Polish passports - refugees - Tokyo

**huddyhuddy** · 10-31-2013, 08:49 PM

Hi all,

Here is another set of 2 documents that I thought may be of interest to share.

Two Polish passports issued roughly the same time, shortly before the Polish embassy was shut down and the staff, with the Jewish refugees in Japan deported to Shanghai, shortly before Pearl Harbor.

The embassy secretary who issued the two passports extended them in Shanghai, after arriving from Tokyo. One of the passport holders was a Sugihara visa recipient, the other arrived earlier to Tokyo, also in 1940. One manages to end up in the international exchange list, where allies and axis exchanged their interned civilians, in Mozambique, in 1942. The holder then boarded the MS Gripsholm to England. The other holder was not lucky: he was interned at the Jewish ghetto in Shanghai from 1943-145, passport being extended by the Polish Association in China, 3 times (I have not found to date information on this organization which acted as some sort of Polish representation in China). He managed to be liberated in 1945 and left Shanghai in 1946.

Interesting to add that one passport was printed in Lodon of 1940, the printing location for Polish passports after September of 1939. Another located location for passports printed for the Polish goverment in exile was Paris, but this seased after the fall of France in 1940. The british issued another passport in 1942.

These type of documents are of utmost importance and interest to WW2 collectors, I believe.

Neil

**StefanM** · 11-01-2013, 04:10 PM

Thanks for posting another set of fascinating passports. Have you contacted somewhere like the Polish Institute & Sikorski Museum to ask about the Polish Association in China? As the records of the Polish Government in Exile are held at this Institute they might be able to shed more light on this Association. You could also try the Polish Library at POSK also in London as they have extensive Polish WWII archive holdings.

**huddyhuddy** · 11-01-2013, 06:30 PM

Thanks for the tip! Did not know this library existed before!

**popeye** · 11-01-2013, 06:50 PM

This is amazing that you are able to dig into all the info on these people. I have a set from someone that appears to have fled Germany and ended up in China. I friend gave it to me 20 years ago. I always wondered how the story ended up. I will have to dig it out of the safe and take some pictures for you to look at it.

**StefanM** · 11-01-2013, 06:51 PM

by huddyhuddy

Thanks for the tip! Did not know this library existed before!

It is a relatively unknown Polish treasure and often more accessible than PISM. The archive papers of Retinger are held there which was my interest when I first visited. I also purchased very reasonably a few rare Polish books which they were selling off as they had several duplicates in the library. They also hold many archive photos especially pre-war Polish forces and many of Poles that were deported by Stalin to Siberia and the arctic republics, as I said a real treasure

**huddyhuddy** · 11-01-2013, 06:54 PM

Would love to see some of those images...

**dastier** · 11-04-2013, 10:26 AM

by huddyhuddy

Would love to see some of those images...

So would I...

**popeye** · 11-05-2013, 04:49 AM

Hello. Here is the passport that I have. Any info on it would be great. Or if you can point me to a website that I might be able to search for this gentleman? I always wondered what happened to him after he got to China?

**huddyhuddy** · 11-06-2013, 08:18 AM

Thank you very very much!
I like this set! thanks!

**popeye** · 11-08-2013, 05:25 PM

I think it is interesting to look at his photo from the German passport and compare it to the one from China. He has lost a lot of weight and aged in such a short time. But under the circumstances I would too.