The Polish Soldier Tree

Posted on by M.E. Bond Posted in OriginsTagged , ,

Yesterday we went on a short hike on the Bruce Trail and saw autumn leaves, fungi, a blue jay feather, minnows, a tiny frog…and the Polish Soldier Tree.

This beech tree with its inscription carved by a Polish soldier (probably with his bayonet) in 1942 was discovered in 2006 by Ron Savage, Trail Director of the Sydenham Bruce Trail Club. The words are the opening of the Polish national anthem, which translates to “Poland is not yet lost” and it is signed “A Soldier, April 14, 1942.”

I learned about the historical context of this tree from “‘Poland Is Not Yet Lost’: The Tadeusz Kościuszko Polish Armed Unit in Canada 1941–1942″ by Lisa Marie Murphy-Gemmill.

After Germany invaded Poland in 1939 a government-in-exile was set up in Paris and relocated to the United Kingdom in May, 1940. A Polish Mission in Canada was established to train Polish nationals and Polish-Americans for war, with a recruiting depot in Windsor and a training camp in Owen Sound (then with a population in 14,002).

The local paper stated: “Owen Sound has many advantages to offer for such a force. Splendid barracks accommodations for the men; fine quarters for officers and N.C.O.’s; ample fields and territory for training in modern warfare; and plenty of healthful, wholesome recreation facilities make this city an ideal situation. Equally important will be the hearty welcome the Polish troops will receive should they select Owen Sound as training centre. This will be true of both individuals and organizations.” (OSL, “Owen Sound Will Welcome Our Allies, the Polish Army,” Daily Sun-Times Feb. 26,1941, quoted by Murphy-Gemmill)

The Polish government leased the former North American Furniture Company (at 14th St W and 2nd Ave W; the front entrance is now Horton & Horton Barristers and Solicitors) as barracks and officers billeted with local families. A former nurses’ home was outfitted by the Ontario Red Cross Society as a Polish soldiers hospital.

The Tadeusz Kosciuszko Polish Army Training Camp officially opened on September 1, 1941. A joint welcome reception and Labour Day celebration was held with a parade, performances, bingo, and dancing.

During their time in Owen Sound, on Sunday mornings many of the soldiers would march from the barracks to St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, singing Polish hymns. Local families often invited a soldier over for Sunday dinner. Dances were also held over the winter and the soldiers enjoyed skiing in Harrison Park.

The Polish Mission was cancelled in February 1942 because of uncertain finances and failure to recruit as many men as expected. The camp continued until May, training over 700 men.

“Although Polish officials viewed the Polish Mission in Canada as a failure, the local story is a different narrative. The success at the community level and the unofficial experience in Owen Sound were overwhelmingly positive. Men and women came together and built lasting friendships. The locals appreciated the Polish soldiers’ obituaries being published in the Owen Sound press and men returned to marry locals, settle, and raise families. Although very little remains today of what was once the Tadeusz Kościuszko Polish Armed Unit, it highlights Allied cooperation was a building block for later war movements, and shows how one small out-of-the-way city in Ontario welcomed Polish soldiers when Poland was in need.” (Murphy-Gemmill)

One soldier who returned to Grey County was a Jewish officer who had joined the synagogue in Owen Sound during his training; he returned to marry a local Jewish woman. A commemorative plaque for their family is found in the Beth Ezekiel Synagogue down the street from my house.

In November 2018, the Consul General of Poland in Toronto presented a plaque “to express his gratitude to the City of Owen Sound for its generous hospitality to the Polish officers, instructors, airmen, sailors, and soldiers who came to Canada during World War II and were trained in Kosciuszko Camp in Owen Sound.”

You can read more about the training camp and about some of the individual soldiers in the exhibit “Living Memory: Jeszcze Polska Nie Zginela.” It was presented by the Billy Bishop Home & Museum from May 2019 until April 2020 and can now be viewed online. There’s also a PDF with more detailed information that I did not have time to read. Perhaps a follow up post!

Sources

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