MIECZYSLAW WALENTY SZKLARSKI (AKA SCOT)

He was born on 11^th March 1913 in the County of Lubaczow, to Roman Szklarski and Katarzyna (nee Hamuda).  He began his education at the Piramowicz School in Przemysl on 1^st September 1919 and stayed there for the first three years, completing his education there in 1922.  After that, his father, who worked for PKP (Polskie Koleje Panstwowe), the Polish state railways, was moved to Domazyr near Lwow.  Following that, he passed the entry examination for the Koscuiszko Gymnasium School in Lwow, where he stayed until 1928 after being accepted for higher education.  He was forced to leave school because his father could no longer support the cost, because of events leading to the Wall Street Crash in 1929.

 

Family photograph showing Mieczyslaw standing

in front of his mustachioed father on the right c1913

He stayed with his parents until October 1931 and, in May 1931, he applied to Panstwowej Komendy Uzupelnien in Grodek Jagiellonski for help to enrol him in the army.  He was accepted as fit for army service and remained there from October 1931 until September 1933 in 61 Eskadra of the 6^th Air Regiment, based in Lwow.  From January to April of 1932, he trained as a mechanic and then did practical training as an assistant aircraft mechanic (apprentice?) until September of that year.

After this, he was placed on the reserve list and returned to civilian life.  He applied to a private school to finish his studies in the humanities, but had to give it up because these were the Depression  years and his family could not support his studies.  He applied to Government Agencies such as the state railways, the Police, the Post Office and the Ministry of Trade, but without success.

In September 1937, he was recalled for four weeks refresher training in 62 Eskadra of the 6^th Air Regiment and then returned to his civilian life but remained on the army reserve list.

In April 1938 he applied to Malopolski Zwiazek Mleczarski (roughly equivalent to the British Milk Marketing Board) and was accepted for three months unpaid training in the accounts department of one of the 1,475 co-operatives then extant.  He worked there from 1^st May 1938 until 30^th July 1938 and obtained good references but was not retained as paid staff.

Three months later, he was accepted as an assistant in the Trade Department (Commercial Office?) of the railway station at Hmirdyczow-Kochawina where he was paid 1 zloty 50 groszy per day but it only lasted until the end of 1938, when the budget for that post ran out.  At the time of writing (February 2016) that would just about buy one cigarette, half a bar of chocolate, a small bread roll or pay half the postage on a single letter within Britain!  I realise that there has been vast inflation over the intervening years but, even then, that must have been very low pay.

Two weeks later, on 15^th January 1939, he took up a post at the paper works at Kochawina, near Stryj, where he worked until 14^th September 1939 as a clerk.  During this time, with war imminent, he did a further four weeks training (19^th June to 15^th July) as a reservist with 6^th Air Regiment.

He was lucky, in that he was not conscripted by the Russians, and left the area, escaping to Hungary via Ujhely and Miskolc to a little place named Merohoveod, where he remained until April of 1940.  During this time, he made contact with an illegal underground group in Eger who helped him to get to Budapest (where he arrived on 12^th April 1940).

Mieczyslaw on the right with other escaping Polish airmen

in Split, Jugoslavia 26th April 1940

 

Mieczyslaw second from the left with other escaping

Polish airmen in Split, Jugoslavia 26th April 1940

Later that night, he joined a group of Poles and they moved to the border with Jugoslavia.  Two days later, they made a night crossing of the River Drava and made their way to Zagreb, where they arrived on the 18^th April.  Six days later, they arrived at Split, where they waited for a boat to evacuate them.  On 27^th April 1940, they boarded the SS Patris and sailed for Marseilles, where they arrived on 1st May 1940.

Ticket and identity document for his journey on SS Patris from Split to Marseilles

There appears to be some dispute about where the Poles gathered, but Sgt Szklarski’s own report states that they were initially dispersed to Carpiagne the home of the 4^th Regiment of Dragoon Guards.  He was moved to the barracks at Lyon (Lyon-Bron?) on 4^th May and left there on 17^th May  1940  ‘as a member of 108 Batallion (Park) in Montpellier.  He remained there as a working assistant mechanic until the fall of France.

 En route to St Jean de Luz, Mieczyslaw is in the dark
shirt and braces in both pictures

 

Note the pointed roof of the French railway wagons

Loading up on the ill fated Arandora Star

 

Mieczyslaw still in French uniform

At that time, he was under the control of a Captain of Artillery, Loboda – and another named Tregano – and he left Montpellier en route for St Juan de Luz, where he boarded the SS Arandora Star.  This vessel was torpedoed and sunk, with enormous loss of life, just a few days later; the majority of victims being Italian and German internees and prisoners of war.  He arrived in Liverpool on 27^th June 1940 and, five days later, was sent to RAF Weeton  in Lancashire and later to RAF Blackpool. 

