London issued war-time passport

 

Polish Government-in-Exile 1941.

 

Another superb example that is connected to WW2 and the events that still affect us today. A Polish passport issued and printed in the UK, the location of the Government-In-Exile that was established the previous year following the defeat of Poland.

 

The Polish Government-in-Exile, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie, was formed after the invasion of Poland by both Nazi Germany & the Soviet Union in September of 1939. The Polish Underground State and Home Army, Armia Krajowa (resistance in occupied Poland) were 2 main organs that fell under the above mentioned London based government and were heavily influenced by it as well, in their struggle against the occupiers

 

At first, right after the collapse of the Government and army in Poland, the French began to issue Polish passports, first in late 1939 then also in early 1940, but this stopped once Nazi Germany invaded the country, making the UK the main printing location for Polish official papers and passports – the imprints for the printings can be located at the back of the passports:

 

Imprimerie Nationale. – J. 486-39

Imprimerie Nationale. – J. 309-40

William Clowes & Sons, Ltd., London & Beccles 25.xi.40

(though other locations for exile passports have been located, such as Beirut and Bern)

 

The passport in this article falls under the UK official printing press based at London.

 

Polish passport No. 52666/14/9/41 was issued to Klara Linden, aged 19, who was born at Leipzig to Polish nationals. It seems that in the 1930’s she or her parents were not ale to secure German status, possibly due to being Polish refugees and the refusal of Berlin to allocate such status to the foreign Jews living in Germany. According to annotations inside the document here on page 7, we can understand that a previous passport from 1937 issued at Leipzig as well was the basis for this passport being issued here, maybe even the one that enabled her to reach the UK in the first place before the war erupted.

 

The passport was used to leave the continent for South America, at first, then later changed for traveling to the US.

 

We can locate several visas inside made out for the planned journey west:

 

1. Cuban visa No. 85 issued on September 8^th, 1941.
2. British Foreign Office exit & transit permits/visas from September 11^th, 1941                                                                                                                                                                                              (amended on December 11^th for travel to the US and not Cuba via Trinidad)
3. Colombian visa No. 25 issued on September 18^th, 1941.
4. Foreign Office exit permit No. 541/92 issued on December 17^th for the US.
5. US visa issued on November 4^th by consul Waldo E. Bailey.
6. Trinidad passport office exit permit from February 6^th, 1942.
7. US entry markings from 4 days later, Miami, Florida.

 

The US visa here is the important sample for the article here, because it connects to another passport that I had seen a while ago, a US official passport issued to the SAME diplomat here who issued the visa for Klara during the war.

 

Apparently, the US official here served in various countries before the war, such as Mexico in the late 1920’s and followed by European postings in the 1930’s, ending up with London at the beginning o the war. I have added images from his 1950 Diplomatic passport No. 5983 issued and signed by acting Secretary of State James E. Webb.

 

When researching & collecting WW2 issued passports & travel documents nothing gives one more pleasure than to locate samples were, we can find out that the holder survived the atrocities and horrors of the war and lived safely.

 

Have added images of this document.

 

 

 

Thank you for reading “Our Passports”.