Credenhill Court in the small and picturesque village of Credenhill in Herefordshire was once a hostel for Polish war veterans.
Updated 29 October 2024. Reason for update: Added information about the League of Friends of the Polish Hostel and the Relief Society For Poles.
Credenhill Court Polish Hostel in Herefordshire
The Credenhill Court Polish Hostel was run by the charity The Relief Society for Poles, and the hostel closed in 1987. That year Credenhill Court Rest Home opened on the same premises as a private care home. Under an agreement reached between the Polish charity and the new owners, the remaining Polish veterans could receive continued care. Source: Hereford Times article dated 15 March 2005.
Background – The Polish Resettlement Act of 1947
The Polish Resettlement Act of 1947 came about because most Polish war veterans in the UK refused to be returned to Poland. These soldiers had fought for their freedom and ours in Poland, the UK and many other countries involved in World War II. The soldiers knew that in Poland under the communist regime, at best, they would be denied equal opportunities and, at worst, they would suffer persecution, detention and possibly death at the hands of the new regime.
To address this situation, the UK Government was forced to create the first piece of mass immigration law that would accommodate the wish of the Polish soldiers to stay in the UK. The result of this legislation was The Polish Resettlement Act of 1947, which in turn led to the formation of the post-war Polish community in the UK.
The first Polish Resettlement Camps in the UK were formed in 1946. By the end of that year, approximately 120,000 soldiers and dependants were accommodated in 265 camps throughout the UK. It is estimated, that by the end of 1949, around 150,000 Polish soldiers and their dependants had settled in the UK. Over the coming years, this number would rise to nearly 250,00 as more dependents and descendants arrived in the UK. Source: Agata Błaszczyk writing for Forced Migration Review.
The Residents at the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel
The residents lived in Hostel because they would have had difficulty living independent lives in the community. That was due to what today would be recognised as post-traumatic stress disorder and in some cases a lack of English language skills.
Visiting my Father at the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel
I visited the Polish Hostel on many occasions, as in the early to mid-1980s, my late father was the manager at the hostel. The first photograph below shows Antosz (one of the residents) and my father. This photograph is undated but is assumed to be between 1980 and 1985. The second photograph of my parents is dated 24 May 1981.
Volunteers from RAF Hereford at the Polish Hostel in Credenhill
My father, who was himself a World War II veteran, was very proud of the assistance he was able to offer the residents. He was also very indebted to volunteers from the local community for their invaluable work in making life better for the residents.
The photograph above shows Aleksander Rodziewicz, manager of the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel, receiving a donation from RAF Hereford for individual Christmas parcels for the residents. The photograph is dated December 1984 and is from the Rodziewicz family collection. The author of this photograph is unknown, and the photograph may be an orphan work. The owners of the original hard copy photograph are the Rodziewicz family. Permission is not granted by the family for the re-use of this photograph.
I would very much like to name all the people in the photograph. The volunteers and residents pictured are an important part of the history of Credenhill Court. If you have further information, please do contact me.
Central Television Visits Credenhill Court
In 1983 a TV crew from Central Television visited the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel to create a news feature. Watch interviews with my father and Mr Michael Byrne, a volunteer who tirelessly gave his time to the Polish Hostel. Watch residents at the hostel. The footage from the film gives you a sense of daily life at Crednhill Court was like.
Watch the Video at the Media Archive for Central England (MACE)
View the film: macearchive.org/films/central-lobby-21071983-polish-hostel
Mr Michael Byrne was chairman of the League of Friends of the Polish Hostel. As mentioned above, he also was a volunteer at the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel.
We also learn from a Relief Society For Poles booklet that the manager, Mr A. Rodziewicz is greatly supported in his activities by Mr Michael Byrne, (mentioned above), the Commanding Officer of RAF Hereford, Group Captain M.J.C. Dicken and his wife Mrs Jenny Dicken. The Relief Society For Poles goes on to say that they are most grateful for the kindness and helpfulness of the local British community.
Source: Booklet, Relief Society For Poles. Brief Survey. London. 1983. From the private collection of the Rodziewicz family. Republishing prohibited.
I returned to Credenhill Court for a Private Visit
In the mid-2015s, my wife and I visited Credenhill Court Rest Home. We were very grateful to the management of the care home, who very kindly let us visit the home. We were equally grateful to the care home staff who showed us around. We met a Polish resident of the home who arrived long after the Relief Society for Poles transferred management to the new owners. It was fascinating to hear first-hand what life was like in the home during later times. The resident told us he was very happy living in the care home.
Afterwards, we visited St Mary’s Church and the churchyard where some of the Polish veterans now rest. The church is adjacent to Credenhill Court.
Photographs of St Mary’s Church
Photographs: Philip Pankhurst (CC BY-SA 2.0) Via Wikimedia.
Some of the Polish Veteran’s Graves in St Mary’s churchyard
Churchyard photographs above: Nina Rodziewicz / St Mary’s Churchyard, Credenhill. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND). A link back to this web page will be most appreciated.
Memorial to the Polish Veterans in St Mary’s Churchyard
Memorial photograph above: Nina Rodziewicz. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND). A link back to this web page will be most appreciated.
Appeal for Information
If you have further information (or corrections) that could help make this article about the Credenhill Court Polish Hostel more complete, please contact me. You can write to me in English or Polish.
Dedication
This article is dedicated to the memory of Polish veterans who lived at Credenhill Court Polish Hostel and to all the staff and volunteers who cared for them throughout the many years the hostel was in operation.
Watch the video on South Coast View’s YouTube Channel
Video title: Credenhill Court Polish Hostel | Polish War Veterans Remembered.
Related External Links
The Hereford Times (use their search facility)
Polish Resettlement Camps In The UK 1946 – 1969
Shelter & Community: Polish Post-War Resettlement Camps in the United Kingdom at Culture.pl
The resettlement of Polish refugees after the second world war at Forced Migration Review
Polish Resettlement Act 1947 at Wikipedia
The History of The Relief Society For Poles (PDF document in Polish)
Royal Air Force Hereford – 1940 to 1994 at Credenhill Parish Council
Leominster Area Polish Society
Creative Commons Licenses
Some images in this article have a Creative Commons License.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
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Hello, Thanks to your article we found the grave of our great grand father. The family in Poland and in France just had a photograph without any indication. A great thank you. Few members of the family will finally visit this year Credenhill. Do you know where we can have more informations regarding the Polish resident of this house (photographs taken of the period 1945-1960, etc.) ?
Hi Beata, according to this PDF at https://www.tpp.london/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/201016-spieszmy_z_pomoca.pdf , Towarzystwo Pomocy Polakom TPP (Relief Society for Poles) appears to have been established in 1945. I cannot tell in what year they purchased Credenhill Court. I believe your best course of action would be to contact the TPP and ask if they have any photographs in their archives covering the period 1945-1960. Regrettably, I do not have any photographs that could be of help to you. You will find the contact details for the TPP at https://www.tpp.london/pl/kontakt/ . I understand you plan to visit Credenhill. Should you wish to visit the rest home, I would advise contacting them in advance of your visit, to arrange a suitable time and date. Their contact details are at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-118086037/contact . I am pleased that my article was of help to you and I wish you much luck in your further research.