Polish Post: postcard on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising
Poczta Polska is actively participating in the commemoration of the 79th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. On August 4th of this year, a postcard from the "Insurgent Field Mail" issue was unveiled. Additionally, the company has released an album featuring selected profiles of postal workers who fought in the Warsaw Uprising.
The philatelic presentation ceremony took place at the Janusz Kurtyka Educational Center of the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw. The illustrative portion of the postcard, designed by Artur Sikorski, features a photograph of a postman. This is fourteen-year-old Waldemar Taperek, codename "Żbik," pictured in his Scout uniform, with a red and white armband on his right sleeve. The photograph, taken on August 15, 1944, was taken by Tadeusz Bukowski, codename "Bończa." The source material comes from the collections of the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
" The history of the Scout Field Post is closely linked to the activities of the Home Army Field Post. Clandestine communications within the Underground State were among the most extensive in the occupied countries. Young people involved in its activities enabled the population of the capital to communicate with each other, becoming messengers of hope and bringing a semblance of normalcy. By presenting the brochure and postcard, we pay tribute to the heroes who risked their lives to unite Poles, " noted Krzysztof Falkowski, President of Poczta Polska.
The Director of the Central Military Library named after Marshal Józef Piłsudski, Dr. Jan Tarczyński, also participated in the presentation ceremony of the new postcard.
" In commemorating the activities of the Scout Field Mail during the Warsaw Uprising, it is important to note that the postmen were very young. For them, participating in such a socially important activity as delivering insurgent mail was a true fulfillment of the Scouts' oath to serve 'God, Poland, and neighbors.' With dedication and commitment, they carried messages, risking their lives. Wearing postman's hats that were too large for their children's heads, they often carried letters under a hail of German bullets. A prime example of this service is 14-year-old Jerzy Kasprzak, codename "Albatros," one of the postmen of the Scout Field Mail, then in the youngest age group of the Grey Ranks, known under the codename "Zawisza," and 16-year-old comrade Zbigniew Banaś, codename "Banan," who was killed by the enemy while carrying mail in Powiśle. May the dedication of these young men in the service of insurgent communications forever be an example of exceptional devotion to their homeland," said Jan Tarczyński.
The Polish Post also released an album entitled "The Forgotten History of the Warsaw Uprising in the Personal Files of the Polish Post," which presents the profiles and stories of unsung heroes who are not mentioned in scholarly publications. The publications were created based on archival materials held by the Polish Post.
Members of the Polish Post board also laid red and white wreaths at the plaque commemorating the Warsaw Uprising Postmen, located in the Warsaw 1 Post Office building at 31/33 Świętokrzyska Street. A similar commemoration of the Heroes took place at the plaque funded by the Polish Post at 41 Wilcza Street. The latter address was the location of Pasieka, the Headquarters of the Grey Ranks, where the field post office began its operations.
The company is also once again supporting the nationwide BohaterON – turn on history! , aimed at commemorating and honoring the participants of the Warsaw Uprising.
The History of the Scout Field Post
The mail was handled free of charge. Civilians often exchanged their letters for food or clothing, which were then delivered by scouts to those most in need. The main post office for the insurgents was located at 28 Świętokrzyska Street. Additionally, there were seven post offices in various parts of the capital: at 3 Szpitalna Street, 41 Wilcza Street, Napoleon Square (today's Powstańców Warszawy Square), Złota Street, Okólnik Street, Czerniakowska Street, and 26 Tyniecka Street.
Parallel to the Scout Field Post, the Home Army Field Post was established, headed by Major Maksymilian Broszkiewicz, nom de guerre "Embicz," a long-time postal and communications officer. On August 30, 1944, by order of Colonel Antoni Chruściel, nom de guerre "Monter," the Scout communications service was formally incorporated into the Home Army Field Post.
Despite the lack of precise data on the efforts of the field postal service, it is estimated that postal workers carried 200,000 pieces of mail during the Warsaw Uprising. According to these estimates, the postal service delivered approximately 6,000 letters per day.
Previous broadcasts about the Warsaw Uprising
The Polish Post Office is undertaking a number of initiatives to commemorate the events of August 1944 and the heroism of those who fought in the Warsaw Uprising. In recent years, two albums about the Polish Post Office personnel who fought in the Warsaw Uprising have been published, using historical materials from the company's archives. The publications feature biographies of 52 individuals, along with their photographs and discovered documents.
Additionally, two postage stamps were introduced as part of the issues: "70th Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising" and "75th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising." It is also worth noting that the subject of the postage stamp from the "80th Anniversary of the Home Army" issue was Iwona Krugłowska, codename "Iwa," a pre-war employee of the Main Post Office in Warsaw and a soldier in the Home Army. She was responsible, among other things, for managing the financial flows of the Home Army.
In addition, in 2021, postcards were published for the following issues: "125th anniversary of the birth of Henryk Glass "The Skinny Wolf", "To You, Poland!" and "Heroes of the Grey Ranks".