WARTIME GUIDES

It is rare to meet families with such well-preserved wartime archives, but this story is one of them. The son of a British POW visited Poland to trace his father’s path during World War II. Based on remarkable archival materials and photographs, we now know that his father was held in Prabuty, Bydgoszcz, the forts of Toruń (Stalag XXA / Stalag 20A), Chełmno, and a village near Chełmno . Thanks to precise verification of these records, it was even possible to locate the site where one of the prisoners was buried. With high probability, the same tree still stands there, silently witnessing that event over 80 years later. A truly moving moment came during a special tribute: a bagpipe concert in memory of the father and all those who perished during WWII . This was the first time we experienced something so emotional and powerful in our work to preserve the memory of prisoners of war in Toruń . Stories like this remind us why documenting the history of POWs in Stalag XXA is so import...

Raymond was captured during the events connected to the Dunkirk operation. As a prisoner of war, he was held in the military forts of Toruń, part of the German POW camp  Stalag XXA (Stalag 20A) . Like many British POWs in Toruń, he was also sent to work in rural areas of the region. Surviving documents reveal that he spent time near Bydgoszcz, Chełmno, and Grudziądz. One particularly fascinating detail is a German record of his escape and a gap of over six months in official reports on Raymond whereabouts. Even more intriguingly, relatives recognized his handwriting in Fort XI from photographs in the Imperial War Museum. His time in the camp’s prison cell may have been connected to sabotage he reportedly carried out while working on a farm near Grudziądz — at least according to German reports. This was one of the rare families who were able to visit every confirmed location where their relative had been held. We are honored to have taken part in preserving and sharing Raymond sto...

On the anniversary of the end of World War II, Toruń became the setting of a deeply moving encounter with history. Linda and Barbara – the niece and daughter of British POW Jack Bird – visited the city to pay tribute to his memory and trace the locations connected to his imprisonment in Stalag XXA. The visit, carefully prepared since autumn 2024, was a powerful reminder of the legacy of prisoners of war in Stalag XXA, which Toruń continues to honor and preserve. Since the autumn of 2024, we had been working to establish precise historical facts and identify the exact places where Private Jack Bird was held during his captivity in the Stalag XXA prisoner-of-war camp in Toruń . Our goal was to prepare a meaningful and historically grounded journey for Barbara and Linda — one that would lead them as close as possible to the real sites their father and uncle once knew. Their visit was based on verified archival data, including valuable documents shared by the guests themselves. Together, w...