Aleksander Kamiński, assumed name: ''Aleksander Kędzierski''. Also known under
aliases
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...
such as ''Dąbrowski'', ''J. Dąbrowski, Fabrykant, Faktor, Juliusz Górecki, Hubert, Kamyk, Kaźmierczak, Bambaju'' (born 28 January 1903 in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, died 15 March 1978) – a teacher,
educator, professor of
humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
, co-founder of
Cub Scout
Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...
s methodology, scout instructor,
scoutmaster
A Scout leader or Scouter generally refers to the trained adult leader of a Scout unit. The terms used vary from country to country, over time, and with the type of unit.
Roles
There are many different roles a leader can fulfill depending on t ...
, soldier of the
Home Army
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) est ...
and one of the ideological leaders of the
Grey Ranks, chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the
Polish Scouting Association
, type = organization
, headquarters = ZHP Headquarters Warsaw
, location = Warszawa, Konopnickiej 6
, country = Poland
, f-date = 1 November 1918
, founder = Andrzej Małkowski, Olga Małkowska
, members = 138,112
, chiefscouttitle = N ...
.
Janina Kamińska's husband, Polish archaeologist, educator and instructor of the Polish Scouting Association, father of
Ewa Rzetelska-Feleszko
Ewa or EWA may refer to:
Places
; Ethiopia
* Ewa (woreda)
; Nauru
* Ewa District, Nauru
; United States
* Eastern Washington, the portion of the state of Washington east of the Cascade Range
* ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, a census-designated place
* ...
(linguistics professor).
Biography
Childhood and youth
Born in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, as a son of Jan Kamiński (pharmacist) and Petronela Kaźmierczak. In 1905, the family moved to
Kiev, where Kamiński graduated from the Russian 4th grade general school. In 1914, he moved to
Rostov
Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:
While ...
and in 1916 to
Uman
Uman ( uk, Умань, ; pl, Humań; yi, אומאַן) is a city located in Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine, to the east of Vinnytsia. Located in the historical region of the eastern Podolia, the city rests on the banks of the Umanka River ...
.
Hard financial conditions (his father died in 1911) forced him to work as a bank messenger since around 1916. Since January 1918, a member of the 1st Men's Scouting Team "Tadeusz Kościuszko" in Uman. Kamiński held ranks of patrol leader, adjutant, team captain and troop adjutant since summer of 1919, and captain of the Uman Nest since May 1920 (which included male and female
scouts
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...
).
Since 1918 student of the Polish high school in Uman.
After returning to Poland (in March 1921), he continued his education at the Kazimierz Kulwieć Middle School in Warsaw, where he received his maturity diploma in June 1922. Kamiński then studied history at the Faculty of Philosophy of the
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields o ...
and received his master's degree in January 1928.
During his studies, he continued to work on a regular basis: from 1922, he was an assistant to the teacher, a teacher, and later head of the boarding house of the
Central Welfare Council Central Welfare Council http://www.yadvashem.org/odot_pdf/Microsoft%20Word%20-%205913.pdf (sometimes also translated as Main Social Services Council--Polish language, Polish, Rada Główna Opiekuńcza) was one of the very few Polish social organiza ...
in Pruszków, from 1929 he worked as a history teacher at Saint Stanislaw Kostka
Gymnasium in Warsaw, and from 1930 to 1931 he was the head of the boarding house of the Union of Military Settlers for the youth of vocational schools at Młocińska Street. Kamiński co-founded and then became a member of the governing bodies of the Educational Trade Union.
Inter-war period.
Aleksander Kamiński continued his activity in the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. On 3 October 1922, the Commander-in-Chief appointed him leader with service from August 1921, and on 30 June 1924, he was appointed the rank of a
petty scoutmaster. After changing the names of the scouting ranks (in December 1927) – a
scoutmaster. From 1923, Kamiński was a team captain of the First Pruszkow Scouting Team "Stefan Czarniecki" (founded by Kamiński himself; in 1930 the Banner's command changed its name and number to 14th Masovian Scouting Team "Stefan Czarniecki";this is related to the unification of the numbering and names of the teams) and the 3rd Pruszków Scouting Team "Tomasz Zan". He also served as Deputy troupe leader. Kamiński kept a permanent column entitled "Scouting life" in the magazine "Echo Pruszkowskie".
In the years 1925–1927 commander of the Pruszków Troup, and from autumn 1928 to December 1929 commander of the
Masovian Banner. At the same time, from September 1928 to June 1929, team captain of the 6th Warsaw Scouting Team "Jan Henryk Dąbrowski".Since 1931, head of the Minority Teams Department in the Headquarters of the Scouts. He was also the head of the Central Committee of the Union of Jewish Scouting Teams and Cubs.
