On 6 October 2024, the IPN delegation – the Director of the IPN Office of International Cooperation Agnieszka Jędrzak and the Deputy Director of the same office Mateusz Marek Ph.D. visited an important place related to the history of British Poles in the UK, The White Eagle Club. A commemorating meeting was held there in tribute to thousands of Poles who went into exile during World War II and in the post-war period. During the event, we also commemorated the efforts of the Polish Army in the West.
One such person whose wartime fate forced her to wander and eventually settle in exile was Łucja “Luna” Golińska. The meeting at London’s White Eagle Club was preceded by the Memorial service for Scoutmaster Łucja “Luna” Golińska held at the Church of Christ the King in south-west London’s Balham area.
After the outbreak of WW2, Łucja “Luna” Golińska and her family were deported to the Altai Krai deep into the Soviet Union. Her father, Joachim Bonievich, was a school principal in Brest-Litovsk before the war, and after the Soviets entered Poland he was arrested and sent to prison from where he managed to escape in June 1941. He found his family after the war with the help of the Polish Red Cross in the 1960s. Łucja, like her mother and two siblings, worked in southern Siberia. After the signing of the Sikoski-Mayski Agreement in 1941 she made her way with her family to Tashkent. Together with the Polish army under the command of General Władysław Anders, she left the "inhuman land" and was evacuated to Iran. In 1943, together with her mother and siblings, they found refuge in a Polish refugee camp in Tengeru in northern Tanzania. After the war, she settled with her family in Great Britain, where she married Stanislaw Goliński, a scout. Stanislaw's father, Feliks, was a member of the ground crew of Polish 302 and 316 Fighter Squadrons stationed at Northolt. Together with her husband, Łucja was involved in the activities of the Polish scout movement, Balham Parish, White Eagle Club and the Polish Community in South London.
At the White Eagle Club the IPN delegation presented a short video clip about the IPN’s flagship project “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom”. It aims to present the journey of over 116,000 Poles, civilians and soldiers to international audiences. The Director of the IPN Office of International Cooperation Agnieszka Jędrzak spoke about the project and its series of international exhibitions presented worldwide. A short clip about the immersive and interactive version of the exhibition was also showcased.
Mateusz Marek Ph.D. gave a lecture about the fate of Poles in Africa and the evacuation of civilians with the General Anders’ Army. Another short film presented by the IPN was related to the history of Poles in Africa. The IPN also looks after the graves of our compatriots located along the routes of their wartime journey. In 2022 we opened the renovated Polish cemetery in Rusape, Zimbabwe. The event was documented by a short video clip.
On 7 October 2024, the IPN had the honour of presenting the “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom” exhibition at the Terrace Pavilion of the Palace of Westminster in London. The event featured a premiere of the English version of a documentary about the Polish destroyer ORP Błyskawica. Among the honourable guests was Prof. Hal Sosabowski, great-grandson of General Stanisław Sosabowski.
🎥 📺 See the video about the immersive and interactive version of the exhibition