Jozef Domanski was a mere 14 years old when he was forcibly taken by the Nazis to work in Germany in 1941. Upon his release at the end of the war, Jozef relocated to the UK, residing in Wolverhampton and later in Essex. Regrettably, he never reunited with his family in Poland, maintaining contact solely through letters over the years.
However, communication dwindled after an injury in 1976 at his workplace, with the last known contact from him dating back to the early 2000s. Despite efforts to locate him, his family was unsuccessful in reaching out to him. Jozef passed away in 2012 at the age of 86, unmarried and childless. Approximately 85 years after his capture, his family has now inherited his £100,000 estate following a lengthy international legal investigation involving the UK, Germany, and Poland.
His nephew and family representative, Krzysztof Sadowski, collaborated with probate researchers and solicitors in the search for Jozef’s next of kin. Reflecting on the past, Krzysztof shared insights from Jozef’s letters, where he expressed longing for his homeland and his family despite the geographical distance.
The quest to locate Jozef’s relatives spanned over a decade, with cooperation among specialists from the UK, Germany, and Poland. Simonne Llewellyn, CEO of Finders International, emphasized the heartwarming outcome of reconnecting Jozef with his family through extensive cross-border efforts.
The investigative work, overseen by Benjamin Ratz of GEN SPZOO, involved close collaboration with Jozef’s sister Helena Sadowski before her passing. The inheritance will be distributed among surviving family members, with Krzysztof intending to honor his grandparents’ memory by dedicating a portion of it to them.
Antoine Djikpa, Chairman of the IAPPR, highlighted the enduring impact of wartime trauma on families across generations. Restoring Jozef’s legacy and family connections serves as a poignant form of justice, underscoring the significance of accountability even decades later.