Creator of the
cubs methodology (in cooperation with
Jadwiga Zwolakowska). Author of novels, which were also methodological manuals for instructors of the ZHP Scouts: "Antek Cwaniak" (1932), "Książka wodza zuchów" (1933) and "Koło rady" (1935).
Head of the Faculty of Cubs at the Headquarters of the Scouts until September 1937 (with a break from April to September 1933). Since September 1933 commander of the School of Cubs Instructors in
Nierodzim
Nierodzim is a district (osiedle) of Ustroń, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It was a separate municipality, but became administratively a part of Ustroń on January 1, 1973.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1439 as ''Nerodzim''. Politi ...
,
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, Śląsk Cieszyński ; cs, Těšínské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český T ...
, and since May 1937 until the outbreak of the war head of the Scouting Centre in nearby
Górki Wielkie near Skoczów (the School of Cubs Instructors was incorporated into the centre). Head of the Department of Senior Scouts Education in the Headquarters of the
Polish Scouting Association
, type = organization
, headquarters = ZHP Headquarters Warsaw
, location = Warszawa, Konopnickiej 6
, country = Poland
, f-date = 1 November 1918
, founder = Andrzej Małkowski, Olga Małkowska
, members = 138,112
, chiefscouttitle = N ...
.
In July 1934 Kamiński conducted an international cubs training course in
Brenna (
Beskid Śląski), later, in July 1938, headed a Polish delegation to an international conference of cubs instructors in Gilwell, Great Britain. He participated in
Jamboree in Great Britain in 1929, Hungary in 1933 and the Netherlands in 1937, and in the International Cubs Conference in July 1939 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
(the next such conference was to be held in Poland).
World War II
After the outbreak of the war, evacuated in September 1939 from Silesia, he arrived in Warsaw around 12 September and joined the Scouting Rescue Headquarters. After the surrender of the capital he managed a temporary orphanage for children orphaned during the siege of Warsaw.
In conspiracy since October 1939, he was a member of the strict Headquarters ("Pasieka") of the
Grey Ranks. Since that month Kamiński was also active in the
Service for Poland's Victory
Służba Zwycięstwu Polski (''Service for Poland's Victory'', or ''Polish Victory Service'', abbreviated SZP) was the first Polish resistance movement in World War II. It was created by the order of general Juliusz Rómmel on 27 September 1939, w ...
. He became the initiator, organizer and then editor-in-chief of the "
Information Bulletin"
(issued weekly since 5 November 1939 by the Warsaw-City District SZP-ZWZ-AK, and since spring of 1941 by the Home Army Headquarters, the most important conspiratorial newspaper in occupied Poland – circulation up to 47 thousand). During his work in the paper he used his alias "Kaźmierczak", and since November 1942 "Hubert", as well as "Fabrykant" and "Kamyk". He was also the author of most of the introductory articles in the "Information Bulletin".
![Aleksander Kaminski Grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Aleksander_Kaminski_Grave.jpg)
In "Przeglad Propagandowy" (1943 No. 2), under the alias "Hubert", Kamiński published an article "Podstawy ideowe propagandy wojskowej" (The Ideological Basics of Military Propaganda).
At the same time, in April 1941 Kamiński succeeded Captain Zygmunt Hempel in leading the BiP Division of the Warsaw-City District of ZWZ – Warsaw District of the Home Army under the alias "Faktor", and from November 1942 – "Fabrykant". Among other things, a cell called "Sztuka" (Art) was created, which initiated works of art, which were distributed or exhibited during the occupation (puppet theatre, caricatures, songs). He organized and then supervised the work of the Propaganda Commission (KOPR), which since spring of 1942 had been producing the entire publishing output of the Home Army Warsaw District Headquarters. He remained the head of BiP of the Warsaw Home Army District Headquarters until June 1944.
At the same time, from 1941 until the outbreak of the
Warsaw uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
, under the alias "Hubert", Kamiński was a counterintelligence officer in the unit II of the Main Headquarters of ZWZ-AK.
Creator of the concept, founder and since December 1940 commander-in-chief of the Small Sabotage Organization "Wawer" under the pseudonym "Dąbrowski". At that time, he wrote an article titled "Little Sabotage" (Information Bulletin, 1 September 1940). The best known and most visible effects of Wawer's activity include drawings of the "anchor" of the Fighting Poland and "V" signs, as well as anti-German inscriptions in public places, distribution of leaflets, gassing of cinemas and megaphone actions. Kamiński personally participated in the first series of such actions – destruction of exhibitions of photographers showing photographs of uniformed Germans (5 December 1940).
