JERZY KUPŚĆ

 

He was born into a Lithuanian family on 16th February 1917 at Ilecka Zaszczyta which is in the border area of Kazakhstan/Russia but his family were from the Kroszty estate near Rakiszki, Lithuania.  The family returned to Wilno, Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania) and he was educated there, graduating from the Electrical Department of the Technical School in Wilno.

In January 1940 he became part of the purge of Polish citizens  and was arrested by the NKVD (precursors of the KGB) in Wilno.  This is probably because his father, Adam, was a land owner which went against the Communist ethos and was therefore a threat.  He probably spent a few weeks in a Russian controlled prison or makeshift prison before being deported to a Siberian gulag in the first wave of mass deportations on 9th/10th February 1940.  This consisted of 110 trains each with about 2,000 people crammed into its boxcars.  Their destinations were spread over the vast area covering Archangelsk, Sverdlovsk, Omsk and Irkutsk.  It is not known exactly where he was detained but it is probable that he was part of a family group held in Archangelsk - with his mother (named Kupska) at the head of the family.

After the signing of the Sikorski-Majski agreement, he was released from the gulag but was not on the passenger list of the SS Llanstephan which brought 200 released Poles from Archangelsk to Glasgow in October 1941 so it must be assumed that he was one of the many thousands who signed up to join Anders' Army in the Niddle East and, by a long and tortuous route, made his way to Krasnovodsk.  From there he would have been able to cross the Caspian Sea to Pahlevi in Persia (now Iran) and join Anders' main army.

Whilst he was there, he applied to join the Polish Air Force in exile and was accepted because of his education and technical training - so he would have had priority passage to England.

Once in England he would have been sent to the Polish Depot at Blackpool, a cluster of training establishments centred on RAF Squires Gate and at the absolute limit of the range of Luftwaffe bombers.  Also safe because Hitler is reputed to have wanted the town for his playground!  He would already have completed his National Service around 1935-1937 before hostilities broke out.  On completion of his training he was posted to 304 Squadron as a wireless mechanic and stayed with them until 16th April 1945 before transferring out and completing his service elsewhere.

Extract from hand written Squadron Records showing his departure date

With 304 Squadron he probably began his service at RAF Lindholme near Doncaster, Yorkshire and later moved to RAF Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland on 10th May 1942 and then to RAF Dale near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, Wales on 13th June 1942.  Later he moved to RAF Talbenny, also in Pembrokeshire and back to RAF Dale on 1st December 1942.  His next move was to RAF Docking in Norfolk on 2nd April 1943 then RAF Davidstow Moor  near Camelford in Cornwall on 8th June 1943.  From there he went to RAF Predannack, also in Cornwall on 13th December 1943 and then to RAF Chivenor near Barnstaple in Devon on 19th February 1944.  On 21st September 1944 he moved to RAF Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland and finally to RAF St Eval on 6th March 1945.

He may have served with the Polish Resettlement Corps but eventually returned to Poland in 1947.  He worked, among other places, in the Przedsiebiorstwo Electryficacji Rolnictwa - an agricultural eectrification company.  Later still, as an electrical inspector in the building administration in Sopot on the Baltic coast.  He died in Sopot on 12th October 2000 and was buried there.