Square bashing in basic training at RAF Weeton, 1940

He was there until 23rd August 1940, when he was attached to the newly forming 304 Squadron at RAF Bramcote.  He started work as a clerk there on 28^th August 1940.

Between 1st and 11th October 1941 he was at the Polish Depot at Blackpool.  On 1^st October 1941 he was accepted as medically fit to be trained as an airman and was sent to No 7 Air Gunnery School at RAF Stormy Down near Bridgend, Glamorgan  for training as an air gunner on 12^th October 1941 – a course that he completed on 21st November 1941, after which he was sent to the Blackpool Depot. 

Gunnery Course at RAF Stormy Down

October - December 1941

On 9^th December of that year, he was transferred to 18 OTU at RAF Bramcote near Nuneaton in Warwickshire.  The purpose of the Operational Training Unit was for tactical training and for crews to be formed and to learn to act as a cohesive unit because their lives depended on each other; it was important that they developed trust in each other.

He remained there until 26^th April 1942, when he was returned to 304 Squadron at RAF Lindholme near Doncaster in Yorkshire .  Two days later, he reported there and began his service with them.

Coastal Command made serious mental and physical demands on aircrews, often requiring flights of 10 or 11 hours over featureless ocean and that frequently in appalling weather.  To stay alive, they had to be alert and maintain their concentration for long periods.  This may often have been boring and inactive but it would often keep U-boats submerged and a lower risk to merchant shipping.  In spite of this, there were moments of excitement.

25th June 1942, flying out of RAF Dale in Pembrokeshire, his crew was detailed to Bomber Command to attack Bremen but failed to locate the target and went on to their secondary target of Bremervorde in Lower Saxony where they dropped six 500lb bombs from a height of only 1,250 feet.  They were unable to observe the results because of concentrated flak and an attack by a Messerschmidt Me110 night fighter.  They were hit several times but all the crew were safe.

11th August 1942 his crew attacked a U-boat, dropping six depth charges from a height of only 50 feet and just 36 seconds after it submerged.  They circled for 18 minutes and saw residue and wreckage but were unable to confirm a kill.  However, it is likely that some considerable damage was done.

24th September 1942, flying at a height of only 2,000 feet they were attacked by a Junkers Ju88 and were fired upon but no hits were taken.  They dived down to 1,000 feet and took refuge in a cloud bank after which the fighter broke contact and left.

8th November 1942, flying out of RAF Talbenny in Pembrokeshire, they were again detailed to Bomber Command and took part in a bombing raid on shipping between Bordeaux and Grave Point on the Atlantic Coast of France.  They made a run at 5,500 feet dropping four bombs and, five minutes later, a second run at 5,000 feet dropping five bombs.  The explosions were seen but poor visibility made it impossible to observe the results.

 

Receiving the Cross of Valour at RAF Talbenny, November

1942.  Mieczyslaw is between the Officers in peaked caps

12th December 1942, flying out of RAF Dale, they suffered a starboard engine failure and flew for some time on only one engine.  They put out a Mayday call and jettisoned their bombs and depth charges but the engine kicked in again and after 1 hour 22 minutes they were able to cancel the Mayday.

26th January 1943, they were again detailed to a bombing mission over Bordeaux.  They dropped five 500lb bombs from a height of 6,000 feet and observed the explosions which started fires that could still be seen ten miles away after they turned for home.

8th March 1943, they were attacked by a Junkers Ju88 and tracer was seen to pass across their flight path but no hits were recorded and the pilot made a sharp turn to port an successfully reached cloud cover.

17th July 1943, flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor in Cornwall, they were one of three aircraft sent out on an air sea rescue mission but it had to be aborted due to bad weather conditions and very poor visibility.  They were unable to make it back to base and diverted to RAF Dale.

In total, he flew 50 missions whilst with 304 Squadron and possibly a further six with 18 Operational Training Unit as his records state 56 operational flights. In this time, he served at RAF Lindholme (Yorkshire), RAF Tiree (Inner Hebrides), RAF Dale (Pembrokeshire - 2 separate postings), RAF Talbenny (Pembrokeshire), RAF Docking (Norfolk), RAF Davidstow Moor (Cornwall), RAF Predannack (Cornwall) and RAF Chivenor (Devon).

Presentation of the Virtuti Militari by the Polish President

in exile President Władysław Raczkiewicz.  Mieczyslaw is

the last airman on the right

Virtuti Militari Certificate

 

During this service, he was awarded the Cross of Valour on three occasions and the Virtuti Militari on 7^th May 1943.  He remained with the Squadron until he became tour expired and was transferred to the Polish Depot on 13th September 1943.  Ten days later he was transferred to Polish Headquarters in London where he had administrative duties until 5th May 1944.

