Home / War and Conflict / Scouts Seek Descendants of WWII Polish Heroes
Scouts Seek Descendants of WWII Polish Heroes
12 Jan
Summary
- Scouts are locating descendants of Polish WWII veterans in Cambridge.
- Plaques will honor 15 graves as part of an official Polish register.
- Many soldiers served in the 2nd Polish Corps after Siberian labor camps.
A dedicated Scout troop in Cambridge is actively searching for the living descendants of Polish World War Two veterans interred in Newmarket Road Cemetery. Over the past two years, the city's Polish Scouting Association has identified at least 80 burials, with plans to place commemorative plaques on 15 graves this year.
This effort is part of a larger initiative by Poland's Institute of National Remembrance to create a worldwide register of veteran graves. The troops are also engaging in a tradition of cleaning and visiting these historical resting places, noting that few descendants of these soldiers remain.
Many of the identified soldiers were part of General Władysław Anders's 2nd Polish Corps, famous for their role in the Battle of Monte Cassino. Their journey to join the Allied forces involved surviving brutal labor camps in Siberia following the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland.