Kamiński is the author of one of the most famous books of occupied Warsaw, "
Kamienie na szaniec
''Kamienie na szaniec'' (lit. ''Stones for the Rampart'', also translated as ''Stones on the Barricade'') is a 1943 non-fiction novel by Polish writer Aleksander Kamiński. Published by the Polish underground press during the World War II occupat ...
" (Stones for the Rampart), which was first published in July 1943. He wrote the book on the basis of
Tadeusz "Zośka" Zawadzki's account of his colleagues from the 23rd Warsaw Scouting Team, including
Jan Bytnar
Jan Roman Bytnar, ''nom de guerre'' "Rudy" (''Ginger'') (born 6 May 1921, Kolbuszowa, Poland – died 30 March 1943, Warsaw, Poland) was a Polish scoutmaster, a member of Polish scouting anti-Nazi resistance, and a lieutenant in the Home Army du ...
and
Aleksy Dawidowski, written after the
Arsenal action in April 1943.
He was also the author of The Great Game (the first edition was destroyed in 1942 by order of the Home Army Main Command as it was deconspirating the methods of underground combat, the second edition was not distributed due to the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the third edition – Warsaw 1981) and "Przodownik. Podręcznik dla kierowników oddziałów Zawiszy" ("The Leader. Manual for Branch Managers of Zawisza") (part 1–2, December 1942, edition II 1943, edition III 1944).In April 1944, Kamiński was placed by the counterintelligence of the
National Armed Forces
National Armed Forces (NSZ; '' Polish:'' Narodowe Siły Zbrojne) was a Polish right-wing underground military organization of the National Democracy operating from 1942. During World War II, NSZ troops fought against Nazi Germany and communist p ...
(NSZ) on one of the so-called proscription lists (it included the names of people suspected of being leftist, Communist and/or Jewish in origin).
In the NSZ document Aleksander Kamiński was described as "a Jew-lover who always inclined towards the extreme left-communist".
During the
Warsaw uprising
The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led ...
he continued to be the editor-in-chief of the "Information Bulletin" (which at that time was already published openly as a daily newspaper) until the last issue on 4 October 1944.
On 30 September 1944 the head of the Home Army Headquarters, Colonel
Jan Rzepecki
Jan Rzepecki alias „Prezes” (29 September 1899 in Warsaw – 28 April 1983) was a Polish soldier and military historian, colonel of the Polish Army. Commander of the Bureau of Information and Propaganda of Home Army from 1940 to 1945. After ...
, alias ''Chairman'', applied for Kamiński's promotion to the rank of Second Lieutenant of the Polish Army (WP) Reserve. After the capitulation of the Warsaw Uprising, he was no longer involved in any underground activity.
Post-war period
From May 1945 to 1950 Kamiński was an assistant at the faculties of social pedagogy and general pedagogy of the
University of Łódź
The University of Łódź ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Łódzki'', Latin: ''Universitas Lodziensis'') is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź i ...
. In 1947 he received his
PhD degree
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in philosophy after defending his dissertation "The Scouting method in upbringing and schooling".
Still active in the ZHP: from January 1946 he was a member of the Ideological Commission and the
Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and
Promise of Scouting. By the ordinance of 12 January 1946, Kamiński was appointed a member of the Provisional General Scouting Council, and from March 1946, he was the Second Vice President of the Polish Scouting Association. In 1947 he was deprived of this position, and in January 1949 removed from the ZHP for ideological reasons. At the beginning of 1950, Kamiński was also removed from the University of Łódź. In 1951, all his works were withdrawn from Polish libraries and
censored
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
. Until 1956, under surveillance of the
Security Office.
![Tablica Aleksander Kamiński Łódź 2010](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Tablica_Aleksander_Kami%C5%84ski_%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA_2010.jpg)
Kamiński returned to
scouting in 1956, when the events of October 1956 brought renewal and hope for democratic change in the country. Kaminski participated in discussions on the situation in the scouting sector and the possibility of reactivating ZHP. On 26 November 1956, he met with a group of instructors representing the Kraków community, who were in the process of finalizing the reactivation of ZHP. They refused to support him in the implementation of his concept of reactivating scouting activities within the OHPL (Scouting Organization of the People's Republic of Poland), presenting their position (and evidence) that the only correct solution was to reactivate the ZHP (which they did on 4 December 1956). At that time, at the beginning of December, he held meetings with 25 instructors from the pre-war ZHP. Kamiński went with them to the meeting of OHPL activists in Łódź, which was transformed into the "All-Poland Meeting of Scouting Activists" (National Congress of Scouting Activists). He became a member of the Supreme Scouting Council and was later elected
Chairman.
