JAN ADAMOWICZ

He was an electrician and was born on 29^th August 1927.  He was released from Russian detention and was taken to Persia (Iran) where he spent time in Teheran and Isfahan before being sent to England as part of the Youth Brigade.  He trained at RAF Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire and qualified as an electrician there on 29th July 1947.

At this time 136 Polish apprentices completed the school, and on 10th of March 1948, the remaining 31 completed the course. All finished the school successfully, obtaining the Trade Apprenticeship Certificate ratified by the Central Trade Test Board, together with the certificate of completion of the Polish Secondary School (Gimnazjum No 2) from the Polish Ministry of Education.

Due to his age, he never saw war service.  Stories vary as to whether he remained in Britain or returned to Poland (in 1947 according to Krzystek's List).  It would be interesting to find out.  

 Boy recruits - a very young looking sixteen year old freshly arrived from Persia.  As you look at the picture, Jan is left of the man seated.

 

 

Jan Adamowicz is in the Middle Row, fourth from the right in this graduation picture taken at RAF Halton in July 1947

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.