Jozef Domanski, a 14-year-old boy, was taken by the Nazis in 1941 and forced into labor in Germany. Following his liberation at the end of World War II, Jozef relocated to the UK, residing initially in Wolverhampton and later in Essex. Sadly, he lost contact with his family in Poland and communication dwindled after he sustained an injury in a workplace accident in 1976. His relatives made unsuccessful attempts to locate him, and the last contact was in the early 2000s.
In 2012, at the age of 86, Jozef passed away without a spouse or children. Approximately 85 years after his capture, his family has now inherited his £100,000 estate after a lengthy international legal investigation involving the UK, Germany, and Poland. Krzysztof Sadowski, Jozef’s nephew and family representative, worked with probate researchers and solicitors to secure the inheritance. He mentioned that Jozef often expressed melancholy about being far from his Polish family in his letters.
Efforts to trace Jozef’s next of kin were initiated by a UK local authority, leading to a decade-long collaborative effort involving legal and genealogical specialists from the three countries. Simonne Llewellyn, the CEO of Finders International, described it as a poignant case that necessitated cross-border cooperation.
The research, managed by Benjamin Ratz of GEN SPZOO, who collaborated closely with Jozef’s sister Helena Sadowski before her passing, was pivotal in reuniting Jozef’s family. The £100,000 inheritance will be distributed among surviving relatives, with Krzysztof planning to honor his grandparents’ memory with part of the funds. Antoine Djikpa, the Chairman of the IAPPR, emphasized the enduring impact of war trauma on families and the significance of restoring Jozef’s history and family connections as a form of justice and accountability.