He was recommended for Officer training at the college shared by the Polish Army and Air Force - the Szkola Podchorazych Piechoty i Kawalerii Zmotoryzowanej.  It is not known precisely where this establishment was located but he appears to have attended at a time between the move from its location at Auchtermuchty in Fife and its new premises in Crieff, Perthshire.  His records state that it was near North Berwick which is in East Lothian.  He was there from 6th May 1944 until 2nd August 1944.  In any event, he passed the course and was granted the rank of Pilot Officer with seniority from 1st October 1944.  The most likely location was Archerfield House at Dirleton, which had a cadet school, a woman's auxiliary school and an Officer training unit and this building was large enough to accommodate the training but billeting would probably have been elsewhere.

 

Archerfield House, Dirleton, East Lothian

Following this, in November 1944, he was posted to the Polish Depot where he served in the Training Department until 20th April 1945 when he was briefly seconded to Bentley Priory at Harrow, Middlesex, HQ of Fighter Command and the home of the Royal Observer Corps.  On 26th June 1945 (with effect from 1st April 1945) he was promoted to Flying Officer and transferred into the Research and Experimental Pool at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, Hampshire as an administrator and Adjutant to the Polish forces there.

On 9th June 1945 he married Mary Eileen Hunt at Blackpool.

 

Mieczyslaw with Mary

In August 1947 he was in Hereford at the Royal Air Force Secretarial Branch, Training Establishment where he was undertaking further training during his time with the Polish Resettlement Corps, from

which he was finally discharged in December 1948.
 

After the War had ended Mieczyslaw led a parade in the town of Shrewsbury.  This was far from where he was serving and could have been in honour of the Allied Victory or could have been part of the Polish Soldiers' Day celebration but I am inclined to think that a more likely explanation was that it was a memorial service for his brother Tadeusz, a fellow Officer, who was unfortunately killed in a road accident in that town on 26th August 1947.

Series of photographs showing the Air Force parade to

St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury probably in memory of

Tadeusz Szklarski

However, it is during his time at RAE Farnborough right through to his discharge from the Polish Resettlement Corps that details of his service become very sketchy and give credence to otherwise unsubstantiated family lore that he was involved in some kind of clandestine work that he described to one member of the family as potentially very dangerous. 

 

He rose rapidly from NCO rank to Flying Officer which does not seem to square with him then being buried in an administrative role.  His military records describe him as intelligent and very capable of performing any task given to him.  Again this seems an unlikely waste of talent.  There are stories within the family which suggest that he was training for a return to Poland to carry out dangerous and secretive work.  This work was allegedly halted only after the first groups to go in were killed by the Polish Communist/Russian authorities.

I have to stress that there is no solid evidence for this idea but there is a lot of circumstantial evidence to back it up.  A significant number of Polish airmen were recruited by the American OSS, who were the immediate predecessors of the CIA, to recruit deniable agents for espionage purposes in Albania and other Central European countries under the code name OBOPUS-BGFIEND and with help from MI6 under the code name VALUABLE.

Other agents were parachuted into Poland in small numbers by the Americans - again using Poles for deniability.  The British authorities had an ongoing agent insertion programme right up until 1955 when it was stopped because too many agents were being caught or killed as the scheme was compromised.  This was done by sea, using an ex-Kriegsmarine E-Boat with enhanced radio communications and long range fuel tanks and crewed by former German naval crews under the guise of fishery protection.

Interestingly, one of the CIA pilots was Stanislaw Jozefiak who was in 304 Squadron at the same time as Mieczyslaw Szklarski.  The rates of pay for these agents was also a long way above what they could earn in a normal job at the time.

This is a matter for speculation only, as it is very unlikely that the records will be released in the lifetimes of these men or their children.  A large percentage of the MI6 records of the time were destroyed in a fire and the rest are liable to be buried indefinitely in the "National interest".  It is also interesting that the Soviet Bloc was very well informed in advance of all these activities and a prominent diplomat in this area was one Kim Philby. 

During the course of his military service he received gallantry and campaign medals from Poland and campaign medals from Great Britain and France.

Mieczyslaw's array of medals

 

Mieczyslaw left all forms of public service in 1948 and registered as an alien on 3rd January 1949.  This meant that he was obliged to regularly report to the Police and could not set up in business or work other than as an employee without the express permission of the Home Office until he received, on 1st February 1951, his British Citizenship and Naturalisation Certificate No BNA 17531 under his adopted name of Scot.
 

Typical pages from the Aliens Registration Book

 

He worked sporadically as a dental mechanic for a variety of dentists in Hertfordshire, Blackpool, Kendal and Windermere until the mid-1950s when he went to work for Duple the coach builders at Marton, Blackpool.  He worked mainly on the production line and then as an Inspector for his last few years there until his retirement in about 1978.  He was also employed on one of the pleasure steamers on Lake Windermere.   He died on 15^th October 1986 in Blackpool and is buried in Carleton Cemetery.

