"...Dr Smylski was very interested in the fate of Ukrainian servicemen and civilians displaced by the war... Dr Smylski helped draft, print and distribute a pamphlet to the United Nations pleading the DP's case. This caught the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, US delegate to the United Nations, who urged the Yalta Agreement be reviewed.
Peter happened upon the Rimini camp after talking pilot Joe Romanow into letting him come on a flight to Rome. Peter discovered at the camp about 9000 Ukrainian soldiers from the 1st Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, who fought with Germany against the Russians, and were being held there as prisoners of war after being badly defeated by the Soviet army at Brody, Ukraine in 1944.
Peter saw the need to help these people avoid an uncertain fate at the hands of the Soviets. Dr Smylski gained the support of the British, and after several months these POWs were taken to England as free citizens. Most then moved to North America. Dr Smylski and fellow Ukrainians from Canada continued to push to allow Ukrainians in DP camps all across Germany to emigrate to the West, and many did, due in part to these efforts." Submitted by Alan Newark
, from: http://www.infoukes.com/newpathway/Page428_2003.htm.
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10/6/06
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 Rimini DP camp 1946 |
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| 1) My father, Antin Charysz, also known as Stefan far left, 1946 | 2) | ||
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3)
David's father far right, dated
May 1946 |
4) David's father standing far right | ||
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5)
Dated 27April 1947 |
6) I was looking at the pictures you have of the Ukrainian POW camp in
Rimini and saw my dad on one, possibly two of them. My dad
is standing on the right. His name was Semen (Simon) Bashta, born
in 1915 in Bujaniv, Zhydachiv, south of Lviv. He went to the UK following
the war and eventually died there in 1981. He could also possibly be on the photo 3. That could be my dad just standing behind. It's hard to tell as the quality isn't that great, but it certainly looks a lot like him. Regards, Janet Gwynn jgwynn3@cox.net |
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If anyone recognizes their father in these photos, write us so we can update the captions. | ||
Sep. 11, 2014 Here are some drawings done by Vasyl Polansky. He was born in the village Czystohorb, close to Komancha (Komancza). He did these drawings while he was in the Rimini Camp. Also my Uncle Andriy Feshanich, from the same village, was in this camp. Tons of photos Rimini book amazing:
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Hello! I just found a photo sent to my Grandfather in Toronto of
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Ivan Kohut Born 22 April 1922 village Konushki in Rohatyn rayon Ivano-Frankivsk oblast |
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Dianne sent these links for you: • Between Hitler and Stalin • look at these photos
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Nov 14, 2018 Hello Olga, |
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Click to enlarge |
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Der Kommendant Signed K Walther |
My Grandfather, Wilhelm Dickhuth, Signed K Walther |
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Fritze Prisoner of War in England “Group wonders if the motherland remembers them” Signed K Walther |
Type one prisoner which was in camp "But I can tell you something!" Signed K Walther |
You are welcomed to submit photos of Rimini camp to this page.
E-mails from those who want to know more:
•My father, Mychajlo Prokopeczko, was born in 1920 (died 1995) and he was Ukrainian, born in Pniv. He was in the Ukrainian POW camp in Rimini, Italy. At the end of World War II he was shipped to England where I was born. The name became Anglicised to Proctor. I'm researching his WW2 movements are there any records from the POW camp in Rimini that might detail my father's stay? Regards Steve Proctor
•My grandfather, Mychaljo Czuczman, was also at the camp in Rimini. I don't have exact details yet, but he arrived in the UK and ended up at a 'camp' or farm near Longtown, near Carlisle in Cumbria, where he met my and married my grandmother. Leigh
•Hi
I'm trying to find out more about my Ukrainian father's history at the end of and after the war. He told me that he was in a camp in Italy but I have no further details. I am interested to know how to go about finding out if he was in Rimini and which military force he served in in Ukraine. My father's name was Hryhorij Kliszcz. Many thanks in anticipation, Terry Kliszcz
• Hello Olga,
For a long time, I'm waiting for a answer about the history of the Ukrainian National Army (SS Galicia Division). Wolf-Dietrich Heike, a high ranking German officer of this unit wrote in his book, that 22,000 men of the Ukrainian National Army surrendered to the Allied troops in spring 1945 in Austria. The Militärgeschichtliche Forschungsamt (military investigation center) at Potsdam / Germany, MFGA, told me also, that the Divison had 22,000 men at the end of the war. It is for sure that 7,100 men of the Ukrainian National Army came to the DP-camp Rimini under British control. In 1960 the National Archives in London offered any surviving personel records to the German Federal Government. All transferred records were relocated to the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin. From the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) I got the information, that about 7,100 men of the Ukrainian National Army are listed in the "Nominal rolls of Ukrainian personel held in Rimini". But the Deutsche Dienststelle is not able to tell me where the rest of the division went to. If the total of 22,000 men is the real number and 7,100 have been at Rimini DP camp , I ask myself, what happened to about 15,000 men of the Ukrainian National Army?
