Bolesław Zawalicz-Mowiński

In 1947, Zawalicz-Mowiński was already heading up a department of the SPK. He frequently travelled to London, not just to carry out checks but mainly to coordinate the provisions of the SPK Executive Board in terms of how the SPK’s regional structures were to be developed in the British occupied zone. Because he headed up the welfare department at the CMWS/CMLO, he signalled to the former prisoners of war that they should take up the opportunities offered by the British guard companies – 200 jobs were available at this time, with 9,000 jobs on offer in the labour companies. After he took over the post of Chairman of the department, he was openly criticised for the first time by the SPK delegates for his work. He was accused in particular of having poor relationships with the British leadership, of having treated Polish guards at the CMWS/CMLO poorly, of mixing Ukrainians into the guard departments, of having a lack of welfare measures and poor organisation, the standardisation of uniforms etc. However, his accomplishments on a social level during this period are undisputed. Despite the accusations made against him, the delegates re-elected him as Chairman of the department board.

After some time, Zawalicz-Mowiński relocated to the Blomberg DP camp near the town of Höxter an der Weser. From there he coordinated the work of his SPK department, the CMWS/CMLO welfare departments and the Polish Central Advisory Council. He established numerous contacts, including with the British Foreign Office, the American Polonia, the Veterans’ Association of the Polish Army in the USA and its department in Bavaria, as well as with other representatives of ethnic organisations of former prisoners of war. He supported the creation of libraries in the individual districts and the careers advisory service. With great dedication, he also encouraged the settlement of Polish refugees outside the occupied zones in Germany and dedicated himself to the work of the Association of Polish War Refugees in Paris (Zjednoczenie Polskie Uchodźstwa Wojennego w Paryżu, ZPUW). It was during his time as Chairman of an SPK department that the newspaper “Wspólnymi Siłami” (“With combined efforts”) was published for the first time, which was also read in the American and French occupied zones. At the same time, Zawalicz-Mowiński was also trying to distribute press titles published in London, including “Orzeł Biały” (The White Eagle), “Dziennik Polski” (Polish Daily) and later “Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza“ (Polish Daily and Soldiers’ News). Despite all these commitments, he never neglected his work within the CMWS/CMLO framework. In August 1949, as a former serving officer who had played an active role in creating groups, he took part in the celebrations for Soldiers’ Day in a Hamburg barracks, where he gave a speech in front of almost 2,000 participants.

With the decline of the Polish association in Germany, Zawalicz-Mowiński distanced himself from the disputes that were flaring up in organisational and political circles. His neutral attitude influenced his future work in the Commission relating to the Polish Association in Germany, which had been convened at the 2nd Annual General Meeting of the Executive Committee of the ZPUW. The Committee had seven representatives from different parties and organisations, with Zawalicz-Mowiński representing the interests of the veterans. As the Commission was unable to meet its desired objective, it was decided that the best solution was to create a new central organisation of Polish refugees in Germany. In July 1950, the Central Committee of the ZPUW convened a new body – the Organising Committee of the Association of Polish Refugees (Komisja Organizacyjna Zjednoczenia Polskich Uchodźców, KO-ZPU), in which Zawalicz-Mowiński also became involved.