However, Kamiński held the position of the Chairman of the council for less than a year and a half. He resigned under pressure from the forces that sought to subjugate ZHP ideologically to the
Polish United Workers' Party
The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...
.
In 1958, Kamiński returned to work at the University of Łódź, where he headed the Department of Social Pedagogy. In 1958, he was a member of the National Committee of the
Front of National Unity
:''This is an article about a Polish political organization. For article about a Bolivian political party, see National Unity Front.''
Front of National Unity or National Unity Front ( pl, Front Jedności Narodu, FJN) was a popular front supervis ...
.
In 1959 he obtained his postdoctoral degree on the basis of his work "Prehistory of Polish Youth Associations", and in March 1969 he was awarded the title of Associate Professor.
Active in the
Polish Teachers Association and in the Polish Mental Hygiene Association, member of the Committee of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. At the beginning of the 1970s, on the order of the authorities, Kamiński prepared a report on the consequences of possible introduction of work free Saturdays.
After retiring in 1972, he returned to Warsaw, where he died on 15 March 1978. Buried at the
Powązki Military Cemetery
Powązki Military Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Wojskowy na Powązkach) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquial ...
, Warsaw, in the quarters of the Home Army Scouting Battalion "Zoska" (A20-1-13). In the end Kamiński rested next to Rudy, Alek and Zośka, who were so close to him as the heroes of "Stones for the Rampart".
On 5 May 1991, the
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
Institute posthumously awarded Aleksander Kamiński the title of "
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sa ...
" for his help given during the occupation to members of the Jewish scouts' organization and the Jewish resistance movement.
On 22 February 2008, on the
Fraternal Thought Day, during the celebrations connected with the honorary patronage of 5 scouting organizations, the President of the Republic of Poland
Lech Kaczyński
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he pre ...
posthumously awarded Aleksander Kamiński the Commander's Cross of
the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Books
*''
Kamienie na szaniec
''Kamienie na szaniec'' (lit. ''Stones for the Rampart'', also translated as ''Stones on the Barricade'') is a 1943 non-fiction novel by Polish writer Aleksander Kamiński. Published by the Polish underground press during the World War II occupat ...
'' (1943); published in English as ''Stones for the Rampart'' (London, 1945), with a foreword by
P. H. B. Lyon
*''Wielka Gra'' (1942, 1981)
*''Przodownik. Podręcznik dla kierowników oddziałów Zawiszy'' (cz. 1–2, December 1942, II 1943, III 1944)
*''
Zośka i
Parasol
An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy (building), canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunburn, sunlight. The term ''umbr ...
. Opowieść o niektórych ludziach i niektórych akcjach dwóch batalionów harcerskich''
*''
Józef Grzesiak "Czarny"''
;Interwar period
*''Antek Cwaniak'' (1932)
*''Książka wodza zuchów'' (1933)
*''Krąg rady'' (1935)
*''Narodziny dzielności''
*''
Andrzej Małkowski (1934)''
Orders and decorations
* Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (21 February 2008, posthumously)
* Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
* the Cross of Valour
* Golden Cross of Merit with Swords (25 July 1944)
* The Cross for Merit for the ZHP (1992, posthumously)
* The Righteous Among the Nations Medal (1991, posthumously)
Honors
By resolution of 9 January 2003, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland decided to designate the year 2003 as the Year of Aleksander Kamiński.
On 24 September 2005, the first monument in Poland to Aleksander Kamiński was unveiled in the Old Town Park in Łódź. Also in Łódź, on the wall of the house at No. 30, on the street bearing the name of Aleksander Kamiński, is a plaque commemorating his place of residence in the city. His bust is also located in the Royal Baths in Warsaw.
In 2014, Kamiński was a patron of the Łódź ZHP Banner, the Youth Palace in Katowice, 15 schools and 27 strains, teams and scout troops.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaminski, Aleksander
1903 births
1978 deaths
Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery
Polish resistance members of World War II
Polish Righteous Among the Nations
Polish Scouts and Guides
20th-century Polish historians
Polish male non-fiction writers
Polish Army officers
University of Warsaw alumni
20th-century Polish male writers