Memories

Biographical notes:

Mounir Abdallah Bouamrane (Munir Abd Allah abu Amran) (b. March 4, 1968 in Algiers, d. May 7, 2004 in Iraq) - an editor of sound and image of Algerian origin, killed during a journalistic mission in Iraq along with journalist Waldemar Milewicz.

His mother was Polish. After passing his A-level exam (1988), he moved to Poland and became a technician of audiovisual equipment. From 1993, he worked in Polish Television. He was an image and sound editor at the Television Information Agency and cooperated with, among others, information programs (Panorama).

At the beginning of May 2004, he left for Iraq together with the Polish Television team, fulfilling the role of both an editor and a translator.He died when the vehicle he was travelling in came under fire. . He was posthumously awarded with the Golden Cross of Merit by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

He is buried in the Muslim Cemetery in Warsaw's Powązki Cemetery

Biographical notes:

Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski alias “Bór", "Znicz", "Lawina" (b. June 1, 1895 in Chorobrów [in the area of Brzeżany], d. August 24, 1966 in Buckley, England) - Division General of the Polish Army, commander of the Home Army.

He was born in the family of Mieczysław Marian Komorowski, the coat of arms: Korczak, and Wanda Zaleska-Prawdzic. He was related to General Tadeusz Rozwadowski, in whose estate he was born. He started his military career in the Austro-Hungarian army. During the First World War, he served on the Russian and Italian frontlines. He was in the Polish Army from 1918. In the Bolshevik war he was the commander of 12th Uhlan Regiment. He took part in the battle of Komarów (and was also wounded in the battle).

Then, among others, he was a riding instructor at the Officers' School of Artillery in Warsaw (1922-1923), participant in the Olympic Games in Paris 1924 in equestrianism, quartermaster and then deputy commander of the 8th Uhlan Regiment (1924-1926), manager of the equestrian team at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin [1]. In the years 1927-1938, he was the commander of the 9th Uhlan Regiment in Trembowla, and in 1938-1939, the commandant of the Cavalry Training Centre in Grudziądz.

In the September campaign, he was first commander of the Cavalry Reserve Centre in Garwolin, and then the deputy commander of the Combined Cavalry Brigade, Colonel Adam Zakrzewski, in the Army of Lublin.

In the underground, he was commandant of the Krakow Area of ​​the ZWZ. From May 1940, he was Brigadier General. After uncovering and getting to Warsaw, he was deputy commander of the main ZWZ - Home Army commander, from July 1, 1943 (formally from July 17) commander of the Home Army. From March 1944, he was Division General. He made the decision regarding the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising:

SOLDIERS OF THE CAPITAL CITY! Today, I have given you the command you crave to openly fight against the eternal enemy of Poland, the German invaders. After five years of continual struggle, in underground conspiracy, you are today standing openly with a gun in your hands, to restore freedom to the homeland and to punish German criminals with an exemplary punishment for terror and crimes committed in Polish lands.

From September 30, 1944 – He was Supreme Commander of the Polish Armed Forces and after the fall of the uprising, was in captivity.

After the war, he was in exile in Great Britain, where until 1946 he was the Supreme Commander of the Polish Armed Forces in exile. From 1947-1949he was the Prime Minister of the Polish Government –in- Exile. From July 1956, he was a member of the émigré Council of Three. He is buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery in London.

• Order of the White Eagle (posthumously 1995)
• Commander's Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari
• Knight's Cross of the Virtuti Militari
• The Golden Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari
• Silver Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari
• The Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
• Cross of Valour - three times
• Golden Cross of Merit with Swords
• Golden Cross of Merit
• Silver Cross of Merit
• General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski had the title of count, he came from a family of the Korczak coat of arms.
• In 2004, General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski was posthumously awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Głowno.

Biographical notes:

Clarence Felician Chinniah (b. 1951, d. January 8, 2009 in Warsaw) - Sri Lankan diplomat, extraordinary ambassador and plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Poland.

A diplomatic mission as ambassador was completed on August 30, 2007.

