Today's voicemails are taken from the book, the Polish Deportees of WWII, edited by Tadeusz Piotrowski. This book is a collection of diaries and memoirs of Polish deportees from 1939 to 1945.

World War Two witnessed one of the largest population movements in modern history, with approximately 40-60 million Europeans becoming refugees or displaced peoples. Out of this tragedy, 1.7 million Poles were exiled by the Soviet Union until 1941 when they were granted 'amnesty'. This led to a Polish exodus and subsequently thousands of Poles found themselves making new temporary homes in Iran, India, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, and Palestine. 

I discuss the series of events that led them to these new places of refuge and some of the key patterns found in their memories. Their stories show how the natives of these countries welcomed and took care of them, amidst the turmoil of the 1940s. Note: I do spend the first 5 minutes discussing some of my thoughts around migration discourse and how history-making should be approached in line with current political debate.

Other publications mentioned: 

Peter Gatrell, The Making of the Modern Refugee

Malcolm J Proudfoot, European Refugees 1939-1952