The Missing Man Who Started It All
Do You Recognise This Uniform?
Where did Tadeusz go?
I was in my teens when my mother told me she wished she had the answer. I remember she spoke of going to the Red Cross to see if she could find out where her beloved brother may have gone since their separation. I believe she did make enquiries, with no success.
I can only imagine the mountains of enquiries from people searching for missing loved ones at that time, and the enormity of that task without the convenience of the modern tech we have today!
My mother did not talk much at all about her experiences of World War II, save for two horrific and traumatic events, and the fact that when her family prepared to travel from Germany to Australia as Polish refugees, Uncle Tadeusz had chosen to separate from them so he could join the American Army.
He disappeared from my mother’s life from that point on.
About eight years ago, I decided to find out what happened to my uncle, even though my mother has since passed away.
I too, wanted to know, where did he go?
And so began my journey into researching my family history, and I haven’t stopped since!
Beginning with this picture of a young man fresh out of the horrors of World War II, compelled to join the army, I started to retrace his movements.
Firstly, I have no idea if the uniform he is wearing is an American uniform. Perhaps it is, considering the jauntily placed cap on his head.
If you know what uniform he is wearing, it would be wonderful to hear from you in the comments!
What sparked your interest in your family history and beginning your research?
Was it a missing loved one? Are you a family historian as a hobby? Was the job of researching your family history passed down to you?
The next time you sit down to a research session, I invite you to reflect upon the moment that sparked your interest when you decided to travel on this wonderful journey through the history of your family tree.
Don’t forget to add this to your documentation so others may read about it too!
Let’s seek our story in our history together and subscribe for free below! I would love to see you!
Until next week, happy searching!
Kryssie xo.
My Tree Family History - Seeking Our Story In Our History.
That photo is interesting for what is missing - there are no insignia, no ranks, no patches, no name tags. I'm curious to see what you discover!
It looks like maybe an Army uniform - American. What was his last name? Do you have his date of birth? Any idea when he immigrated?
Full disclosure - I'm a WWI/WWII research expert. If you can send more details about him or his siblings/parents I can dig briefly. You can also check out my Substack and website https://wwiirwc.com for articles, videos, documents, how-tos and all my books on how to research.