meru (14,960 ft. high) and near Lake Duluti within sight of Kilimanjaro occupying approximately 1000 hectares. It was selected on account of its "suitable climate and rich volcanic soil". Tengeru is described as a small village twelve miles from the small township of Arusha, the mid-way point between Cape Town and Cairo.
But much work had to be done prior to the arrival of the first residents. It was built by African workers purely to house the new occupants. The Deputy Camp Commander reported “The camp has been under construction by native labour for less than 4 months. Though four thousand natives had been employed, it had only been possible since they were working against time to put up some twelve hundred huts and other necessary, provisional accommodation; to make simple furniture, to lay out roads.”
The main entrance to the settlement was guarded by an African policeman, who it was said “carried out his duties with due diligence”. Another entrance was located near Lake Duluti, which served as the settlement’s reservoir. Adjacent to it stood a large hospital, all painted white. It had been a school building used by a Greek community which they agreed to vacate and it was converted into a hospital set on high ground overlooking Mount Meru. The roads throughout the settlement were named after people and places associated with Poland, including poets, composers and historical figures. The image below shows one road that was named after a district of Wilno.
Between the groups of "roundarels" were acres of uncultivated land and bush. In time, this space was filled with tropical flowering trees and different varieties of cacti, and other exotic plants and shrubs. Father Kozłowski remembers it as being like a large park with trees and “colonies of cacti and agave” hiding between the small huts. A small stream ran alongside the main road which was used to water the gardens.
Story continues - “Families of more than three were given two huts, but there were some who at first sight looked askance at these living quarters, telling themselves these could never be homes…..Today, lime washed outside and freshly white washed inside with an extra protection of banana leaves on top of the grass thatching, the majority of the huts have become adequate war time homes. Individual occupiers show their ingenuity in little interior decorations and improvements and a gay succession of French marigolds, petunias, convolvulus, cannas and zinnias provide refreshing patches of colour outside.” (Are we surprised to read that?)
The interiors were furnished with four beds, a table and four chairs, if there were more than four people, extra furniture was provided with a promise that as soon as a larger house became available the family would be moved, ensuring families stayed together, and no child would be placed with strangers. The beds were made of wickerwork with a plaited base, and mattresses stuffed with African grass. Each bed had a thick pair of single sheets, a pillow, a woollen blanket and a mosquito net. Some of the houses had a splendid view of the two mountains – Meru and Kilimanjaro.
Each group of ten houses had a communal kitchen, where Polish meals were often cooked, and the smell of freshly baked bread was always a delight. There were no baths but communal showers were plentiful.
The camp was divided into seven sections each with a leader to manage their affairs. One person was elected as the Polish Camp Leader to work in close co-operation with the Commandant who in turn was ultimately responsible for the camp and reported to the government. As the population outgrew the facilities during the first years, the original buildings such as homes, administrative offices, stores and workshops required expansion and improvement. The local mountainous area provided easily available stone to satisfy these needs.
4. Life in the Camp
Following their terrible experiences, the new arrivals were apathetic at first but settled into camp life and gradually recovered an interest in using their various skills, re-creating life as they had known it at home.
People began clearing the ground around their houses and planting lilies, marigolds and vegetables, making it more homely and more beautiful. Locals also came into the settlement to help clear the ground. The Poles knew they would be here until at least the end of the war, so they decided to build and establish their own community.
Residents were not allowed to seek outside employment. Some were employed in positions in the camp for which they were paid. The head of each household received two and a half shillings per month for each child, and ten shillings for themselves paid from Polish servicemen’s wages who were engaged in the war. They received their daily provisions from the settlement store which was always well stocked.
Story's 1945, 4th quarter report listed 359 acres under cultivation producing vegetables, maize, fodder and pastures on which livestock was kept. The cattle herd numbered 190 with 106 calves and 8 breeding bulls. Sheep numbered 17 with 35 lambs and there were 18 donkeys, 2 horses, 50 trek oxen. Poultry production had improved in the last three months of 1945 when 4501 eggs were collected. Wanda Warlik in her thesis “Displacement and the Second World War: Polish refugees in Africa” wrote “The Tengeru camp in Tanganyika had the most successful farm and it was the only camp that became completely self-supporting, largely due to the efforts of the British Camp Commandant, Captain Minnery”.
