Life Path of T. Danyliw and His Correspondence with A. Honcharenko

Abstract

The aim is to reveal the life path of public figure T. Danyliw, one of the founders and General Secretary of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, in the light of archival documents and correspondence with A. Honcharenko, commander of the Ukrainian units in the Battle of Kruty on January 29, 1918. The methodological basis consists of content analysis of sources, historical-biographical and prosopographical analysis, as well as historical-genetic, imagological, and case study methods. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that, based on archival documents introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time and newly discovered personal materials, the biographical information about T. Danyliw and his milieu has been clarified and expanded, including his dedicated efforts to affirm in European and American countries the truth about the Ukrainian liberation movement, particularly the battle against Bolshevik forces at Kruty. Conclusions. From a young age, T. Danyliw distinguished himself as a determined supporter of the idea of Ukrainian national liberation. The harsh conditions of the interwar hardships in the Western Ukrainian lands where he was born and raised, the grind of Soviet communist repressions, World War II, and life in exile did not break Danyliw’s will. He became one of the founders of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain, a close friend of A. Honcharenko, the commander of the Ukrainian units in theBattle of Kruty, and a promoter of the heroism of Ukrainian youth. Through the lens of archival documents and epistolary heritage, the life path and contributions of T. Danyliw to the preservation of the national identity and historical memory of the Ukrainian people are revealed better.