Ukrainians buried in Grimsby

Discussion in 'Allied Units - Others' started by temptage, Nov 29, 2016.

  1. temptage

    temptage I thought it would only take a few weeks......

    On walking through my local Cemetery I have noticed a good number of headstones for ex-Carpathian Lancers, who died post-war.

    The Carpathian Lancers was the name given to a group of Polish soldiers who escaped from their homeland when the Germans invaded in 1939.

    At the end of the war the remaining Regiments were brought to Grimsby and stayed in the military camp in Weelsby Woods while awaiting demobilisation. As Poland had then been occupied by communist Russia, nearly 1000 men stayed and settled in Grimsby after the unit was disbanded in 1947.

    On looking closer, there are also a similar number of Ukrainian nationals who died post war, but all born at a time when every single one of them would have been of fighting age during WW2.

    I have seen a few mentions of Ukrainians joining Polish Forces towards the end of WW2, but no mention of joining the Carpathian Lancers specifically. Another possibility is that they settled here after the war having been POW's at local camps. I know of one such camp 'locally' which held Ukrainians who were fighting for Germany.

    In case anyone has access to records, some of the Ukrainian names are as follows:

    Serhij Zalewsky
    Mykola Korzun
    Wasyl Pohorilyj
    Wasyl Markanycz
    Vladas Pranas Zeknys
    Iwan Frejiszyn
    Alex Szymanskyi

    All of the above names have the Ukrainian Army badge on their headstones.

    Any help would be appreciated
     
  2. smdarby

    smdarby Well-Known Member

    I only know about The Netherlands, but much of the Atlantic Wall here was manned by troops who had been captured on the eastern front and then volunteered to fight for the Germans. For example, battalions of troops from Georgia, Tartars, Armenians etc. were all stationed in The Netherlands. I can find no evidence of Ukrainian troops being here, but it is possible they were in Belgium or France and the men in the graveyard were captured again by the Allies and shipped to England.
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2016
  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Taking the first one Zalewsky - his wife is also buried at the same place:

    Serhij Zalewsky 1992 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)

    Barbara Joan Zalewsky 1931 2003 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)

    I assume they married after the war due to her age??
    TD
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Mykola Korzun
    Birth Date: 5 Aug 1924
    Date of Registration: Sep 1982
    Age at Death: 58
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Humberside
    Volume: 7
    Page: 0411


    Perhaps his wife?

    Name: Elsie May Korzun
    Birth Date: 31 Dec 1931
    Date of Registration: Nov 1986
    Age at Death: 54
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Volume: 7
    Page: 516

    TD
     
  5. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Wysal Pohorilyj
    Birth Date: 26 Feb 1924
    Date of Registration: Feb 1986
    Age at Death: 62
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Volume: 7
    Page: 579

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
    Name: Wasyl Pohorilyj
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1953
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Spouse: Mavis P Dann
    Volume Number: 3b
    Page Number: 568a

    TD
     
  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
    Name: Wasyl Markanycz
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1967
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Spouse: Doreen Pratt
    Volume Number: 3b
    Page Number: 739

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Wasyl Markanycz
    Birth Date: 29 May 1924
    Date of Registration: Dec 1987
    Age at Death: 63
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Volume: 7
    Page: 560

    Name: Wasyl Markanycz
    Birth Year: 1924
    Burial Year: 1987
    Burial Place: Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England
    Death Age: 63
    Cemetery: Scartho Road (160-161)

    Last known address - 51 Henry Street, Grimsby

    TD
     
  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
    Name: Vladas Zeknys
    Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1951
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Spouse: Joyce Traill
    Volume Number: 3b
    Page Number: 586

    UK and Ireland, Obituary Index, 2004-2015
    Name: Vladas Zeknys
    Death Date: 28 Dec 2009
    Obituary Date: 4 Jan 2010
    Newspaper Location: Nottingham, Eng, United Kingdom
    Spouse: Joyce
    Children: Annette and father-in-law
    Siblings: Fel; Valentinas

    Name: Vladas Pranas Zeknys
    Birth Year: 1921
    Burial Year: 2009
    Burial Place: Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England
    Death Age: 88
    Cemetery: Scartho Road (160-161)

