Museum's collection of photographs and correspondence is expanding

A recent trip by the Museum's staff to Łódź and Zgierz (30 January 2025), brought further interesting records of accounts, and donations. This time they were letters, postcards, documents and pre-war photographs illustrating the realities of an officer life.

Our visit to Małgorzata Tadeusiak from Łódź was an opportunity to retell the rather well-known story of Captain Edward Mamunow, who was the prototype of one of the characters in the film Eroica directed by Andrzej Munk, i.e. Lieutenant Zawistowski hiding in the attic of a barrack in a POW camp. In reality, the Captain had his hideout in the attic above the camp washroom of one of the brick buildings of Oflag VII A Murnau, and was helped to survive there for almost a year by a small group of regimental colleagues who shared their food rations with him and, while looking for a better solution, kept his spirits up. The tragic end came on 24 May 1941, when Capt. E. Mamunow, faced with the imminent discovery of his hiding place by the Germans, committed suicide.

We also met with Małgorzata Tadeusiak, the granddaughter of the captain's sister, to talk about the family past, and to collect from her a gift of family memorabilia: an album of photographs from the period of her uncle's service in the 70th Infantry Regiment in Pleszew, a postcard from the transit camp in Kraków Dąbie, correspondence from the period of captivity in Oflag VII A Murnau, as well as official documents related to E. Mamunow's suicide death in 1941, including a death certificate and a notice sent by the German Red Cross to his family. In addition, there were correspondence from the oflag prisoners who were involved in hiding the captain, addressed to his family - his mother and sisters, and post-war correspondence revealing the circumstances of this tragic story, given to us.

The second visit was to Zgierz, where Iwona Jędraska - daughter of Hanna Gryczyńska, one of the Polish bread mothers - lives. Our interlocutor's mother entrusted her with letters and postcards - testimony to the relations she established during the occupation with Second Lieutenant Jan Jaworski, a prisoner of Oflag II D Gross Born. Ms. Hanna provided support for the Second Lieutenant by sending him correspondence and parcels. During the visit, Iwona Jędraska donated 13 POW letters and cards to the Museum's collection.

We would like to thank both ladies for their kind welcome, valuable donations and participation in the recordings.

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