What follows is a selection of his personal documentation recording his military life.  They do not necessarily fit in to specific sections of this text but record major milestones in his life:

Final Record from the Polish Air Force

 

Polish Air Force Certificate of Honour

 

 Certificate of Demobilisation from l'Armee de l'Air

 

Reverse of previous document.  Note

the rubber stamp which denies him the

right to live in France and the right to a

French Ration Card

 

Certificate of Admission into the Polish Resettlement Corps

 

Testimonial in support of his Naturalisation

 

Grant of Citizenship 1951 - also rescinds

his need to remain as a Registered Alien

 

With many thanks to Kevin Scot (Szklarski) for the unprecedented use of his family archive and incredible collection of photographs.



 

WACLAW SLAWINSKI

 

According to his military records he was born on 11th September 1919 but his family tell me that he was born on that day but in the year 1920 at Antonowka near Kielce in Poland, the son of Jozef Slawinski and Maria Slawinski (nee Kozlowska).  After completing his education he trained as a fitter/mechanic before joining the Polish Army for his National Service on 28th August 1936. 

He trained with 1st Air Regiment (Warsaw Regiment) and saw active service with them from the very first day of the September Campaign following the German invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939.  He fought through that campaign until 28th September 1939 when he was taken prisoner by the Russians at the defence of Warsaw.  Following this he was shipped to the USSR and held prisoner in Siberia until 27th September 1941 when he was released to join the Polish forces in the Middle East, under the flag of General Anders' Army following the negotiated release by Churchill and Sikorski. 

From wherever he was held in Siberia, he made his way to Krasnovodsk and joined one of the heavily over laden tramp steamers to take him across the Caspian Sea to Pahlevi in Persia (now Iran), where he joined the British forces. 

The following extracts from a much larger story will give some idea of the suffering they went through.  They are reproduced with full acknowledgement to Ryszard Antolak and Pars Times to show the condition of the Poles on and after reception in Persia (Iran).

A makeshift city comprising over 2000 tents (provided by the Iranian army) was hastily erected along the shoreline of Pahlavi to accommodate the refugees. It stretched for several miles on either side of the lagoon: a vast complex of bathhouses, latrines, disinfection booths, laundries, sleeping quarters, bakeries and a hospital. Every unoccupied house in the city was requisitioned, every chair appropriated from local cinemas. Nevertheless, the facilities were still inadequate.

At this time there were only 10 doctors and 25 nurses in the whole of Pahlavi.

In the clean area, the arrivals were channelled into a series of tents where their clothes were collected and burned. They were then showered, deloused, and some of them had their heads shaved in the interests of hygiene. As a result, women began to wear headscarves to conceal their baldness. Finally, they were given sheets, blankets and fresh clothes by the Red Cross and directed to living quarters.

Food provision was inappropriate. Corned beef, fatty soup and lamb, distributed by the British soldiers, caused havoc with digestions accustomed only to small pieces of dry bread. They could not tolerate the rich food, and a large number died purely from the results of over-eating.

Weakened with illness and badly undernourished, he survived all this and was fed, properly clothed and given medical attention in a tent city on the beach - the healthiest place due to the clean air and fresh breezes which discouraged the build up and spread of infections.  Here he came under British command on 1st April 1942 and was selected for the Air Force and shipped to Britain, reaching the Polish Depot at Blackpool on 10th July 1942.

He was posted to the Polish Technical Training School, probably at RAF Weeton which was part of the Blackpool complex, on 6th August 1942 and stayed there until 10th September 1942 when he was transferred to No 8 Air Gunnery School at RAF Evanton near Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland to complete his training as an air gunner.

On 16th October 1942 he completed the course and was sent to 18 OTU (Operational Training Unit) where he was to learn British operational tactics and to form up with and familiarise with a crew with which he would work closely and build up trust over the following tour of duty.  Later, on 14th November, they were moved to 6 OTU at Thornaby on Tees to complete the course.  Finally, on 30th January 1943, the crew, Captained by Sgt S. Franczak, were posted to 304 Squadron at RAF Dale and, after a week's leave, took up their posting on 6th February 1943.  Three months later on 11th May 1943 he was awarded his Field Service Badge in recognition of ten active service missions.

As with all Coastal Command aircrews, he spent many long hours flying over featureless seas and this was as risky as it was boring.  Crews had to maintain concentration as these long flights were often at very low level.  They rarely made sightings of U-Boats but their presence kept these ships underwater and dramatically reduced the likelihood of torpedo attacks.

In spite of this, he had his fair share of excitement and danger: on 5th September 1943 his aircraft, Vickers Wellington NZ-M, was attacked by four Junkers Ju88 fighters and was badly shot up but none of the crew were seriously injured and all survived the wheels-up crash landing.  The following is the Official Squadron write up:

"The aircraft of which F/S F. Rybarczyk was first pilot encountered four Junkers 88's, one of which, in a combat which lasted 10 minutes, was severely damaged and was last seen diving in flames through the clouds.  This aircraft was claimed as destroyed.  The remaining three enemy aircraft attacked repeatedly but the Wellington maintained violent evasive measures and succeeded in reaching cloud cover.  Although extensively damaged, the aircraft made a successful belly-landing at base.  None of the crew was injured either in the combat or in the crash-landing, except that the Navigator, F/L A. CHOMKA, received a slight facial wound from a splinter from the astro dome."