Biographical notes:

The late Ryszard Stefan Dembiński (February 24, 1924 - June 29, 2008) - exiled to Siberia, he and his mother were sent to Kazakhstan by the Soviets. He joined the army of General Władysław Anders and later as a soldier of General Stanisław Maczek’s 1^st Armored Division, who took part in the liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. After the war, Ryszard Dembiński remained in exile in London. There, he served as Secretary, member of the editorial board and Chairman of the Editorial Committee of the "Review of Cavalry and Armoured Weapons" for many years. He was active at the Polish Institute and Museum of General Sikorski in London. From 1999 he was an honorary member of the Archival Heritage Council at the Minister of Culture, the Council of the Polish Underground Studies and the Chapter of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

BONGO c organized the transportation of the Dembiński family - cavalry master Ryszard Stefan Dembiński and his wife Wanda Róża Raczyńska of the coat of arms of Nałęcz. The bodies were transported from London to Poznań.

The couple was buried in the crypt of the Raczyński family in Rogalin.

Biographical notes:

The late Wanda Dembińska of the Raczyński family (30/09/1933 - 02/02/2016) - the daughter of the President of Poland (Edward Raczyński), a sophsticated lady with great wisdom in life. She had an outstanding opportunity to get to know many key Polish personalities of the twentieth century and thus she was a true witness to history. She always treated people with respect and kindness. A sense of humor and joy for life with an admirable attitude she struggled with a serious, incurable disease. Her deep and fervent faith in God gave her strength.

BONGO organized the transportion of the Dembiński family - cavalry master Ryszard Stefan Dembiński and his wife Wanda Róża Raczyńska of the coat of arms of Nałęcz. The bodies were transported from London to Poznań.

The couple was buried in the crypt of the Raczyński family in Rogalin.

Biographical notes:

Józef Haller von Hallenburg (b. August 13, 1873 in Jurczyce, d. June 4, 1960 in London) - General of the Polish Army,a legionary, a scoutmaster, ZHP Chairman and a political and social activist. He was the cousin of General Stanisław Haller.

He was born on August 13, 1873 in the estate of Jurczyce near Kraków (Skawina municipality), as the third child of the aristocrat-landlord Henryk Haller von Hallenburg and Olga from the Treter family. He was an ancestor of Jan Haller, bookseller and owner of the first publishing house in Poland in the 16th century. Józef's younger brother, Cezary, was later a member of the Austrian parliament and Captain of the Polish army.

In 1882, the Haller family moved to Lviv, where young Józef began his studies in German middle-school. After graduating from the school, he joined the Lower Military School in Košice in Hungary (now Slovakia), and then to the prestigious Higher Military School in Hranice in Moravia (then Maehrisch-Weisskirchen), which was also attended by the Austrian Archduchess. After graduating, he studied at the Vienna University of Technology in the Faculty of Artillery.

In 1903, he married Aleksandra Sala. In 1906, his son Eryk was born.

After graduation, Józef Haller was appointed the rank of Second Lieutenant and began a 15-year period of service in the Austrian army. Between 1895 and 1910, he served in the 11th Regiment of Artillery in Lviv and Stanislaviv. He was the instructor and then the commandant in the one-year volunteer officers' School of Artillery. He carried out a reform in teaching, removing demoralized professional officers from instructor positions and replacing them with volunteers. In spite of the adverse consequences he suffered from his superiors, he introduced the Polish language to officer schools. He referred to the resolutions of the Vienna Parliament, which allowed partial use of the Polish language in the army. For outstanding results, he received the highest Austrian military decoration, the Military Medal of Merit (Signum Laudis) [1].

In 1910, he retired from service in the Austro-Hungarian army due to the fact that
having achieved the rank of captain, he was “not able to learn anything new in Austrian artillery” and would leave it to “serve the country in a different way, until the moment my fatherland needs me”.

After leaving the army, Haller devoted himself to social work. He was an active member of the cooperative movement, where he achieved considerable success. In 1912, he took the position of an inspector at the Association of Agricultural Societies, where he dealt with organization of agricultural, breeding and dairy courses. He also became involved with the scout movement and Gymnastic Society "Sokół” [“Falcon”] that was established in 1911. Haller’s priorities there dealt with the militarization of the "Sokół” as well as with the ‘polonization’ of the scout movement and transforming it into scouting.

