Warrant Officer Józef Wyrostkiewicz, Polish Army In France/Polish Resettlement Corps

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Here is the story of Sergeant Józef Wyrostkiewicz, a Polish labourer that escaped German/Soviet invasion and occupation of Poland, German invasion of France and then French State to serve in England and later move to the United States. According to Mark Ostrowski at the height of the Polish Army In The West there were only 14,210 Polish serving who had escaped occupied Europe. This is just one saga of travel and unit reformations spanning 1939 to the 1960's.

This first identification (that is currently AWOL) was issued on 21st October 1939 in Bochnia, whilst the town was under German military occupation.
At this time he was still a civilian but that would change. He will have fled south through Hungary or Romania at some date soon after as the next time he pops up he is in "the west".

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This 9th January 1942 Certificate indicates that he was wounded in the right thigh and was ordered to rest for two months by the head doctor of the centre of demobilisation at the Lannes Hospital under the 17th Division. This indicates that Wyrostkiewicz was not only in "Vichy France" but had also sustained a wound.

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This next piece may only be a single page that has fallen out of his British Identification booklet but it certainly adds to the story.

After being in German occupied Poland and Vichy France he must have then fled through the Spanish State to Gibraltar to arrive in England on 20th July 1943 to join the Polish Army (In The West), where he served until 6th November 1943 when he was transferred from the Polish Resettlement Corps to the Royal Engineers Stores Depot at Long Marston on 8th November 1943. He then lived at the Civilian Hostel at the Depot in Warwickshire.

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This 25th June 1948 document from the PKPR (Polskiego Korpusu Przysposobienia I Rozmieszczenia/Polish Corps Of Resettlement And Deployment) in London states that he is to be paid 20,326 Francs for his participation in the 1939-40 Campaign of the Polish Army In France (around €700 in today's money - certainly more than a month's service's worth).

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A 9th September 1948 letter explaining a letter of 3rd September 1948 explaining the payment of "demob" in respect the service in the Polish Army on French territory in 1939/40.

A 25th September 1950 letter, once again on the subject of French demobilisation. Referring to his Certificat D'Identité and Fiche D'Identité De Travailleurs Etrangers (Identification and Card Of Identification Of Foreign Workers).

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His 1st March 1955 dated membership to the Polish Combatants' Association. Member #208 of Branch #79190 in Great Britain (Somehow I doubt there were 79,000 branches).