There was also a simple apprenticeship system for young people. There was spinning, weaving, dressmaking, basket making with raffia from the wild palm trees in the forests, carpentry and metal-working. Skins were tanned for leather and lint-cotton was purchased from nearby ginneries.
One of the first developments was the building of a Church and a Presbytery in the middle of the settlement. The church had very simple benches and an altar on a dais beyond the altar rail. The wind blew through the ‘windows’ so it was not hot. The Church and Presbytery, built about 100 yards away from the administration office, always enjoyed a high daily attendance. However, on Sundays there was not enough room inside for the expanding community as more and more people arrived on ships from Persia. There was also a Jewish Synagogue, and a Church for Orthodox Christians.
youngest, Father Łucjan Królikowski who arrived in 1947. Father Rogiński had arrived after imprisonment in the Soviet Union. He is described as wearing a white cassock which matched his white hair, his pale face with blue eyes. He had been tortured by the Soviets in a gulag causing damage to both his fingernails and toenails. Father Śliwowski, who came from the USA, purchased a sports car in which he would often take the children for rides in the open boot of his car. There were also weddings in the settlement as people found new love.¶
The next project was to build schools for the children to continue their education after being in Siberia. Then followed the settlement’s club house for lots of social gatherings, events for children but also for adults separately. The building was financed by the Polish section of the Y.M.C.A. in America. A library was created with an initial provision of 300 books. There was an open theatre built on the settlement’s edge which is described as “being most magnificent”. The stage was an elevated platform set against the backdrop of the jungle - Majewicz describes it as a “theatre in the forest”. All kinds of plays were produced and there were many good films to watch. The settlement became known as “Little Poland”.
Another important religious day at the beginning of June is Corpus Christi, when temporary altars were erected for the day all over the settlement, and a procession was organised to walk all round the settlement. All the settlement schools took part, dressed in their “new Sunday uniforms”. (Source: Slaves in Paradise).
A bus service twice a day allowed residents to visit Arusha for additional provisions where Story reports "Indian shopkeepers are doing a big trade". Locals soon set up market stalls on the settlement’s edge selling all kinds of exotic fruits – mango, coconut, pineapple and papaya were always in plentiful supply. African neighbours were very friendly, always laughing and smiling. Leokadia Majewicz describes them as the most friendly people she had ever met. ¶
News of the war was an important part of daily life. Every evening , people gathered to hear a radio news broadcast, given in Polish from the Nairobi studio .
The editors also explained, “As we are unable to obtain print blocks in Polish fonts, we have started printing using Latin alphabet fonts. As soon as the order for blocks arrives, we will switch to the Polish alphabet. Meanwhile, we ask readers’ forgiveness ”. Apart from news from across the world, the paper prioritised material of interest for children and young adults with a separate section titled “Płomyczek Afrykański”. [ African Spark]. This started as a single page but after nine issues was enlarged to a four page insert.
It was replaced by “The Polish Voice” issued from October 1945 by the Polish Press Fund. There was a section “Search Families” and this helped many people find their long lost families in other settlements.
Children all needed new uniforms for different reasons, so the women set up a factory for making children’s clothes. A documentary “Memory is our Homeland” by Canadian filmmaker Jonathan Dursand, describes his grandmother Kazia Kołodziej, who was involved in rug making, weaving, and toy making. (Source: Quartz Africa: Forgotten Past. The little-known story of the Polish refugees who fled to East Africa during WWII. Article dated 16 May 2019 by Abdi Latif Dahir). Lodzia Majewicz also describes how her soft toy making learnt in Tengeru helped earn a little money not only in the settlement but later during the journey to the UK and afterwards.
Story’s report written in the last quarter of 1943 ends as follows -
“And so the first year of life on African soil has passed. Hope soars high that before the second year is out there will be move homeward. But whether that comes sooner or later, Polish people will be able to look back on their sojourn in Africa, laughing over the small hardships grateful for the shelter that was accorded them in their hour of need and perhaps too with an awakened interest in the African native and his problems.”
