Stanisława Filipina Paleolog (4 May 1892, in Rumno, Galicia – 3 December 1968, in

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

) was a Polish official, military and political activist. She participated in warfare within the Polish army, served as commissionaire within the Polish State Police, an officer within the

Blue Police The Blue Police ( pl, Granatowa policja, Navy-blue police), was the police during the Second World War in German-occupied Poland (the General Government). The entity's official German name was ''Polnische Polizei im Generalgouvernement'' (Polish ...

, Captain within the

Union of Armed Struggle Związek Walki Zbrojnej ( abbreviation: ''ZWZ''; Union of Armed Struggle;Thus rendered in Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. also translated as ''Union for Armed Struggle'', ''Association of Armed Strug ...

and cabinet minister in the first government of

Antoni Pająk Antoni Pająk (; 31 July 1893, Bestwina - 25 November 1965, London) was a Polish socialist (member of the Polish Socialist Party) politician, who served as 39th Prime Minister of Poland and 9th Prime Minister in exile for nearly ten years (1955-196 ...

. Paleolog studied at the Academy of Trade in Lwów. In 1914 she joined the Polish Military Organisation. Seriously wounded in the defence of Lwów, in December 1918 she joined the Women’s Civic Militia, and later helped establish the Voluntary Women’s Legion. In 1925, she was appointed Commandant of the Women’s Section of the Polish Police Force, serving in this capacity until 1939. During her tenure, Paleolog became an expert on combating such crimes as human trafficking, sexual exploitation and juvenile delinquency. Among her duties were fighting crime against women and children. In particular, she worked on combating the trafficking of women who were sent to escort agencies, including in South America. Her enthusiasm, energy and engagement in the construction of a professional and effective female police division made this force known in the world. Foreign press was enthusiastic in its praise for the Polish women’s police, which was frequently presented as a model worth following. In 1929, the

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

called Paleolog the “Polish

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

”, emphasising her contribution to the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women. In May 1935, a delegation of English policewomen from New Scotland Yard – headed by

Mary Sophia Allen Mary Sophia Allen OBE (12 March 1878 – 16 December 1964) was a British political activist known for her defence of women's rights in the 1910–1920s and later involvement with British fascism. She is chiefly noted as one of the early leaders ...

– came to Poland to familiarise themselves with the work of policewomen officers. The comprehensive preparation of the Polish Women Police Division made a huge impression on New

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

, including the fact that Polish policewomen performed all police tasks, including wearing weapons, cooperating with informers, and interrogating pimps and victims of human trafficking. Paleolog’s police career was interrupted by the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In September 1939, together with the National Police Headquarters and officers from the police school company, she was evacuated to Wołyń, where she joined the Independent Operational Group “Polesie”. She became a liaison officer and her students – paramedics. After the capitulation of the Polish army she returned to Warsaw and became an active member of the clandestine Union of Armed Struggle aka 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) esta ...

. She served in counter-intelligence, and also helped organise the State Security Corps. In 1945, threatened with arrest in communist Poland, she decided to leave the country. She joined the

Second Polish Corps The Polish II Corps ( pl, Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought wit ...

and came to

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, settling in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where she worked as a police expert at New Scotland Yard. She was appointed a minister in the government-in-exile of Antoni Pająk in 1955. She wrote a book about the interwar Polish policewomen entitled “The Women Police of Poland 1925-1939”, which is the most comprehensive study on this subject. Following a long-lasting illness, she died on 3 December 1968 in

Penley Penley ( cy, Llannerch Banna) is a village in the County Borough of Wrexham, in Wales close to the border with Shropshire, England, and had a population of 606 as of the 2011 census. The village was, until 1974, in an exclave of the ancient c ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and was buried in Southern Cemetery, Manchester. In November 2019, Paleolog was honoured with a plaque at the place of her burial in Manchester to mark 100 years of the

Polish Police Policja () is the generic name for the national police force of the Republic of Poland. The Polish police force was known as ''policja'' throughout the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939), and in the modern Republic of Poland since 1990. Its c ...

. The plaque was an initiative of the Polish Police, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester and the Polish Church of Divine Mercy.

References

* Siemaszko, Karol: ''Sąd Obywatelski w Londynie. Organizacja i orzecznictwo''. Wydawnictwo Rys, Poznań 2013, . * About Manchester: ''Polish "Joan of Arc" honoured with plaque in Manchester''. About Manchester, 2019. Source text: https://aboutmanchester.co.uk/polish-joan-of-arc-honoured-with-plaque-in-manchester/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Paleolog, Stanislawa 1892 births 1968 deaths People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish women in politics Polish Military Organisation members Polish police officers Polish female military personnel Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Home Army officers Warsaw Uprising insurgents Polish exiles Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Polish women in World War II resistance