On the night of 28th/29th January 1944 his aircraft came across a fully surfaced U-Boat and illuminated it with their Leigh Light before running in to the attack.  In the face of machine gunfire and heavy flak Waclaw (rear gunner) and the front gunner expended about 2,500 rounds whilst the pilot lined up to release six 250 lb torpex depth charges, the last two of which straddled the stern quarter of the vessel.  All return fire ceased and the submarine disappeared from the radar within about 20 seconds.  The nearer  of the two was seen to explode an estimated 10 feet from the vessel.  If not a fatal blow, this would have caused significant damage - no U-boats were reported sunk in that area on that night and it was too dark to see any evidence of debris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official report to Admiralty on the attack on a U-Boat

His military career came to an end on 4th May 1944 (not 12th May 1944 as shown in his military records) when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in North Devon and was admitted to Tiverton General Hospital and was transferred the next day to the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter.  On 25th May 1944 he was transferred again to the RAF General Hospital at Wroughton, near Swindon, Wiltshire and on 18th June 1944 he was posted back to RAF Chivenor near Barnstaple, Devon but it was a brief respite as he was re-admitted on 21st June 1944 to RAF General Hospital at Church Village, Pontypridd, South Wales.  Subsequently he was transferred to No 4 Polish General Hospital at Ormskirk in Lancashire where he stayed until he was finally re-posted to the Polish Depot at Blackpool on 1st August 1945.  After this he was discharged to the Polish Resettlement Corps where he spent two years training for civilian life.

He met Thelma Partridge in Birmingham, just outside the Cathedral, and eventually they married and had four sons - Roy, Adrian, Jan and Alan.  After leaving the Air Force he went to work as a storeman for Electrical Power Engineering in Birmingham.

During the course of his military career he was awarded the Cross of Valour, the Virtuti Militari and the Polish Air Medal as well as British campaign medals. 

 

Award of the Virtuti Militari by Air Vice Marshal Izycki

 

In 1998 he was posthumously awarded the Military Combat Cross of the Polish Armed Forces in the West.  This Cross was established on 17th May 1989 for award to former members of the Polish Armed Forces of the Exiled Government in London.

 

Post-war honour for courage

 

Sadly, he died in Birmingham on 24th February 1972 and his interment took place at the Yardley Crematorium.

With many thanks to Alan Slawinski for access to family records and Krzystek's List for the portrait photo.

RUDOLF MARCZAK (PART 2)

Miles Martinet trainer similar to the one involved in the accident at RAF Morpeth

Just a month later, on 24th January 1943, he was involved in an accident with a Miles Martinet target tug, serial no HN910, which he was taxiing from the dispersal area to its blister hanger.  This was a downhill run and the brakes failed, causing him to run into another Martinet, serial no HP132 which was parked up.  Both aircraft suffered damage but Rudolf was unhurt.

 

On 7th February 1943 he had completed the required number of flying hours to be a master pilot and was sent to No 3 School of General Reconnaissance at RAF Squires Gate (part of the Blackpool Depot complex) where he may have been trained in the basics of navigation or may have been a staff pilot flying trainee navigators.  Here he would be flying Blackburn Bothas and Avro Ansons out over the Irish Sea.  I suspect he was training in navigation because, on 15th May 1943 he returned to the Blackpool Depot and a week later was transferred to 6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit at RAF Silloth in Cumberland.

 

This was the start of his real fighting war; this is where they were sent to form permanent crews and to learn to operate as a coherent unit.  This was essential as a bomber crew's lives depended on flying with men they knew well and could trust.  It was also where they learned to fly together as a team and within the framework of British tactics.

 

The official record of his arrival at 304 Squadron - extract from the personnel book

 

 

 



On 5th August 1943 he transferred into 304 Squadron who were then based at RAF Davidstow Moor in Cornwall.  At this time his crew were F/Lt K Dobrowolski, Sgt K Gluchowski, Sgt J Pasyk, Sgt W Serafin and Sgt S Leski and they flew their first mission together on 16th August 1943.  This was the start of many long  hours flying out over the sea.  There were moments of great excitement and courage but these were later in the war.

He flew 19 hostile missions before transferring back to 6 (C) OTU on 9th May 1944 and he stayed with them until 8th August 1944.  Although separated from the Squadron, he was still technically on their books as he was with his crew on an intensive training mission.  There is no definitive record of this but he would be training on the Leigh Light which helped detect surfaced U-boats at night and/or Airborne Surface Vessel Radar.