It was not to be sooner.
5. Schools
There were many schools in the settlement catering for children of all ages and abilities which were based on the Polish education system. The historian Adam Czesław Dobroński affirmed this in “Zesłaniec” in 2013 based on the report by S. Szczepański to the Interim Treasury Comittee for Polish Questions Educational Branch on the situation in African settlements up to 31 December 1945.
The “gimnazjum” (the term used between 1932 and 1948 for secondary or middle school) and “liceum” (equivalent to 6th form) were named after Stefan Batory and the director was Edward Zawisza Czerwiński with 314pupils. The accommodation was well maintained, built in a similar design to the houses and built on the edge of the settlement. They were six large, rectangular and two smaller, round buildings with no ceiling, only a roof made of makuti and long grass. There were no windows but a large opening was created between the roof and the whitewashed wall providing good light and ventilation. The floor was laid in concrete. Children sat at twin desks.
“Gimnazjum” provided four years of education. One was for commercial and accountancy studies, one vocational such as dressmaking, tailoring, a music school and a mechanical/ agricultural school. Liceum ( 6th form or high school) was for two to three years. The Humanities High School was for general education in mainly academic subjects such as mathematics, history, geography and language, plus teaching and developing craft and technical skills. There was also a Mathematics / Physics High School and a School of Mechanics whose Director was engineer Feliks Dutczak.
Teachers were in very short supply, with students being taught mainly by women and elderly, disabled men. Many teachers and professors in Poland had been in the army reserves, but did not survive Soviet persecution, their bodies being discovered in mass graves during 1943 in what became known as the Katyn Forest Massacres. Over 22,000 bodies were found in these graves, in different sites. Shortages of teachers were addressed by the few professionals, training women in the settlement with higher education. Many taught with great success and achieved good results with their pupils. However, Norman Davies in “Trail of Hope” attests that the lack of male teachers to act as role models had consequences. Many children in the settlement were fatherless and their experiences in the USSR left them distrustful and difficult to manage.
The new school year started on or about 1 September each year with lessons commencing at 8 am to either 13.30 or 14.00, six days per week. Daily physical exercises were carried out for 15-20 minutes even in the heat. The last lesson twice weekly was singing; a choir was formed and competitions were held between local schools in the area. The schoolrooms were equipped with proper school twin desks. ¶
To begin with, books were in short supply but as time went by more became available. The schools continued with the Polish education system with exams at the end of each school year. Leokadia Majewicz recalls Father Kozłowski who taught religious education in the boys’ school, and if a boy could not answer a question or was misbehaving whilst he was writing on the blackboard, he was punished. This seemed unfair because with his back to the class, Father couldn’t see who was misbehaving and so the nearest boy received the punishment. (Source: Slaves in Paradise) The aim was to prepare children for their uncertain futures, but their education took place outside the classrooms as much as within.
The Scouting movement ensured that there were regular excursions to places of interest in the region, including one-day walking tours, settlements at a local farm and safaris to Olduvai Gorge and the N'Goro N'Goro volcanic crater. Many people recounted encounters with Africa's famed wildlife with undiluted pleasure: lions, elephants, rhinoceros, monkeys, as well as the beautiful bird life, the snakes and insects were a source of fascination for many of the youngsters. The Africans were good to children and Polish boys were often seen talking to the good naturedAfricans in a mixture of Polish and Swahili.
6. The Orphanages
There were two large orphanages in Tengeru, one for boys, and the other mixed. It included a separate section caring for 31 old people. Herbert Story's 1946 report states there were 288 orphans in total: 96 boys and 192 girls. Of these, 83 were classed as “half orphans” because one or both of their parents were alive. Some parents had been hospitalised in Uzbekistan and missed the passages to Persia which had been stopped. Some of the mothers died on their way to freedom either in the Soviet Union or on the way to Africa. Often fathers were in the forces fighting in the war. ¶
The director of the orphanage was Eugenia Grosicka. She previously had responsibility for refugee orphanages in Aktiubińska (Akobe) in Kazakhstan and then JangiJul in Uzbekistan. She was assisted by two sisters Zofia i Wilhelma Schmidt. The care staff totalled 17 people, including the head and three heads of three groups. Father Łucjan Królikowski, a Franciscan was the chaplain. Before the war, he joined the Franciscan Order in Niepokalanów where he met Father Maksymilian Kolbe, an exceptional authority and spiritual guide of young seminarians. Father Łucjan Królikowski had the privilege to take temporary vows in the presence of Father Maksymilian Kolbe who later became a saint.
