3rd wave migration

In 1939 Germany invaded Poland, sparking a fresh wave of Polish migration. In Britain, the Polish Prime Minister General Sikorski formed the Polish government in exile, and 20,000 Polish military  joined the struggle against German forces on British soil.

Of particular note were the Poles who served in the Polish Air Force in Britain. Highly regarded for their daring, courage and inventiveness, their ‘hit rate’ established them as masters of the sky.

Did you know?

During the Blitz, Polish pilots destroyed a quarter of the German planes flying towards London on one day alone. Polish squadrons were key to the defeat of Germany in the Battle of Britain.

Several Waltham Forest residents are here today because their parents or grandparents served under British High Command, including in the Polish Air Force. In honour of their contribution they received British citizenship as part of the 1947 Resettlement Act.

During the Blitz nearly 750 bombs were dropped on Waltham Forest, 40 on 9th October alone. As an industrial area it was a prime target, and none more so than the Lebus Factory on Ferry Lane.

Following the outbreak of war, the factory stopped producing furniture and began manufacturing the all-wood Mosquito aircraft, nicknamed the Wooden Wonder. Considered a marvel of modern engineering, it was the envy of the Germans.

By the 1940s, the Lebus workforce reached 3000, many of whom were first or second generation Poles. Every day these employees risked their lives going to work. At the deHavilland aircraft factory in Hatfield, a low flying German bomber dropped its load before gunning down workers as they ran to the air raid shelter.

Aware of the risks to his employees, Lebus built a shelter network praised as the “finest underground system of air-raid shelters seen in any industrial establishment”.

By 1945, Poland was in tatters. With communities ripped apart and cities razed to the ground, many Poles felt there was no home to return to.

Did you know?

Over 200,000 Polish people settled in Britain after the war, the majority gaining citizenship through the 1947 Resettlement Act. Catholic leaders decided that Polish priests should settle in Britain to attend to the spiritual needs of these people. In Waltham Forest this tradition continues today.

Meanwhile, Allied Forces liberated thousands of Polish Jews from concentration camps. After their experiences, many didn’t want to stay in Europe, nor were they welcomed. British post-war immigration policy deliberately excluded Jews, considering them un-assimilable.

Nevertheless, a small number of Polish Jews did arrive on British shores. Some had escaped the Nazis and fought under British High Command. Others were part of small scale operations providing refuge to Jewish children from Eastern Europe.