Wednesday 27 July 2011

CONTROVERSY

On 2nd February 2010, I reported on Wellington HF208 (2S) which was apparently struck by lightning and crashed into Mount Brandon in Ireland on 21st December 1943.  The story I had was that the crew were all killed by exploding ammunition from their own aircraft, rather than the crash itself.

I have recently been given some fresh evidence that this might be no more than local folk lore and that the plane actually flew into the side of a mountain in a snow storm - this being the true cause of the deaths.  I intend to recheck both my sources and also Irish Army records (which I could not locate at the time) and publish the results here as soon as I can.

It is distressing to get something so badly wrong, but it is much more important to put it right than to worry about my bruised ego.  Watch this space.

Monday 4 July 2011

THE MISSING HUNDREDS

I have been reviewing my unused notes and I am beginning to reaalise just how many of the brave Poles of 304 Squadron are unaccounted for.  Each and every one of them deserves a place in this tribute but it is so difficult when there is just no information.  So far I have picked up 132 names and I have not yet completed the letter C!  If any one reading this can help with any information/photographs/documents/press cuttings on any of them, please contact me on nevillebougourd@gmail.com but please leave a contact email number!

The first 132 names are listed below and I will publish more as I retrieve them.

ABAKANOWICZ F/Sgt Leon Brunon P-781320

ABCZYNSKI F/O Andrzej Emil Gabriel P-2737
ABRAHAM Sq/Ldr
ADAMCZYK L/Ac Emil P-782423
ADAMCZYK L/Ac Stefan P-703327
ADAMOWICZ Sgt Adam Stanislaw P-782087
ADAMOWICZ Ac1 Jan P-709002
ANANOWSKI Sgt
ANDRUSZKIEWICZ L/Ac Zygmunt P-782560
ANDRUSZKO F/Lt Waclaw P-1933
ANDRZEJEWSKI L/Ac Edward P782081
ANDRZEJEWSKI L/Ac Stanislaw P-793587
ANIMUCKI Sgt Stanislaw P-705563
ARABAS A/C2 Jan L P-704639
ARANOWSKI Sgt A
AWDZIEJEW Sgt Jan Stanislaw P-784934
BACHMAN L/Ac Adolf P-703341
BACHRYNOWSKI L/Ac Bronislaw P-703892
BACZYNSKI Cpl Jozef P-703337
BACZYNSKI F/O Tadeusz Stanislaw P-2503
BAK Cpl Antoni P-784081
BAKOWSKI Ac1 Edward P-707012
BAKUN L/Ac Jozef P-703340
BALINSKI F/Sgt Waclaw P-706896
BALOS L/Ac Stanislaw P-780375
BANAS Sgt Jan Julian P-782919
BANASIAK Cpl Stanislaw P-705786
BARAN L/Ac Jan P-781840
BARAN L/Ac Wladyslaw P-705131
BARANIK Ac2 Czeslaw P-708647
BARCZ Cpl Edward P-780166
BARCZUK L/Ac R
BAREWSKI Sgt
BARSKI Ac1 Roman P-708414 Also known as JANOWSKI
BARSZCZ L/Ac Stanislaw P-781426
BARTECKI Sgt Leon P-782156
BARTELSKI F/Lt Jan Mieczyslaw P-2454
BARTKIEWICZ Cpl Jan P-780032
BARTNICKI W/O Gerard P-705685
BARTNICZAK L/Ac Franciszek P-782178
BARTOSZEWICZ L/Ac Kazimierz P-705791