This is the biggest part of this army and DP camp Rimini is just a part of the history. I want to find out the rest of the history and as long I get no official information about the destiny of these men, I believe that the camp Ban Saint Jean is the place where the history of these men ends. Maybe you can help me to find the truth. Do you know any person who can answer this question? Do you have any other possibilities to find informations for answering this question? With regards, Roland Zimmer, rosizimmer@surfeu.de /Germany
• The University of Minnesota also sells microfilms of the Rimini camp newspaper. Here's the address to order the microfilm:
http://www1.umn.edu/ihrc/mic4sale.htm#top
• There is also a very good book The Refugee Experience: Ukrainian Displaced Persons after World War II, ISBN 0-920862-85-3. The book deals with all DPs and not just those from the Galicia Division. The Panchuk Collection was cited as reference several times. Sandy,
• 10/1/04 My father was in this camp, Iwan Emicz, but the surname was wrongly translated to Jemicz after in arrived in the UK in 1947.If anyone has any information that can confirm this or whereabouts of details about the Ukrainian division of the German Army this would be a great help in tracing my father's whereabouts during 1941-1944. thank you Maria Jemicz Mariawjemicz@aol.com
• 10/31/04 Olga,
Hi I am hoping you will be able to help point me in the right direction. We are trying to find out about my husband's late father's life. We know very little of his past prior to coming to England for obvious reasons. He was Ukrainian and born in Kolomyja. We have what we believe is an identity card and the last address on it puts him at Heiligenbeil, which we understand is a sub camp of Stutthof. We know that he was in Rimini Italy after the War and we are wondering if he would have been in the DP camp. His name was Stefan
Czornenkyj. I would be so grateful if you could point us in the right direction.
Thank you for your great work. Julie Czornenkyj / UK
• 3/12/05 Hello Olga,
My name is Nowraz Zakaev and I'm searching for any possible records on my father
(Yla
Etec Zakaev) and his people who were detained in the prisoner and refugee
camps in Italy by the British Forces between 1945-1948. There were about 200
of our people who passed through the camps at Rimini. We are Circassians by ethnicity
and not Russian. If you know how I can gather any documents or photos, it would
be unbelievable. By the way, your Web site information is sacred and vital to
all who had family members displaced at a sad time in there lives. God bless
you Olga, Nowraz Zakaev / nzakaev@optonline.net Student of Cultural Anthropology
• 1/29/05 Hi Olga
I was very interested in looking at your site as I am trying to understand
what my grandfather went through during WW2. He was a Ukrainian soldier from
the 1st Ukrainian Division of the Ukrainian National Army, who fought with
Germany against the Russians, and was held in Rimini as prisoners of war. From
here he was sent to England, settling in Lincolnshire where he met my grandmother.
I would love to find out more about this part of his life as I know very
little. Are there any websites where I can find out how he came to England,
names of ships or details of how they were captured and sent to Rimini.
It is a very broad request, but I know very little at the minute.
Regards Adrian Richards adrian-richards@hotmail.co.uk/
United Kingdom
• 12/13/06 Hi Olga
Thanks for your site I showed the
pictures to my father who was an NCO in the Rimini camp and he is fourth along
from the left at the back on the large photo. He is still alive and a
very happy 83 year old and is called Andrew (Andrij)
Rewt from Koniow, Galicia. He
fought at Brody and thereafter in Yugoslavia, he was then a DP in Amisfield
Camp in Haddington in Scotland and may be able to help others locate their
family members. I am looking for family that may have relocated to Odessa
after persecution. Any help and I would be very grateful. Thanks in advance,
Geoff Rewt, rewt@gotadsl.co.uk