 

304 Squadron ID Card

304 Squadron ID Card - internal view



Rudolf's Official Reception Document

into 304 Squadron from 6 OTU
Signed by Wing Commander S.Z. Zurek

 

On his return, with a short break of about two weeks at 8304 Service Echelon for further training, he remained with 304 Squadron for the rest of the War.  During this time he flew 20 more hostile missions including some of the most exciting and dangerous of his War.

On 2nd February 1945, flying out of RAF Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, he had his first chance to attack a U-Boat.  He was senior pilot on a flight over the Irish Sea, west of the Isle of Man, when he noticed a thin wake at a distance of about 3 miles.  He dropped to a height of 400 feet and then saw the exhaust steam of a submerged U-Boat.  He dropped to 100 feet and released six Torpex depth charges spaced at 60 feet and set to explode at a depth of 25 feet below the surface.  He dropped a marker and called a destroyer to the scene.  About two hours later he saw a schnorkel releasing foul air indicating the U-Boat was still in the area and may have suffered some damage or it would not have taken that risk.  The destroyer continued the hunt and dropped further depth charges but the results were assessed as inconclusive.  Short of fuel, he had to land at RAF Limavady in Northern Ireland.

 

Winter 1944/45 RAF Benbecula

Winter 1944/45 at RAF Benbecula - Rudolf is second from the left

 

On the night of 13th/14th March 1945, flying out of RAF St Eval in Cornwall, he spotted a fully surfaced U-Boat which was just about to dive but he was too late to make an effective attack and he called in  surface vessels to take up the search.  Once again the results were disappointing and, after a flight of over ten and a half hours, he was forced to land at RAF Dunkeswell in Devon.  But his big moment was yet to come.

 

On 2nd April 1945, he was patrolling the Irish Sea and the Western Approaches when they spotted what was believed to be a periscope and a schnorkel and a vague shape that might have been a conning tower at a distance of about six miles.  He lined up for the attack and released six depth charges from a height of about 120ft, at the same time firing about 100 rounds of.303 bullets from the forward gun.  There were no apparent results so he dropped markers and reported the incident.  Weeks later, the Admiralty assessed his report and presumably compared it with captured German documents and he was credited with the kill.  U321, captained by Oberleutnant Fritz Berends, went down with all 41 crew and was later found in the right position.  It had made its last radio contact with its home base on the date of this attack.  There can be no doubt that it was sunk  by Rudolf Marczak and his crew.

 

This was the last U-Boat sunk by a Wellington of Coastal Command during the War in Europe and probably the last of all though other claims have been made.  Its sister boat U320 was claimed as sunk by a Catalina on 7th May 1945 but was actually damaged and was scuttled by its crew the day after the War ended.

 

On 10th May 1945, his tour of duty was completed and he was transferred, in a training capacity, to No 25 Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Hucknall in Nottinghamshire.  This was just 2 days after the War in Europe ended.  During his time with 304 Squadron he had served with them at RAF

 

Davidstow Moor (Cornwall), RAF Predannack (Cornwall), RAF Chivenor (Devon), RAF Benbecula (Outer Hebrides) and RAF St Eval (Cornwall).

 

The time he spent flying out for 10 or 11 hours at low levels, often 800 feet or less were dismissed in the Operational Record Books with entries that simply said "Nothing to report."  This does not account for the strain of flying at low level (800 feet or less) over featureless grey seas in wintry conditions.  Nor does it take account of having to keep a constant watch for the long range, twin engine Condor fighters which were faster, more heavily armed and more manoeuvrable than the lumbering Wellingtons.  In addition, a Leigh Light Wellington diving on a surfaced U-boat had only one .303 inch machine gun that could be brought to bear.  Had she chosen to stand and fight, U321 had an 88mm cannon and an anti-aircraft gun.  Diving into that to a height of only 120 feet took considerable courage.

 

As a postscript to his war record, it should be added that he was a highly decorated pilot.

 

Rudolf receiving a medal probably from General Izycki

The medal entitlement was rarely for any specific act, but the reasons for Rudolf's awards were as follows:

Virtuti Militari - Poland's highest award for bravery received for sinking the German U-Boat U321 in protection of British coastal waters and shipping.

Cross of Valour & Bar awarded for sustained periods of stressful flying at very low level for up to 11 hours often at altitudes below 1,000 feet and down to 50 feet in combat situations.



Rudolf receiving his Virtuti Militari, probably from General Izycki

 



Polish Air Medal - campaign medal awarded for war service in one of the Polish Squadrons.

Technically the Poles were not entitled to the British Campaign Medals as these were for British and Commonwealth citizens.  However, they were awarded to all foreign personnel fighting with HM Forces as it was recognised that they were effectively fighting for Britain; this arrangement has never been questioned.  His British awards were:

1939-1945 War Medal - awarded for 60 days minimum active flying service in any theatre of operations.