The orphanages in Africa were subject to regular inspection. Tengeru was inspected a year after the first arrivals by Jakub Hoffman, a teacher by training but amongst other things, served in the Army and as parliamentary secretary to the Educational Committee before the war. His report, dated 6 November 1944, provides interesting facts that illustrate the difficulties experienced in the early days.
Children were housed 10-12 in a room. Each child was issued with two basins, one for washing feet, 2 towels, and there was plenty of soap, toothbrushes and paste. Bed linen was changed once a week, personal linen twice a week, mosquito nets once a month. Each had one wool and two cotton blankets.
He found generally no cases of lice or scabies, although there had been cases. There were cases of trachoma, but according to an English physician, not contagious. Two hygiene sisters had been recently recruited prior to the inspection. He recorded good room cleanliness but the buildings required major renovation. He deemed the kitchens unsatisfactory as they were without walls, open to the outside.
Reveille was at 6.30 am for gymnastics and sports as part of the school program but there was a lack of games equipment such as balls, chess, checkers, etc. Children were issued with 3 pairs of underwear, 5-6 sets of trousers/skirts and tops, 2 pairs of shoes. There was no wardrobe for personal possessions, just shelves. They were given a small expense allowance - children under 16 received two and a half shillings, those over 16, ten shillings. [His report does not state frequency.] Carers managed children’s accounts issuing money to them as needed.
Hoffman concluded there were good relations between children and their guardians but difficulties existed in providing a bath with showers, insufficient bread rations, a shortage of games equipment games, and recommended the development of an educational program beyond the minimum regulatory standards. These shortcomings were improved over time as more resources became available.
Many recollections written by people who lived in the orphanages describe their time in the institution as positive. Irene Tomaszewska quoted one such opinion in Cosmopolitan Review “I have heard over and over again that Africa itself had a lot to do with recovery from the trauma of Siberia.”
However, there are also accounts by some whose experience was less fortunate.
The orphanages are described by some of the children as living in horrible and primitive conditions. They were run like a hospital with rules and regulations. One girl being interviewed says she had only one dress and no shoes, so she walked barefoot everywhere. The mosquito nets provided had to be attached to the roof by children climbing up. The food in the beginning was dreadful with red beans given every day and every meal. The last meal was 16.00 which had to last until the following day. ¶
A boy describes the place as being much disciplined and you were not allowed to leave the grounds unsupervised even if you were still hungry; one had to sneak out in order to buy food, usually bananas. Everyone had their own set chores to do, and to stick to the routine which proved difficult for the really little ones. ¶
Irene Tomaszewski’s testimony in Cosmopolitan Review puts her experience into context - “And my older sister recently recalled that other kids were sometimes resentful: “Orphans, orphans. We were always being told the orphans were special,” And indeed, that sentiment is often expressed in the Polish records. Orphans were made to feel important, equal to all others”.
7. Health
Herbert Story's first year 1942 report described the facilities in place in the settlement. The hospital was supplemented by a Red Cross out-patient station. A sanatorium was located eight miles away but administered and supplied by Tengeru camp. It serviced all the other camps in Tanganyika and Uganda. Story reported that malaria was particularly feared writing "wage war on any possible breeding grounds of malaria". However, he concluded that despite the suffering and underfeeding the population experienced in the Soviet Union, children in particular looked "healthy, happy and well fed".
His 1946 report was much more detailed. There were 120 beds and 3 maternity beds in the hospital with a further 50 in the sanatorium. Health facilities were staffed by 6 doctors and 3 nurses with 44 semi-qualified nurses and 27 ward helpers. The semi-qualified staff had received training in a variety of settings, six of them in Poland, the rest mostly in Teheran. The camp inhabitants had all received vaccinations against typhoid, yellow fever and smallpox but not diptheria or typhus. During the year 1945, there had been 20 deaths and 40 births. There were no major causes with four from heart disease and four malaria and two premature births. The rest were single instances.
