At RAF Halton he met fellow Poles from 303 Squadron who were there for three months training. He, however, was there for four years and received training very good on all types of armament and explosives, possibly in the context of weapon research and development.
He was there on VE Day but says the Poles didn't celebrate because of the Yalta agreement. He also recalls how, when some Russians visited, they were locked in a workshop out of the way. He recalls the barrack rooms and how they cheated the midnight bed checks when some were still out dancing in Aylesbury. He also says that the food was cooked by Italian prisoners and was very good.
In 1946 Michael went to RAF Cammeringham pending demobilisation. He was then detached to 48 Maintenance Unit at Wrexham, where he received and checked aircraft guns, before going to RAF Framlingham to await resettlement or repatriation.
Some Polish airmen returned to Poland but Mieczyslaw, by then know as Michael, went to London for resettlement. He claimed that trade unions didn't want the Poles and tried to send them into the mines and foundries but he refused and found a job making spectacles. He met his wife, who is also Polish, in 1960.
In London Michael attended social events and dinners at the Polish Club. He was awarded the Polish Freedom Medal in about 1990 or 1991.
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Geoff Burton]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Anne-Marie Watson]]> Andy Fitter]]> Pending revision of OH transcription]]> eng]]> Sound]]> Royal Air Force]]> Polskie Siły Powietrzne]]> Egypt]]> Gaza Strip]]> Great Britain]]> England--Buckinghamshire]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Shropshire]]> England--Suffolk]]> England--Lincoln]]> England--London]]> England--Wolverhampton]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> Wales]]> Wales--Wrexham]]> Ukraine]]> Poland]]> Poland--Kraków]]> 1939]]> 1942]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1945-05-08]]> 1946]]> 1947]]> 1948]]>
A Gaunt]]> J Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Spalding]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Durban]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> Iraq]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> United Arab Emirates]]> Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah]]> Gaza Strip--Gaza]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Heilbronn]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony)]]> France]]> France--Royan]]> Czech Republic]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Würzburg]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Flensburg]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Egypt]]> Gaza Strip]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Czech Republic--Most]]> United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah (Emirate)]]> 1937]]> 1940-09]]> 1940-11-04]]> 1941-03]]> 1941-08-31]]> 1943-02]]> 1944-04]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1944-12]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-04]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-04-03]]> 1945-04-23]]> 1945-05-06]]> 1945-05]]> A Gaunt]]> J Smith]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> David Bloomfield]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Memoir]]> Royal Air Force]]> Royal Air Force. Bomber Command]]> Great Britain]]> England--Lincolnshire]]> England--Spalding]]> England--Cheshire]]> England--Lancashire]]> England--Blackpool]]> England--Wiltshire]]> England--Liverpool]]> South Africa]]> South Africa--Cape Town]]> South Africa--Durban]]> India]]> India--Mumbai]]> Iraq]]> Iraq--Baṣrah]]> United Arab Emirates]]> Iraq--Ḥabbānīyah]]> Gaza Strip--Gaza]]> Egypt--Cairo]]> Egypt--Alexandria]]> England--Herefordshire]]> England--Northamptonshire]]> Wales--Gwynedd]]> England--Nottinghamshire]]> Germany]]> Germany--Heilbronn]]> Germany--Giessen (Hesse)]]> Poland]]> Poland--Gdynia]]> Belgium]]> Belgium--Houffalize]]> Germany--Wolfsburg (Lower Saxony)]]> France]]> France--Royan]]> Czech Republic]]> Germany--Karlsruhe]]> Germany--Dortmund-Ems Canal]]> Germany--Dresden]]> Germany--Leipzig]]> Germany--Dortmund]]> Atlantic Ocean--Oslofjorden]]> Germany--Würzburg]]> Germany--Wesel (North Rhine-Westphalia)]]> Germany--Nordhausen (Thuringia)]]> Belgium--Brussels]]> Germany--Flensburg]]> Poland--Police (Województwo Zachodniopomorskie)]]> Scotland--Moray]]> Egypt]]> Gaza Strip]]> Germany--Ruhr (Region)]]> Czech Republic--Most]]> United Arab Emirates--Shāriqah (Emirate)]]> 1937]]> 1940-09]]> 1940-11-04]]> 1941-03]]> 1941-08-31]]> 1943-02]]> 1943-12]]> 1944-04]]> 1944-06-12]]> 1944-08-24]]> 1944-11-09]]> 1944-12-04]]> 1944-12-06]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1944-12]]> 1944-12-30]]> 1945-01-01]]> 1945-01-04]]> 1945-01-16]]> 1945-01-13]]> 1945-02-01]]> 1945-02-02]]> 1945-02-07]]> 1945-02-13]]> 1945-02-14]]> 1945-02-20]]> 1945-02-23]]> 1945-03-14]]> 1945-03-16]]> 1945-03-20]]> 1945-03-23]]> 1945-04-03]]> 1945-04-23]]> 1945-05-06]]> 1945-05]]> Great Britain. Royal Air Force]]> IBCC Digital Archive]]> Mike Connock]]> Pending review]]> eng]]> Text]]> Text. Log book and record book]]> Royal Air Force]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina]]> Croatia]]> Greece]]> Hungary]]> Italy]]> Montenegro]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> Serbia]]> Slovenia]]> South Africa]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina--Bugojno (Opština)]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina--Doboj]]> Bosnia and Herzegovina--Tuzla]]> Croatia--Sinj]]> Danube River]]> Gaza Strip--Gaza]]> Greece--Athens]]> Hungary--Székesfehérvár]]> Hungary--Szombathely]]> Italy--Bologna]]> Italy--Brescia]]> Italy--Bronzolo]]> Italy--Casarsa della Delizia]]> Italy--Ferrara]]> Italy--Foggia]]> Italy--Milan]]> Italy--Susegana]]> Italy--Udine]]> Italy--Verona]]> Middle East--Palestine]]> Montenegro--Kolašin]]> Montenegro--Podgorica]]> Serbia--Novi Pazar]]> Slovenia--Borovnica]]> Slovenia--Cerkno]]> Slovenia--Solkan]]> South Africa--East London]]> Greece--Thessalonikē]]> Gaza Strip]]> Danube River]]> 1943]]> 1944]]> 1945]]> 1944-09-02]]> 1944-09-06]]> 1944-09-10]]> 1944-09-12]]> 1944-09-13]]> 1944-09-14]]> 1944-09-17]]> 1944-09-19]]> 1944-09-21]]> 1944-09-26]]> 1944-10-04]]> 1944-10-05]]> 1944-10-09]]> 1944-10-10]]> 1944-10-11]]> 1944-10-12]]> 1944-11-01]]> 1944-11-04]]> 1944-11-05]]> 1944-11-06]]> 1944-11-08]]> 1944-11-10]]> 1944-11-16]]> 1944-11-17]]> 1944-11-18]]> 1944-11-19]]> 1944-11-22]]> 1944-11-25]]> 1944-11-26]]> 1944-12-11]]> 1944-12-13]]> 1944-12-14]]> 1944-12-15]]> 1944-12-16]]> 1944-12-19]]> 1944-12-26]]> 1944-12-27]]> 1945-01-03]]> 1945-01-05]]> 1945-01-15]]> 1945-01-20]]> 1945-01-21]]>