1939-1945 Star - awarded for 60 days minimum operational (hostile) flying service in any theatre of operations.

Air Crew Europe Star/Atlantic Star - awarded for active (hostile) service over France and Germany or specifically the Atlantic Ocean as part of the Battle of the Atlantic - harassing enemy shipping, convoy protection and anti-submarine warfare.

Defence Medal - awarded to all military, Home Guard and civilians involved in the defence of the realm (war work).

Post War RAF awards:

Korea Medal - awarded for active service in the Korean War 1950-1953.

General Service Medal with Malaya clasp - awarded for active service in Singapore and the Malayan Peninsula for active service during the Malayan Emergency against Chinese Communist forces at any point between 1948-1960.

The French also had issued awards to foreign nationals who fought on French soil, in the Resistance or in the defence of France.  He is probably entitled to one of these but they were not issued until well after the war ended.  Many did not claim these medals as they did not know they were entitled to them - they were not automatically issued and had to be claimed.

There is no surviving citation for his Virtuti Militari but the Poles have a fairer method of judging bravery and courage over time. It is rare that a Virtuti Militari was awarded for a single act and the strain of long hours of active service on hostile missions over the sea was also taken into account.

Having said that, I believe that Rudolf was one of the rarities. The norm was for the airman to be part of a grading system in which the first award was a Cross of Valour followed by three further awards of the Cross of Valour (3 bars). After that the award of the Virtuti Militari was the next step. Rudolf had the Cross of Valour and one bar but jumped straight to the Virtuti Militari, which indicated a significant military achievement. Sinking an almost new schnorkel equipped U-Boat and taking 41 fighting men out of the picture was a pretty significant military achievement and I firmly believe that this was the reason for the award. Especially so late in the war, submarines could not be replaced quickly and trained submariners even less quickly.

It was not uncommon for trainees to be in the crews of bombers loaned to Bomber Command for individual missions and it is quite possible that he flew such missions - although tracking them is well nigh impossible. So he could have received an award even as a trainee. Scores of PAF, RAF, RCAF & SAAF trainees flew in the 1,000 bomber raids which were very destructive but also had a huge effect on German morale - which together were worth more than the lives of a few trainees that were lost but also gave them practical experience of war. That is what earned the Allied airmen the name "Terror Fliegers"

 

Even part trained pilots had to start from scratch as the differences in the control systems on French and Polish aircraft were vastly different from British and American ones. Most Polish aircraft were made with fixed undercarriages and many experienced pilots wrecked or seriously damaged RAF planes by forgetting to lower it when they came in to land. Training typically took 18 months to 2 years - even longer if they had to wait between courses.

Rudolf had to get up to 400 hours before he was let loose on bombing missions because it is clear that he was marked out as a senior (master) pilot. This is why he was flying target tugs and gun platforms (planes with trainee gunners on board) at Morpeth before being placed with 304 Squadron.

 

On 14th November 1946 he was transferred to No 16 Polish Technical Training School, again as an instructor, at RAF Cammeringham  near Ingham in Lincolnshire but this was a short lived move as there was little to do with the Polish Air Force winding down from its war standing.  On 2nd December 1946 he was transferred to RAF Hucknall and on to the Polish Depot at Blackpool but these moves were only on paper and he would be given a few days End of War leave before he was permanently moved out of the Polish Air Force and into the Polish Resettlement Unit as he had expressed no desire to return to the new Communist Poland.

Nominally this was effective from 11th December 1946 and was to last a maximum of two years.  As the name implies, it was to give him a home and employment until he was able to retrain for new work and to give him time to improve his English.  In reality he became a civilian but was actually an employee of the Royal Air Force.  It was also a stepping stone to a transfer into the RAF for those who were considered good enough.

It seems that he was being given some kind of work and an insight into the peacetime RAF as he was not placed in one PRU Centre for his two years.  He was at RAF Dunholme Lodge in Lincolnshire and another Polish Resettlement Camp at RAF Cottesmore PRU numbers 6 and 2 respectively whilst his future in the RAF was settled.  During this time he also appears to have had medical problems as his record sheet indicates several medical boards and gradings.



On 10th January 1946 his wife Mona presented him with the gift of a son Antoni Rudolf.  The family seen together here a little later
 

He remained there until June 1948 when he was officially transferred from the Polish Resettlement Corps into permanent service with the Royal Air Force at  RAF Cottesmore in Rutland where he was at No 7 Flying Training School until 13th July 1950.  During this time, on 9th March 1949 he changed the family name, by Deed Poll, to Marsden and this fact was formally  recorded by an act of Naturalisation on 26th September 1949 and duly recorded in the London Gazette on 18th November 1949.


