About

Grove Park Camp was one of hundreds of temporary resettlement camps set up in the UK to accommodate Polish soldiers and their families who found themselves unable to return to their homeland when the Second World War ended. They had fought for the West and would otherwise have faced persecution in the Communist East after Nazi Germany’s defeat in 1945.

In 1946, Britain began the slow process of recovery from the devastation of the war. Slough was in desperate need of committed workers and, in theory, welcomed the arrival of Polish people.

The camp was erected on the grounds of Grove Park Estate in Iver in 1946.

Iver Grove Lodge (Source: http://www.polishresettlementcampsintheuk.co.uk)

Corrugated iron structures called ‘Nissen huts’ were erected on the site and housed around 200 Polish residents. These huts were commonly used in military settings because they were cheap, sturdy and easy to construct.

The huts were around 10 by 5m in size. Each family was allocated half a hut and individuals were allocated a quarter of a hut.

In 1957, Iver Grove residents were ordered by the War Office to vacate the camp. The subject of their eviction gained attention from the national and local press.

*“11 nights under a tarpaulin”* , 7 June 1957, Slough Observer

Some of the coverage was sympathetic, but other outlets unfairly described the residents as “squatters”.

The Slough Observer reported that authorities had failed to inform Grove Park residents of their eviction from the grounds. Three Polish families left without accommodation were forced to live on the roadside for over a fortnight.

*“The Tragic Families of Iver Grove”,* Friday 31 May 1957, The Buckinghamshire Advertiser and Gazette
(Source: National Archives)

*“Bedtime for a baby with no place to go”,* Tuesday 26 May 1957, Daily Mirror

Faced once again with prospect of removal from their homes, some Grove Park residents emigrated abroad or elsewhere in the UK. Others managed to obtain permanent housing in the local area.

*The Nowagiel Family (left to right: Czesław, Jan, Rysiek, Zofia, Stefania and young Frania) outside their home on Woodstock Avenue, Slough, in 1963.* (Source: Frania Creech)

*The Mrówka family in their finest attire outside their new home on Australia Road in Slough.*
(Source: Wanda Mrówka)

Many thanks to Emilia Fursewicz-Kelly, Frania Creech, Wanda Mrówka, Linda Rogulska and Stefano Kurowski for their contributions to this photographic archive.

Resources

For more information about the Polish resettlement camps set up throughout the UK: https://polishresettlementcampsintheuk.co.uk/

Scan the QR code to join the ‘Grove Park Polish Army Camp Iver 1946-56’ facebook group: