Buckinghamshire camps which reunited

war-torn Polish communities

27 October 2014

By Lorcan Lovett

Grandmother who was born in woods near Chalfont St Giles tells of

her childhood at one of the many camps in the county

Krystyna Piotrowska Freiburger had an astounding childhood.

Despite her staunchly Polish first name, she was born in Chalfont St Giles. More unusually, she

was born in Hodgemoor Woods amid a makeshift camp against the backdrop of a blighted and

war-weary Europe. Camps like hers sprung up across the country after the Second World War to

accommodate thousands of displaced Polish families.

A number had escaped Nazi concentration camps, but the majority came from the gulags of

Siberia. Poles were sent to these desolate prisons after the Soviets invaded the eastern part of the

country. Nazis had invaded the western part days before.

Two of Krystyna’s brothers died in Siberia. Her parents left when the Soviets granted Poles

‘amnesty’ in 1941.

Her father went to fight in Persia, now Iran, while her eldest brother and mother were sent to

Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.

Her family reunited immediately after the war in Buckinghamshire, where empty barracks,

formerly used by Canadian and American forces, across the countryside served as temporary

housing. The county had camps in Iver, Beaconsfield and Great Missenden to name a few sites.

But Krystyna, who was born on March 22, 1949, grew up with other exiles in the woods of

Chalfont St Giles.

“My vivid memories of Hodgemoor are nothing but filled with joy,” said Krystyna. “I remember

the happy days I spent playing in our yard which had a large garden, chickens, geese, rabbits and

a cat. And the best was the woods behind us where my brother, my friends and I spent hours

roaming around and climbing trees.”

Life was more of a struggle for the adults, says Zosia Biegus, 71, who also lived in a camp and

co-authored the book Polish Resettlement Camps in England and Wales. They had to learn a

new language, look for work and try to keep their culture alive.

Many half-hoped the west would recognise how ‘evil’ the Soviets were, says Zosia, and begin a

third world war which would pave the way home for the Poles. However, hopes were dashed

when the Soviets brutally put down the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Zosia said: “It was then

that Poles decided we have to stay in this country and we have to assimilate and build an Anglo-

Polish relationship.”

Back in Hodgemoor, a young Krystyna explored her surroundings. “During the week I went to

school in the village. A little van from our camp drove us there and back every day. As a child, I

thought Chalfont St Giles was pretty and exotic. People here spoke another language and lived in

different homes to the barracks we had. School was hard until I learned English. We were served

lunch with food I was not familiar with.”

“Most vivid in my mind are the Christmas parties they put on for us in the community hall next

to the school. I can still feel the awe when, as children, we walked into this enchanted hall

decorated in Christmas splendour.”

Picture: Richard Tramp, Chairman Polish Club, by the monument at Hodgemoor

woods car park, Botrells Lane, HP7 0JX

Richard Tramp, 64, of Oldfield Close, Little Chalfont, lived in the camp for 10 years and played

with Krystyna when they were children. His family history is equally as dramatic, encompassing

gulags and battles in the Middle East.

He said: “Krystyna’s is a great story, the fact that her first language was Polish and she

remembered all about her history.”

Richard recollects Poland international football players living at the camp and clubs such as

Arsenal and Fulham visiting for a game.

His family were then moved to Popes Close, in Amersham, when the camp closed. His mother,

92-year-old Genowefa Tramp, still lives in that same house while Richard moved out, started a

roofing business and became chairman of the Amersham Polish Club.

He added: “[The Polish) were privileged people because the authorities allowed them to settle in

these camps and carry on the fight for Polish freedom.”

Hodgemoor, now popular with walkers and horse riders, once had its own chapels, community

hall, store and bar. A small monument is the only giveaway to the abandoned commune.

Krystyna reflected: “Together as a community, we continued to keep our language, our traditions

and culture. This sense of belonging helped the adults to survive the tough times after the war.

When I am stressed out and need a beautiful place to imagine in my head, I always return in my

mind to there and the peaceful countryside surrounding them.”

The camp was closed in 1958 while the final camps in the country were closed in the late 60s.

Young children who had never set foot on their homeland continued life in their adopted country.

Mother-of-four and grandmother-of-five Krystyna now lives in Canada after her father found

work there. She said: “I look forward to the day that I will be able to take my grandkids to

Hodgemoor and Chalfont St Giles and tell them all about my happy childhood there.”

Polish resettlement camps in Buckinghamshire. Information from

www.polishresettlementcampsintheuk.co.uk :

Hodgemoor woods, Chalfont St Giles, 1947 to 1959 (families)

Bower Wood, Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire, 1955 to 1956 (families)

Great Missenden Woodlands Park camp, 1956 (military and families)

Hazlemere, High Wycombe, 1948 to 1956 (families)

Grove Park, Iver, late 40s to 1957 (military camp occupied by squatters, families of

Polish soldiers with no were else to go, who were evicted)

Pipers Wood camp, Amersham, 1949 (occupied by squatters)

© Trinity Mirror Southern

Polish resettlement camps in Buckinghamshire

after the Second World War

27 October 2014

By Lorcan Lovett

An insight into life at Hodgemoor Camp - one of the many Polish

communities to thrive in Buckinghamshire during the 40s and 50s

Krystyna Piotrowska Freiburger who was brought up in a Polish community in the woods near Chalfont

St Giles

Thousands of Poles fled Nazi concentration camps and the gulags of Siberia controlled by the

Soviet Union during the Second World War.

For many, it was a life or death situation. The Soviet Union granted Poland 'amnesty' in 1941

which allowed the release of many prisoners in Russia.

Families were reunited and the fight for a free Poland continued. This fight lasted a lot longer

than many people expected: with a communist regime controlling their country, dispersed Poles

had to choose between returning home for a like akin to wartime or keeping their beleaguered

culture alive elsewhere.

This is where the story of Krystyna Piotrowska Freiburger begins. She was born in Hodgmoor

Woods near Chalfont St Giles. Read about her startling upbringing here. She lived in one of the

many Polish resettlement camps in the UK during the 40s and 50s.

Members of Zuchy, the Polish version of Cubs and Brownies, in woods near Chalfont St Giles. Krystyna

Piotrowska Freiburger, her brother and her mother are among the group

Krystyna’s parents at the camp

Krystyna and friends, dressed as sailors

First Communion at Hodgemoor Camp

Krystyna in sailor outfit

Krystyna at Hodgemoor Camp

Corpus Christi Procession

Krystyna Piotrowska-Freiburger and her grandchildren