Naturalisation Announcement in the London Gazette

 

He spent time at RAF Calshot on Southampton Water in Hampshire and this is where his new career really started; this was the main British training centre for flying boats and was the home of 235 Operational Conversion Unit whose function was to train qualified pilots to handle flying boats.  He was there from 14th July 1950 until 13th November 1950 when he was posted to No 5 Personnel Despatch Centre at Hednesford in Staffordshire where he stayed until his transfer to the Far East Air Force Headquarters at RAF Changi, Singapore with effect from 7th December 1950.

Once there, he joined 209 Squadron at their base at RAF Seletar on 31st December 1950.  They worked on a rotational basis flying patrols over Northern Malaya for two months then patrolling the Korean coastline for a month as part of a three Sunderland detachment based at The Royal Australian Air Force base at Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan just 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Hiroshima.  The Korean part was particularly dangerous as they faced the threat of a new genre of fast jets supplied by the Russians to their Chinese and Korean allies.

 

One of the Short Sunderland Flying Boats that Rudolf actually flew seen here at Iwakuni, Japan where he was based

 

The duties were not without their dangers;  on the Korean side they did coastal patrols photographing suspicious ships, keeping track of any Russian submarines and, primarily at night, meteorological flights which took them almost as far as Vladivostock.  At all such times they were fully armed and at readiness; the Anti Surface Vessel Radar was manned at all times and they carried a full load of depth charges and bombs as well as loaded and cocked machine guns.

 

Out of RAF Seletar their patrols were also to photograph suspicious shipping and to harass the Malay pirate junks.  They also flew up to the far North just inside the border with Thailand where they bombed the Chinese Communist insurgents under radio direction from the army and police posts on the ground.  They carried about 40 boxes each containing four twenty five pound bombs which were dropped from retractable under wing racks or simply thrown out through hatches in the fuselage.

 

It was recognised that this method of bombing did not cause a great deal of damage but it was effective in that it kept the insurgents on the move and discouraged them from creating dumps where they could stockpile stores, weapons, ammunition and food.

 

Rudolf's detachment together with one of their Short Sunderlands at RAF Selatar, Singapore

Rudolf in flight - probably photographed from one of the other Sunderlands detached from 209 Squadron out of Singapore or Japan

A break from the fighting - relaxing in Singapore

 

 

A break from the fighting - relaxing in Singapore

Rudolf at the controls of his Short Sunderland - in Singapore or Japan

 

His flying days were cut short when he experienced a recurrence of his gastric ulcers and was admitted into the hospital at RAF Changi from 24th September 1951 until 23rd November 1951 after which arrangements were made to bring him home.  He then spent time in the hospital at RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire from 19th December 1951 until 15th January 1952 when he was transferred the hospital at RAF Ely, Cambridgeshire until his final discharge on 18th January 1952.

He spent the rest of his time in the RAF in a training function at RAF Colerne, Wiltshire; RAF Millom, Cumberland and RAF Woodvale, Formby near Liverpool.  During this final period he was constantly subject to Medical Boards and when his service term expired he was allowed to just leave the RAF. This was an understandable but unfortunate situation because his records were endorsed with a comment that he was recommended for Officer training and a commission.  On 3rd August 1953 he returned to civilian life.

 

Rudolf in the hospital at RAF Changi, Singapore

 

He moved into the licensed trade taking over the Platelayers Arms in Wigan, where his wife had been living whilst he was still in the Air Force.  After a while, he took over the White Lion in Pemberton where he became a highly respected and well liked publican.  He had a reputation for taking no nonsense and for keeping good order in his pub.  He also became one of the first to serve good substantial food and he regularly had entertainment which was extremely popular.

 

A very low point in his life occurred in the late summer of 1960 when his wife Mona died at the tragically young age of 43.  She had been suffering from Leukaemia and this left Rudolf and 13 year old Antoni devastated.

 

A highlight of his peace time life occurred in 1968 when, after a long search through the records of the Salvation Army, he managed to trace his sister Helena Jelen and her six year old daughter Joanna.  He travelled to Dover and met them off the boat.

 

Meeting his sister for the first time Pemberton 1968

 

They were complete strangers.  When Helena was born, he was already in the Polish Air Force and he never got to meet her because the German invasion of Poland happened and he never saw his home or family again.  They spent a happy holiday with him in the White Lion and he was planning a trip to Poland to see his four brothers, two of whom were also born after he left Poland.

 

 

Newspaper report of Rudolf's death

Tragically, on 13th September 1969, Rudolf suffered a heart attack and died aged only 52.  He was highly thought of in his local area and the streets were thronged with people as his funeral cortege passed.  The funeral service was held at St. Johns church in Pemberton and burial was at St Thomas' church Ashton-in Makerfield.

 

Although  he was not in Fighter Command, Rudolf could well be described in Wing Commander Ronald Kellet's words:  "My God they're doing it!"  This was said in the face of disbelief of the Poles' actions.

 

With thanks to Gary Marsden for giving me access to the family archives and photograph collection