A fully equipped dental clinic was staffed by a dental surgeon and two dental mechanics which also serviced other Tanhanyikan camps.
8. Transition after the War
The new political reality in 1945 led the British Government to officially recognise the Government of the Polish People’s Republic in place of the Polish Government-in-Exile based in London. On 1 August 1946, financial responsibility for the settlements was transferred from the Polish Government in London to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and then in July 1947 to the International Refugees Organization (IRO). At this stage the number of settlements were reduced to two, Tengeru and Koja in Uganda. Throughout their ordeal of deportation and exile, Poles themselves held on to the belief that they would return to their homeland at the end of the war. The news of the signing of the Yalta agreement in February 1945 between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin shattered this belief. Poland came into the Soviet sphere of influence, ruled by communists controlled by the authorities in Moscow. Polish territory was moved, re-aligning the eastern border to the so-called Curzon line. The Soviet Union subsumed Kresy. Poland lost 45% of its eastern territory, 69,000 square miles (equivalent to the size of the Czech republic), 12 million citizens of whom 4.3 million were Polish speaking. For most Poles in Africa, their homelands were now in the hands of their persecutors who had so badly mistreated them during the war. Nevertheless, about 3,800 Polish exiles from Africa (20% of the total) decided to return to the new Polish territories, despite the Communist regime in Poland that generally regarded Poles, who had left the USSR under the auspices of the Government-in-exile, as enemies of the people. The majority opted to reunite with family members who had fought mainly with the Polish 2nd Army Corps under General Władysław Anders. This Army spent 1945/6 marooned in Italy but the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947 now enabled them to seek a new life in Britain. Others had opportunities to move to other parts of the world such as Canada, the USA, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and France.
It was late 1947 that about 9,500 of the exiles in Africa started to leave to reunite with their military families. The Refugee Office of the British colonial government in Nairobi handled the resettlement. As the numbers in Africa reduced, the settlements were closed and lands reverted to the colonial governments for local people or administrative centres, but the graves were maintained for posterity.
A small number of Poles never left Africa but settled there. The last Pole, Mr. Edward Wójtowicz, was buried in Tengeru in 2015. Irene Tomaszewska concludes that in leaving Africa, Poles “faced more wandering, but whatever challenges were still to come, but they knew they could manage, no matter what.”
Canadian controversy
During this period of resettlement across the world an international incident arose causing controversy involving the Polish, Canadian, US, British and German Governments in 1948/9. Following a plea from the Pope, the Canadian Catholic Church proposed a plan to settle 1,000 Polish Catholic orphans in Canada with support from the Canadian public. Following a process of satisfying Canadian immigration authorities, the scheme was approved on 3 August 1948. An initial group of 132 children in Tengeru was listed and since Canadian authorities had no representatives in Tanganyika they agreed to the International Refugee Organisation (IRO) transferring the children through Italy to the American Occupation Zone in Germany before making their way to Canada. The Polish Government wanted the children returned to Poland, because it feared the children were going to be used as slave labour on Canadian farms and in factories. They made a number of protests to respective authorities, accused Canada and the IRO of “kidnapping” the Polish orphans, and demanded their repatriation back to Poland. Polish press media denounced the Canadian Government, accusing it of intention to use the children “as a source of cheap and exploitable labour”. On 11 August 1949, the Communist Government formally complained to the US and Canadian missions in Germany in an attempt to stop the group leaving for Canada. Father Łucjan Królikowski who accompanied the group from Tengeru as guardian, acted as spokesman and countered these claims asserting the children voluntarily chose to go to Canada. Together with the head of the orphanage, Eugenia Grosicka, they protected Polish children from being transported to Poland where they would have been placed in an orphanage.