    TD
     
  8. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name: Iwan Frejiszyn
    Birth Date: 3 Jul 1921
    Date of Registration: Jun 1982
    Age at Death: 60
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Humberside
    Volume: 7
    Page: 0525

    His wife??
    Name: MS Peggy Primrose Frejiszyn
    Gender: Female
    Age: 84
    Birth Date: 1927
    Death Date: 20 Jul 2011
    Residence Place at Death: Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England
    Postal Code District: DN31

    There looks to be 6 children from this marriage


    Iwan Frejiszyn
    1921 1982 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)

    Philip Frejiszyn
    Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)

    Stefan Frejiszyn
    Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)

    Peggy Primrose Frejiszyn
    1927 2011 Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Scartho Road (160-161)


    TD
     
  9. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    A family tree:
    Alexander Szymanskyi
    Birth: 17 9 1926 (17 Sep 1926) - Ukraine
    Death: 17 5 1993 (17 May 1993) - Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England

    Seems as though Irene Parkin initially married Mr Pyka
    Name: Irene Parkin
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1950
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Spouse: Karol Pyka
    Volume Number: 3b
    Page Number: 499

    Then after he died she went onto to marry our man
    Name: Irene Pyka
    Date of Registration: Oct 1984
    Registration district: Grimsby
    Inferred County: Lincolnshire
    Spouse: Alec Szymansky
    Volume Number: 7
    Page Number: 213

    England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007
    Name Alexander Szymanskyi
    Birth Date 17 Sep 1923
    Date of Registration May 1993
    Age at Death 69
    Registration district Grimsby
    Inferred County Lincolnshire
    Register Number B43C
    District and Subdistrict 5481B
    Entry Number 107

    TD
     
  10. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    Hi - the names detailed above are my Grand Parents

    Ian
     
  11. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    Hi - The names detailed above are my God Father and God Mother

    Ian
     
  12. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    Hi - the names above are my Grand fathers good Friends
     
  13. temptage

    temptage I thought it would only take a few weeks......

    Thanks Ian. Do you know why they came to Grimsby in the first place?
     
  14. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    I know that my grand father came into the country during the war and I have his naturalisation certificate.
    I can only assume he came in via the weelsby wood camp - as they settled in Grimsby not to far away.
    My Grandmother was a local woman who was in the Land Army
     
  15. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    Could I ask your requirements for this knowledge ?
     
  16. minden1759

    minden1759 Senior Member

    At the end of the war, II (PO) Corps was in Bologna and costing the Treasury £3.5m per month. No longer recognised by the UK or US because we had deferred to Stalin and recognised the Polish Government in Warsaw and its army instead, these troops were switched to become the Polish Resettlement Corps and, after much debate, they were allowed to come to the come to the UK under the Polish Immigration Act 1947.

    Many passed through on their way to new lives in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand but many also stayed in the UK to be housed in disused airfield accommodation.

    Lincolnshire was heaving with disused airfields so they got a lot of Poles/Ukranians.

    Regards

    Frank
     
    Ian Mutch and Tricky Dicky like this.
  17. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    A possibility regarding Ukraine-connected WW2 settlers here as members of the Galician SS would definitely cross my mind.
    A visit to Cannock Chase Soldatenfriedhof always reminds of this curious bit of history; with late/post-war death dates. And the presence of a well-tended memorial there perhaps also implying a community that while (understandably) private, still kept in touch in some ways.
    Former soldiers of the Galicia Division

    Hmm. Not been to Cannock for ages. Might have to combine it with a planned return to the NMA this summer.
    Cannock Chase German Cemetery
     
  18. temptage

    temptage I thought it would only take a few weeks......

    Ian, I have a website about Scartho Road Cemetery and all the military men therein, so was hoping to find a link to the large number of Ukrainians and Polish men so I could add their names.
     
  19. Ian Mutch

    Ian Mutch Member

    Yes I do -
    Mykola Korzun
    Birth Date: 5 Aug 1924 - This is my Grand Father and his friends where
    Wasyl Markanycz
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1967 and
    Wysal Pohorilyj
    Birth Date: 26 Feb 1924 also
    Iwan Frejiszyn
    Birth Date: 3 Jul 1921 - This is my God Father

    hope that this helps

    Best Regards
    Ian
     
  20. MarkanyczBenjamin

    MarkanyczBenjamin New Member

    This is my grandad
     

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