From mid-1912, he worked hard as a military instructor: he established the Sokół team, organized secret military, non-commissioned and officers' courses for the Polish youth. In 1913, together with his colleagues, he developed designs of scout badges and terms, many of which are still used today. He made a special contribution to the development of the Scout Cross, proposing a combination of the Maltese cross with the Polish cross of Virtuti Militari.

When the Great War broke out, it became a signal to mobilize members of Polish paramilitary patriotic organizations. On August 27, 1914, an order was issued to establish the Polish Legions, under which the Eastern Legion began to be formed in Lviv under the command of General Adam Pietraszkiewicz. Haller, who was released from conscription to the Austrian army, was the main founder of this formation created by merging Field Teams of "Sokół", Bartosz Brigades and parts of Polish Rifle Squads. At that time, the defeats suffered in Galicia by the Austrian army led to the Russian army occupying Lviv and the entire eastern Galicia. The legion had to evacuate to the area around Mszana Dolna. The unit, despite being completely formed, did not enter the fight. As a result of a loss in morale among the soldiers and opposition to the oath demanded by the Austrian command of the emperor, the legion disbanded.

Józef Haller took command of the soldiers who wanted to continue fighting with Russia in the Polish Legions. After reforming and completing the ranks with new volunteers, he took the position of commander of the 3^rd Legions’ Infantry Regiment. At that time, he was promoted to the position of lieutenant-colonel. On September 30, 1914, he set off with his unit from Krakow to the front line in the Eastern Carpathians. In extremely difficult terrain and climatic conditions, the Brigade supported the defence of the Carpathian passes and hindered Russian access to Hungary.

At the beginning of October 1914, the brigade reached the Carpathians on the Hungarian side. On October 12, the troops of the 3rd Infantry Regiment (under the command of Haller) took over the village of Rafajłowa, which was already in Galicia. The main forces of the Legions reached Rafajłowa on 22 and 23 October, via the road built by sappers leading through the pass near the Pantyr mountain in Gorgany (after the war they were given the Pass of the Legions and the Road of the Legions) and took off in the direction of Stanisławów. On October 24, they conquered Nadworna, and on October 29, fought at Molotov and, having suffered heavy losses, retreated again to the area of ​​Rafajłowa. In November, the brigade was divided into two units; those under the command of Haller remained in Rafajłowa while the others continued fighting in the Hutsul region and northern Bukovina.

On January 24, 1915, the Russians launched a violent night attack on the position of the 3rd Regiment of the Legions. However, due to their actions and courage of their commander, they defeated the enemy and took many Prisoners of War.  . As a result of continuous fights, however, the divisions lost nearly 50% of their soldiers.

After repelling the attacks and re-stabilizing the front line, Lieutenant Colonel Haller handed over the command of the 3rd Regiment to Major Minkiewicz, and he himself remained in the 2nd Brigade as an officer at the disposal of the commander. On March 14, 1915, he was promoted to the rank of colonel.

In May 1915, he involved in a serious car accident near Częstochowa and was hospitalized for 10 months. In the spring of 1916, Haller joined the Colonels’ Council, gathering commanders of legionary units, in opposition to the pro-Austrian Legion Command. In July 1916, he was re-assigned and became commander of the 2nd Brigade of Polish Legions. After a crisis in swearing allegiance, in July 1917, he was assigned to command the Second Brigade, which became part of the Polish Auxiliary Corps subordinate to Austria.

On February 15, 1918, protesting against the provisions of the Treaty of Brest, together with his second Brigade and other Polish troops, he broke through the Austrian-Russian front at Rarańcza and joined Polish forces in Russia. He received the assignment as the commander of the newly formed 5th Polish Rifle Division, and from March 28, 1918, commanded units of the entire Polish II Corps in Ukraine. On April 7, 1918, he was nominated for the rank of general.

