Interview with Mieczyslaw Maryszczak
Mieczyslaw Maryszczak was born in Bokyivka, Ukraine and served in the Polish Army and then the Polish Air Force. An early memory of the war is throwing bread to starving Russian prisoners being marched from Lviv to Podlesice. At seventeen he was in the Polish Army testing repaired tanks in Gaza. After the Allied victory at Alamein he went to Egypt where he joined the Polish Air Force, sailing via South Africa to Liverpool to train at RAF Halton as an armourer.
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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01:31:02 audio recording
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SRAFIngham19410620v070001-Audio
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Jozef Nogal's Autobiography
Jozef's autobiography. He flew with the Polish Air Force and escaped to Romania after the German's invaded. He further escaped to France and flew there against the Germans until he was instructed to head for the UK. He was shot down and taken prisoner. After the war he returned to the UK and continued flying with the RAF. He details the various jobs he took in civilian life.
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Three typewritten sheets
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BNogalJNogalJv10001, BNogalJNogalJv10002, BNogalJNogalJv10003
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Four Partisans
Four civilians with Sten Gun and rifles, sitting under a tree. Information supplied with the collection states 'Partisans near Krakow'.
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One b/w photograph
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PAutonJ1701
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Kraków [place]
Lodz
This page is an entry point for a place. Please use the links below to see all relevant documents available in the Archive.
Poland and Six City Badges
A postcard with badges of six cities.
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One printed postcard
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MNogalJ19110317-171129-020019
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