BASIAK F/O Jan P-0330
BAWOLSKI F/Sgt Edward Antoni P-780312
BEDNARZ L/Ac Karol P-780377
BERES L/Ac Tadeusz Marian P-783022
BERGER Sgt Antoni P-793337
BETLEJEWSKI L/Ac Stefan P-706146
BIALECKI Sgt Jozef Janusz P-783228
BIALEK Sgt Stanislaw P-780723
BIEDA-BIELOWICKI Ac2 Ignacy P-703233
BIELECKI F/O Jan P-2842
BIELSKI F/Lt Zygmunt Tadeusz P-2231
BIENIAS Ac1 Adam P-705796
BIENIASZ Sgt Jan Kazimierz P-782829
BILICKI Sgt Florian Stanislaw P-782091
BLACHOWSKI F/O Jerzy Jozef P-0948
BLAZEJWSKI F/Lt Antoni P-1826
BLOCK Ac2 Franciszek P-709635
BOBA Sgt Tadeusz P-782718
BOBER Sgt Mikolaj P-792487
BOBOWSKI L/Ac Wladyslaw P-703342
BOCHAT L/Ac Teodor Waclaw P-780724
BODNAR L/Ac Antoni P-782144
BOGATEK Cpl Marian P-703231
BOGUSZ Sgt Kazimierz P-782542
BOGUSZEWSKI L/Ac Wladyslaw S P-782088
BOHATKIEWICZ Henryk
BOJARCZUK W/O Romuald P-783111
BOJMAN L/Ac Wolf P-706110
BOLAWENDER Sgt Edward P-705690
BOLESLAW L/Ac Stanislaw P-703992
BONDEL L/Ac Marian P-704105
BONDER L/Ac Stanislaw P-703347
BORECKI Cpl Bronislaw P-784101
BORECKIL/Ac Kazimierz P-703733
BORKOWSKI Cpl Tadeusz P-781956
BORKOWSKI F/Lt Zdzislaw Kazimierz P-2303
BORZYCH F/Lt Jan P-1827
BOUSZE Cpl Stanislaw Tadeusz P-781445
BRAS F/Sgt Antoni P-780309
BRATKOWSKI Sgt Marian Jan P-782686
BRAUN F/O T
BRAZKOWSKI L/Ac Marian P-703346
BROCHMAN F/O Roman P-2955
BRODA Sgt
BRODOWSKI L/Ac Jan P-703334
BROS L/Ac Wladyslaw P782092
BRUCHACZA Act/Sgt A
BRYCH Sgt Pawel
BRZEZIE-RUSSOCKI F/Lt Aleksander Maria P-1978
BRZOZOWSKI Ac2 Tadeusz P-706575
BRZOZOWSKI W/O Zygmunt P-704191
BRZUCHACZ F/Sgt Andrzej P-780757
BUCHMAN L/Ac Dawid P-707638
BUCZACKI L/Ac Tadeusz P-781347
BUCKO Sgt Jan (or Julian) P-794894
BUCZYLKO W/O
BUDKIEWICZ F/Sgt Kazimierz P-784190
BUJAS L/Ac Marian P-784232
BUJAS Cpl Mieczyslaw P-782427
BUKOWSKI F/Sgt P-793105
BULZAK L/Ac Stanislaw P-705544
BURATYNSKI W/O Henryk P-704987
BUREK W/O Jozef P-784160
CEGLA Sgt Jan P-780856
CEGLINSKI Cpl Jozef P-792935
CHARKIEWICZ L/Ac Leon Jozef P-705807
CHILMON L/Ac Aleksander Pawel P-794507
CHLOSTA L/Ac Stanislaw P-703351
CHMAJ F/Lt Tadeusz Kazimierz P-0582
CHMIELEWSKI F/O Waclaw Marian P-2896
CHOINSKI-DZIEDUSZYCKI F/O Jan P-1864
CHOJNACKI F/Sgt Mieczyslaw P-706447
CHOJNACKI Ac1 Pawel P-708651
CHOMICKI Sgt Marian P-704293
CHOMKA F/Lt Waclaw P-0670
CHORZEWSKI Sgt Kazimierz P-704106
CHRISTMANN F/O Rudolf Karol P-0006
CHROMCEWICZ Cpl Jan P-784266
CHRUSCICKI L/Ac Andrzej P-794742
CHRZANOWSKI S/Ldr Wladyslaw P-0134
CHUCHELA F/Lt Wladyslaw
CHUDZICKI Sgt K
CHUDZIKIEWICZ Sgt Tadeusz P-705776
CHWAJA Cpl Waclaw P-781628
CHWALKO W/O Leonid P-783233
CIASTON Sgt Franciszek P-792374
CIBICKI L/Ac Tadeusz P-794104
CICHOSZEWSKI Sgt Maksymilian P-782796
CIECHANOWICZ F/O Mieczyslaw P-2868
CIECHANOWSKI F/Lt Wiktoryn Zygmunt P-1310
CIELEN L/Ac Adam P-782176