The presence of Polish units in Ukraine was seen by Germany as a violation of the conditions of the Brest Treaty. On the night of May 10-11, 1918, without any prior notice, the majority of German troops attacked Polish units deployed near Kaniowa. After a full day of struggle and the depletion of ammunition stocks, the Polish II Corps was forced to lay down arms. German losses amounted to about 1500 killed and wounded, Polish losses were less than 1000. After the disbandment of the Corps, Józef Haller escaped captivity and, under the false name of "Mazowiecki", made his way through Kiev to Moscow, where he became Head of the Polish Military Commission.

In July 1918, General Haller arrived in France after a long journey via Karelia and Murmansk. On 4 October 1918, the Polish National Committee entrusted him with formal command over the formation of the Polish army. These units were organized through a voluntary enlistment of Poles serving in the French army, former Polish prisoners of war from the Austro-Hungarian and German armies (about 35,000), and Polish emigrants from the US (about 22,000 recruited in Camp Kosciuszko) and Brazil (300 people). From February 23, 1918, political control over the army was exercised by the Polish National Committee. Under the agreement of September 28, 1918, the Blue Army was recognized by the Entente countries as the only independent, allied and the only co-armed Polish army.

In 1918, the Army units under the command of Haller (the 1st Polish Rifle Regiment from July and, from October the 1st, Polish Riflemen Division) fought with the Germans on the Western Front in the Vosges and Champagne.

The end of the war did not stop the expansion of the army. Its number eventually exceeded 100,000 soldiers. Armed entirely by France, it became a significant military force. Until June 1919, along with all the equipment, the army was transported in several stages to Poland via Gdańsk. The modern weaponry of the Blue Army, and especially the aircraft and tanks Renault FT-17, significantly strengthened the formation Polish Army. General Haller arrived in Warsaw on April 21, 1919, where he was greeted as a national hero and was granted honorary citizenship of Warsaw.

As the Blue Army was the only uniformly armed large operating union in the reconstructed Polish Army, the command decided not to divide it into smaller unions. All of the forces were directed to the front of Polish-Ukrainian fights. In the victorious battles with the Ukrainian army, Haller's army went through Eastern Galicia and Volhynia and reached the line of the Zbrucz River. However, in June, the general himself was directed to the land around the Polish-German border in order to take command of the South-West Front.

In October 1919, Haller was entrusted with the command of the Pomeranian Front, created to claim the territory of Pomerania in a planned and peaceful way, as the territory was granted to Poland in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles. According to the plan, the acquisition of Pomeranian territories began on January 18, 1920, from the takeover of Toruń by the units of the 16th Pomeranian Infantry Division. Individual towns were taken over from the retreating German troops until February 11, 1920, when the last soldiers left Gdańsk.

Despite several incidents, among which there were attempts to demonstrate armed resistance, as well as numerous cases of sabotage, taking over Pomerania for Poland proceeded without major disruptions. On 10 February 1920, General Haller, together with the Minister of Internal Affairs Stanisław Wojciechowski and the new administration of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, came to Puck where he conducted a symbolic ‘marriage’ of Poland and the Baltic Sea.

In 1920, Haller was appointed as General Inspector of the Volunteer Army, during the organization of which he made a significant contribution. During the Battle of Warsaw he commanded troops defending the foreground of the capital. He was also a member of the Council of State Defence (July-August 1920), and then led the North-Eastern Front. He served in this post until the end of the war.

After the war, Józef Haller served as General Inspector of Artillery (in 1920-1926) and chairman of the Supreme Military Review Commission. He was a member of the War Council, chaired the Hallerczyk Union and, from July 3, 1920 to February 4, 1923, chaired the Polish Scouting Association. In the years 1922-1927, he was a member of the Sejm from the list of the Christian Union of National Unity.

Because of his nationalist views, he was considered as one of those responsible for anti-Jewish riots in Częstochowa in 1919, in which soldiers of the "Blue Army" took part. He was also said to be responsible for causing a hostile atmosphere towards President Gabriel Narutowicz, claiming he had been elected by "non-Polish" votes.

Gen. Haller condemned the May coup of Józef Piłsudski, as a result of which he was retired on July 31, 1926.

