A Surprising Visit to London’s Polish Institute & Museum

by S. Joseph Arroyo (May 2015)

Upon ringing the bell in the Knightsbridge area, where neighbors include the Embassies of Afghanistan (looking rather down-at-the-heels and badly in need of paint and weeding) and Ethiopia, we were greeted by an elderly gentleman wearing a tie with small Polish and UK flags enjoined, whose first question was: “Do you speak Polish?” When assured that, although ignorant of the Polish language, we were well read on the history of the Poles in England and knew why so many Poles had stayed in England after the war (since they had no desire to enter a newly-created Soviet slave-camp), he proceeded to describe the Institute and Museum’s purpose and then started to show us the exhibits, complete with an explanation of each exhibit as thorough as we desired.

Our guide’s engagement became even more dynamic, in spite of his age, when discussing a couple scenes depicted in the exhibits. He subtly stated at one point, “I was there.” I caught that at first, but because he had let the words slip out with no trace of ego, it was easy to miss. After discussing the details of the Monte Casino campaign a bit more, he vividly described the complexities of some of the strategies and difficulties the allies faced, and again said softly, “I was there.” Once both of us realized what he was saying, we started to quiz him rather directly. He quickly admitted that, yes, he had been a young soldier in Italy fighting with the Polish forces, having volunteered at age 17, after lying about his age.

Just as we were about to leave, I asked him about his age, and he acknowledged that he would turn 90 in January of 2015. And then, after he gave us a card with a painting of a Polish war heroine on it, he smilingly recommended a Polish restaurant and bar (“with good vodka!”) that was only a couple blocks away in case we’d like a late lunch.
 

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S. Joseph Arroyo has worked in a variety of fields, particularly in counseling and publishing, and holds BA in English and MA in Psychology degrees. He has taught part time in four different colleges and has led seminars in six countries.

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