Pawel Zeimann lived in Norton Green near Tunstall, the most northern town in Stoke-on- Trent. Originally from Poland Pawel moved to Norton Green after serving in World War Two. His daughter Maralyn explains, “After the war they could go to Australia, Canada, England and America. My Dad chose England. He had a girlfriend I believe in Birmingham, however he came up to Stoke-on-Trent to work. He met my mother Cynthia and later asked her to marry him. If she had said no he was going to move to Australia but the answer was yes so he stayed in Stoke-on-Trent.

She explains how he came to leave Poland, “He grew up in a little village called Orla, all the family lived there, in one house. When he was around the age of 13 his father had to put him on a train to Germany and [became] part of the forced labour [workforce] going to Germany. He may have been a prisoner of war in Russia, because his commanding officer was General Anders. When Germany attacked Russia all POW were set free. Eventually they would form part of the British 8th Army Corp.The Polish army (and other nationalities) were involved with the Battle of Monte Cassino, which they played a big part in. My dad was also in the 2nd corp of the Polish Tank Regiment.”

Pawel found work at a quarry near Buxton but when work ran out there Pawel applied for work at the Coal Board. They sent him for training in Sheffield and then he was offered a job at Hanley Deep Pit. Pawel and Cynthia were married by then and they found a home at the Anzio Camp in Blackshaw Moor, near Leek, Staffordshire. They eventually moved to Norton Green in 1954, where he lived until his passing. Daughter Maralyn was 18 months old when they moved, they had six children.

The war and Soviet Union had left it’s mark on Pawel and his friends though, “We’d be having a party and when our Polish “aunties” and “uncles” came the men would sit amongst themselves talking, and they’d cry. And then they’d have a drink of vodka. Then they’d talk, then they’d cry, then they’d have another vodka.”

Pawel worked on the face of coal mines as a borer in 3 different pits, retiring at 58. He was well liked in Norton Green and often did shopping for the elderly in the village. He loved growing vegetables and would give most of the produce away to family and other villagers. His wife and Maralyn would bake at Christmas to ensure that the pensioners had some mince pies and cake for the festivities. “He was very generous and kind to old people and he always said he couldn’t look after his own mum so he ensured old people in the village had things.” Pawel passed away in February 2000 aged 73 years, shortly after meeting his great granddaughter.