In the 1920s, together with his wife Aleksandra and son Eryk, he settled in Pomerania, in the the estate of Gorzuchowo near Chełmno. In 1933, he travelled to the United States with the mission of helping veterans and disabled members of the "Blue Army".

In the years 1936-1939, he was one of the organizers and leaders of Front Morges, which was in opposition to the Sanation movement. On October 10, 1937, at the Constitutional Congress of the Labour Party, he was elected President of the Supreme Council of the Polish United Labour Party.

General Haller had excellent communication with academic youth. In recognition of his merits for the Polish nation and especially for Polish Pomerania, in 1921 he was awarded the title of the member of the honoris causa rank and the Protector of Student Corporation of the Poznań University of Baltia, including prof. Jan Kasprowicz, Prof. Edward Taylor (curator of Baltia on behalf of the University of Poznań), Father Józef Prądzyński, the chaplain of the Corporation. Roman Dmowski became the patron and first member of the Corporation.

Józef Haller was the first (and long-term) President of the Baltia Philister Circle; protector and co-organizer of the annual, representative Student Corporation Ball of the Poznań University of Baltia at the Artus Court in Toruń; the contributor of the edge of Pomeranian land in the village of Hallerowo, where summer camps of the Baltia Academic Corporation were held. Often, he would also come with his son Eryk, a member of the corporation from the monarchist Corona Academic Corporation to Komersze and other celebrations of Baltia.

After World War II broke out, he managed to get through Romania to France. He made himself available to form the government of General Władysław Sikorski and presided over the Interministerial Registration Committee. In the first days of November 1939, he joined the government as a minister without a portfolio. At the turn of 1939-1940 he made another trip to America, this time to encourage the Polish Diaspora there to join the Polish Army that was forming in France.

After the fall of France, he managed to get through Spain and Portugal to Great Britain where, in the years 1940-1943, he was the Minister of Education in the Polish Government- in- Exile.

After the war, Józef Haller decided to stay in exile and settled permanently in London, where he died on June 4, 1960 at the age of 87, surrounded by the legend of the "Blue General". He was buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery, London. Thanks to the initiative of Polish scouts, the “White” team, his ashes returned on April 23, 1993 to Poland and are stored in a crypt in the garrison church of St. Agnes in Kraków

Promotions
• Captain of Artillery - 1909
• Captain of Infantry - October 18, 1914
• Major of Infantry - October 25, 1914
• Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry - November 20, 1914
• Colonel of Infantry - March 14, 1915 (2nd place on the seniority list of officers of the Polish Legions of April 12, 1917)
• Brigadier General - April 7, 1918
• Division General - November 29, 1918
• General of the Branch - June 10, 1920

Orders and decorations
• Order of the White Eagle
• Silver Cross of the Military Order of Virtuti Militari
• Commander's Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland [3]
• Cross of Valour (four times)
• Military Medal of Merit (Austro-Hungary)
• Second-class Honorary Legion (France)
• Cross of War (France)
• Order of the Italian Crown of the second class (Italy)
• Liberty Cross II class (Estonia)

Biographical notes:

Anna Maria Jacobini (Rome, 27/02/1958 - Krakow, 29/07/2016) was an Italian journalist.

She worked as a correspondent in the Vatican for programs La vita in diretta from Rai 1. A well-known journalist, she came to Krakow to broadcast relations for two programs broadcast in the first channel of Italian public television, after reports of the Pope.

She died of a heart attack in Kraków whilst traveling to World Youth Day as a correspondent of La vita in diretta.

Biographical notes:

Jan Wojciech Kiwerski (alias Olive, born 23 May 1910), died April 18, 1944), Polish military officer, officer of the Home Army, from February 11, 1944, commander of the 27th Volhynian Infantry Division of the Home Army.

He was born on May 23, 1910 in Krakow as the son of a doctor. When he was 9 years old, his father died followed by his mother five years later. After the death of his parents, he was admitted to the Cadet Corps No. 2 at the age of 14. In June 1928, he received a high school diploma with honours and, as one of the best graduates, used the right to choose a weapon, taking up further service in the sappers forces.

