The Polish Post Office pays tribute to the heroic postmen
On September 1st of this year, as every year on this special day, representatives of the Company paid tribute to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office building. One of the elements of the ceremony was the presentation of unique historical documents – the recently discovered personal files of the Post Office workers who, 83 years ago, faced the German aggressor, defending the bastion of Polishness in the Free City of Gdańsk.
The memory of the heroic postmen is cultivated by the Families of Former Polish Post Employees Association in the Free City of Gdańsk. A meeting with descendants of members of this organization is a regular part of the annual postal commemorations on September 1st. This year, at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the Polish Post presented unique historical finds. The first of these is the recently discovered personal file of Edmund Morawski. The clerk at the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk 1 was on two days' leave in 1939, but this did not save him from a tragic fate. After being arrested by the Gestapo, he was sent to the Stutthof concentration camp on September 2nd, and then to the Sachsenhausen and Oranienburg camps. He spent the entire war in German dungeons. After the war – despite the toll that camp life took on his health – he re-employed the Polish Post and was a pioneer in the postal and communications service. Members of the Circle were also able to view a replica of the personal files of Andrzej Górski, a defender of the building who was one of only four people to survive the defense of Gdańsk and World War II. After the war, like Edmund Morawski, he resumed work at the Polish Post Office.
" The Polish Post is an institution inextricably linked to our statehood. In difficult times for our homeland, postal workers have repeatedly demonstrated great courage, bravery, and commitment to the Polish cause. Today, we pay tribute to the defenders of the Polish Post building in Gdańsk. The postal workers who stood up to the German aggressor set a beautiful example of commitment to such important values as freedom and independence. It was thanks to such attitudes that Poland survived so many years of first German occupation and then Soviet protectorate, " noted Jan Kanthak, Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets, who oversees the Polish Post.
The meeting with the Circle of Families of Former Polish Post Employees in the Free City of Gdańsk was attended by its honorary chairwoman, Henryka Flisykowska-Kledzik, the chairwoman of the Circle, Joanna Szymańska, the director of the Museum of the Second World War – Dr. Grzegorza Berendt, Jan Kanthak – Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets, and members of the Management Board and Supervisory Board of the Polish Post.
" Poczta Polska has never been just a place of work. Postal workers have always been aware of their social mission and the unique bond that connects the fate of their homeland with the fate of our institution. That's why, especially in difficult times, so many heroes have emerged within the ranks of Poczta Polska, who fought for Poland with great determination and sacrifice. Many of them paid for it with their lives. Poczta Polska makes every effort to ensure that the memory of our postal heroes never fades, and that their struggle and martyrdom become a symbol and model of heroism, courage, and heroism, " said Andrzej Bodziony, Vice President of Poczta Polska.
On September 1 this year, representatives of the Company also took part in the official ceremonies dedicated to the anniversary of the Defense of the Gdańsk Post Office and laid wreaths at the monument commemorating the heroic postmen.
A key element of this year's celebration of the Defense of the Post Office in Gdańsk, as in previous years, is the nighttime illumination of the historic Polish Post Office building, where Poles heroically defended themselves for 14 hours 83 years ago. A white and red flag and the inscription "We Remember 1 September 1939" will illuminate the facade on September 1st from 8:00 PM until 6:00 AM the following morning.
The Polish Post Office has one of the largest and most valuable company archives in Poland. The documents it contains, including personnel files, constitute a treasure trove of knowledge not only about the past but also about the extraordinary fates of ordinary people. Selected documentation enriches the historical resources of the state archives, constituting an important element of national heritage. The Polish Post Office possesses numerous documents confirming the involvement of postal workers in the independence uprisings. It continues to discover new materials. Its employees participated in many struggles for the freedom and dignity of Poles. One such event – of particular significance to the Company – was the defense of the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk. On September 1, 1939, simultaneously with the shelling of Westerplatte, the Germans attacked the second bastion of Polishness in the Free City – the Gdańsk 1 Post Office. Cut off from the world, with scant ammunition, and without electricity or water, the postal workers heroically defended themselves against the overwhelming German forces. The toll of losses was tragic. Those who did not die on the spot or in the hospital were sentenced to death and shot. Only a few survived.
Based on historical materials found in the Polish Post Archives, the company develops and publishes historical albums and organizes exhibitions at post offices. This year and last year, the national operator, in close cooperation with historical institutions, published two editions of the album "The Forgotten History of the Warsaw Uprising in the Personal Files of the Polish Post Archives."