On 7 September 1949, the group of 123 children arrived in Halifax on board the army transport ship USAT General Stuart Heitzelman followed by a smaller group on a later transport. Their arrival created much interest and press interviews with some of the young orphaned people being reported with quotes such as “you don’t know what fear is until you’ve been in a Russian camp” and “we like our country (Poland) very much but it is not our country – now.” Eighteen-year-old Sofia Wakulczyk informed the press that her parents had died in Siberia and that she and her compatriots “...wanted to come to Canada, we do not want to go back to Poland.” Despite further harassment by local communists the children were taken to Montreal where under the auspices of Archbishop Joseph Charbonneau they were allocated to volunteer families.
The story of this affair is the subject of Lynne Taylor’s book - “Polish Orphans of Tengeru: The Dramatic Story of Their Long Journey to Canada 1941-49”. Father Łucjan Królikowski wrote a book “Stolen Childhood: A Saga of Polish War Children” (Skradzione dzieciństwo. Polskie dzieci na tułaczym szlaku 1939–1950) documenting the history relating to this incident based not only on the documents and memories of orphans, but above all from his own experiences.
8. Tengeru Today - Cemetery
Today there is very little left of the settlement, the original homes have either been destroyed or converted into something else; the hospital site is now the Serena Hotel . ¶
9. Tengeru Today - Memory Room
Also to be found in the memory room.
10. Sources
Acknowledgement: I would like to thank my very dear friend Leokadia Majewicz for allowing me to use her book, and supplying me with some photos.
Basia Milligan, a one-time member of the Kresy Family Management Committee provided unique photos from her family album and her step-father's, Herbert Story, invaluable reports as Acting Camp Commandant.
I would also like to thank Mr Simon Joseph very much for sending photos and information about the cemetery and the Memory Room. ¶
There is so much out there on the internet, books to read, and newspaper articles, but here a few of the sources on this subject.¶
Ann Siburuth née Wojturska¶
Websites
Kresy Family Website Family History - B.M Trybuchowski - Civilian Life in Africa
Kresy Family Website Family History - Agnieszka (Borsuk) Lichwa - Civilian Life in Africa
Quartz Africa The little known story of the Polish Refugees who fled to East Africa during WWII by Abdi Latif Dahir
International Forum on Tengeru - forum on Tengeru with contributions from survivors and their descendants selected by David Marsh.
Cosmopolitan Review: When Rhinos Roamed the Polish Prairie: The Exotic Homeland of Poles in Africa by Irene Tomaszewski.
The East African Newspaper article dated Friday 13th 2013. Tengeru: A long lost Polish history by David Meffe.
John Minnery MC DCM MM. Blog with many photos of Mr Minnery and the Tengeru refugees.
http://www.seetheworld.pl/oboz-w-tengeru/ - travel blog in Polish
Books
Academic Dissertations
- Wanda Warlik - University of Western Australia “Displacement and the Second World War: Polish Refugees in Africa”. A doctorate examining the experience of Polish refugees in camps in Africa.
- Agata Blaszczyk - Forced Migration Review - “The Resettlement of Polish Refugees after the Second World War” The British response to displaced Poles following the end of the war.
- Monika Payseur - Ryerson University - “I don’t want to go back” The Complicated case of Polish Displaced Children to Canada in 1949. A detailed look at the Canadian controversy and political wrangle over the immigration of a group of orphans .
- Jan Raska - Canadian Museum of Immigration - “We Wanted to Come to Canada”. The immigration of Polish orphans to Canada.
Films
- Tengeru Camp: Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum film archive on YouTube - without sound.¶
- Film documentary by Jonathan Durand - charting the lost story of Polish refugees in Africa from 1942 to 1952. - In English
- TV Polonia report on discovery of hoard of copies of “Polak w Afryce” - In Polish
- Filmed visit to the cemetery in 2017 - uploaded by Bartłomiej Janus on YouTube including drone aerial view - Polish/English.
- Ugandan TV report recalling the Polish settlement in Masindi (settlement in Uganda similar to Tengeru) - In English
Houses were round, being five metres in diameter. Leokadia Majewicz, the author of “Slaves in Paradise” and a resident describes homes in the settlement as painted white, with makuti, woven palm leaves, for the
roofs which are very effective in rainy weather.