He graduated from the Officer Cadet School in Warsaw in August 1931 to the rank of Second Lieutenant and began his service in the 3rd Battalion of Sappers in Vilnius. From Vilnius, he was transferred to the Battalion of Bridges in Kazuń in 1934. He commanded a platoon there until July 1937, i.e. until he was appointed to the Higher Military School in Warsaw. He graduated on August 18, 1939 (eighteenth promotion), obtaining the title of a qualified officer in the rank of captain, thus becoming one of the youngest officers of the Polish Army in this position.

He held the September campaign in the Independent Operational Group "Narew" and then in the "Polesie" Operational Group. After the capitulation at Kock (October 5), General Kleeberg let those soldiers who did not want to be taken as prisoners leave the field. Jan Kiwerski used this permit. He arrived in Warsaw in November 1939. From December 1939, he entered the so-called the staff of the SZP diversion, established and directed by Major F. Niepokólczycki. From 1942, he was the commander of the Dispatching Branches, then the Branches ("Motor" - "Sztuka”) of the Kedyw of the Home Army Headquarters, using the pseudonyms: ”Ziomek”, ”Rudzki”, ”Kalinowski”, ”Lipiński”, and later as ”Dyrektor”. In November 1942, he was promoted to the rank of major. He often personally led teams of soldiers in diversion actions.

In December 1943, Major "Oliwa" received a nomination for the position of the Chief of Staff of the Volyn District. So he went to Volhynia to get an idea of ​​the situation there. On February 2, 1944, "Oliwa" again went to Kowel, and on February 5, 1944, he reached the headquarters of the colonel “Luboń." According to the orders given by "Oliwa", Colonel "Luboń" went to Warsaw for a new post, and Maj. Dipl. “Oliwa" took over the command of the Volyn District. On February 11, 1944, he took command of the 27th Volhynian Infantry Division of the Home Army, formed from the forces of the District.

In Volyn Maj. Dipl. “Oliwa" became known as a very valuable commander, using all the skills and experience gained in his previous work. He quickly recognized the various units of the Division, their combat capabilities and brought new values ​​in the field of soldier training. He was respected and loved by them as a firm and reliable leader.

The grave of Jan Kiwerski at Military Cementary of Powązki

Jan Wojciech Kiwerski died tragically in the area of ​​the Dobry Kraj khutor in unexplained circumstances on April 18, 1944 at noon. He was buried in the area near ​​Stężarzyce wilderness hut, in the Mosur forests in Volhynia.

In September 1989, his body was exhumed and temporarily placed in the Garrison Church in Warsaw. On April 21, 1990, they were laid to rest at Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw in the Scout Headquarters of the "Zośka" Home Army Battalion. He was buried with two soldiers who died while fighting to retrieve his dead body.

On April 20, 1990, the Polish President posthumously promoted him to Brigadier General.

Jan Wojciech Kiwerski "Oliwa" was decorated with the 4th Class Virtuti Militari Cross, V grade and the Cross of Valour.

Biographical notes:

The late Jan Jerzy Kulczyk (24/06/1950 - 29/07/2015) - Polish entrepreneur, owner of the Kulczyk Holding company and Kulczyk Investments international investment group. In 2012, Forbes magazine placed Jan Kulczyk in the first place of the list of the richest Polish business people. In 2013, the American magazine Forbes placed Jan Kulczyk in 384thplace among the richest people in the world, estimating his assets at USD 3.5 billion.

Jan Kulczyk also awarded numerous awards, including: Officer's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland, Honorary Pearl of the Polish Economy in the economy category, the title of Patron of Culture.

In July 2015, BONGO transported the body of the richest Pole, Mr. Jan Kulczyk, from Vienna to Poznań.

Biographical notes:

She was the daughter of Antoni Ledóchowski (1823-1885), an officer in the Austrian army and Józefina of the Salis-Zizers Family (1831-1909). She was the sister of blessed Maria Teresa Ledóchowska and Włodzimierz Ledóchowski, and niece of Mieczysław Halka Ledóchowski.

When Julia was 18 years old, she moved with her family to the Lipnica Dolna district of Bochnia (see Dwór Ledóchowskich) [reference needed]. Three years later, she joined the Ursuline convent in Kraków, taking the name Urszula.

