World War II began with Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1st 1939, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland on September 17th 1939. On September 28th 1939, Warsaw fell. As agreed in the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by Nazi Germany, the other by the Soviet Union.
On September 17th, 1939, the President of the Polish Republic, Ignacy Mościcki issued a proclamation about his plan to transfer power and appointed Władysław Raczkiewicz, the Marshal of the Senate, as his successor which was done in accordance with article 24 of the constitution.
On 30th July 1941, the Sikorski - Mayski agreement was signed whereby Polish soldiers taken prisoner by the Soviet Union were released. The Polish Government in Exile was initially located in Paris before the government relocated to London in 1940, where it was recognized by all the Allied governments. The story of the government in exile is one that is little known in the U.K but also one that few people in Poland know about despite efforts by the Polish Embassy in looking to educate their fellow compatriots about the rich past of their countrymen.
In 1943, the Germans announced that they had discovered mass graves of Polish officers who had then been taken prisoner in 1939 and murdered by the Soviets. The Soviets had stated that the Germans had fabricated the discovery but this was something the Polish Government in Exile would not accept. This later lead to Stalin severing his relations with the Polish Government in Exile.
The Polish Government in Exile then refused to accept the proposed new Polish borders which infuriated the Allies, particularly Winston Churchill. In the end, the exiles lost on this issue and Stalin annexed the eastern territories, and was able to impose the communist-dominated Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland as the legitimate authority of Poland.
On June 29th 1945, France had withdrawn their recognition of the government in exile and then on the 5th July 1945, the United Kingdom had also withdrawn their recognition. The Republic of Ireland, Spain and the Vatican City were the last countries to recognize the government in exile.
When Soviet influence over Poland came to an end in 1989, there was still a president and a cabinet of eight, meeting every two weeks in London, commanding the loyalty of about 150,000 Polish veterans and their descendants living in Britain, including 35,000 in London alone.
The Sikhs established a Government in Exile on June 16th 1980, Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan whilst residing in London had passed a proclamation for the creation of the Republic of Khalistan. Shortly after an embassy was set up in Germany and in Canada. On this occasion Dr Chohan had said he was going to print Passports, Currency and Postal Stamps and would request all foreign governments to recognise the Government in Exile.
The Government in Exile on June 23rd 1984 at Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall had announced a 5 - member committee which later led to the creation of a 25 member committee in April 1985 following an international Sikh convention at the Central Gurdwara Khalsa Jatha, Shepherds Bush. The Republic of Ecuador recognised the government from 1985 to 1987 and the French Republic recognised the government in 1992.
Simranjeet S. Rahi
13/07/2020