In 1907, having received the blessing of Pius X and her two sisters, she went to St. Petersburg to take over management of the boarding school at the Polish gymnasium. In 1910, a house for the community and a boarding school for girls were established. Four years later, mother Urszula was expelled from Russia, which was caused by the beginning of World War I. Urszula Ledóchowska went to Stockholm and then to Denmark.

In Scandinavia, she continued her pedagogical work - she established a girls' school, an orphan shelter of Polish émigrés and collaborated with the Committee for Aid to War Victims established in Switzerland by Henryk Sienkiewicz, trying to sensitize Scandinavian people to the cause of Poland's independence.

In 1920, the St. Petersburg Ursulines returned to Poland and settled in Pniewy near Poznań. Shortly thereafter, Benedict XV allowed them to transform into the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Heart of the dying Jesus, intended to live the Ursuline spirituality and the tradition of educational work as a privileged tool for evangelization. As part of it, the Ursulines of the SJK (called grey Ursulines from the colour of habit) were active not only in Poland, but also in Italy and France.

On January 1, 1925, she founded Poland’s first Association of the Eucharistic Crusade in Pniewy.

She was highly regarded and respected for the sacrifices she made for others (especially children) and for the serenity of the spirit which she recognized as a testimony to her relationship with Christ. She died during a visit to Rome and it was said that "the saint” had died.

On June 20, 1983, in Poznań, John Paul II beatified Mother Urszula, and on May 18, 2003, he canonized her in Rome. In 1989, on the fiftieth anniversary of her death, the preserved body of Blessed Ursula was transported from Rome to Pniewy and placed in the chapel of the home she had founded.

Several parishes, in Lublin Węglina, Bydgoszcz Miedzyń, Gdańsk Chełm and Gdynia Chwarznie, are named after her.

Biographical notes:

Witold Małcużyński (b. August 10, 1914 in Warsaw, d. July 17, 1977 in Mallorca), Polish pianist.

A graduate of the middle school of Jan Zamoyski in Warsaw (1932). [1] At the age of 10 (1924), he began to learn to play the piano, learning at the Warsaw Conservatoire. He was a student of Józef Turczyński and Ignacy Paderewski. In 1937, he became the laureate of the 3rd International Piano Competition of Fryderyk Chopin (3rd prize). During World War II, he was assigned to the artistic and propaganda section, a role in which he visited Polish military camps and put on concerts in Paris. Before the Germans entered, he and his wife left France in a sealed railway wagon and went to Portugal. In October 1940, he went to Argentina and then on a tour of South America, where he was very successful. In April 1942, he went to the USA and gave concerts in New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and many other cities. In March 1945, he traveled to England and began recording his first albums, which became one of the main sources of his popularity. After World War II, he settled in Switzerland before leaving for the USA in 1949 to begin the Chopin Year with his recital in New York. He traveled across the Americas, Australia, India and Europe, and performed in Poland several times. Witold Małcużyński contributed in helping the return of Wawel treasures and priceless souvenirs of national culture (from Canadian authorities), which had been transported to Canada during the war period. He died in Majorca on July 17, 1977.

Małcużyński's repertoire included classical and romantic works, especially those of Fryderyk Chopin.

The brother of Karol Małcużyński was an MP for the Sejm and a journalist.

He was the first Pole (in the '50s and '60s) to learn yoga using the BKS method Iyengar, which he used to prepare before the concerts.

Biographical notes:

Alan P. Merriam - American ethno-musicologist. He died in a plane crash near Okęcie Airport in 1980.

Biographical notes:

Waldemar Milewicz (b. August 20, 1956 in Dobre Miasto, d. May 7, 2004 in Latifijja) - a TV journalist, reporter and war correspondent.

He graduated in psychology. In 1981, he started working in Polish Television as an editor and documentary editor of Dziennik Telewizyjny then, from 1988, was the head of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Correspondents in the Information Programs Directorate. In 1991, he became a journalist for the Foreign Department of the Television Information Agency and then, from 1992, worked as a journalist in the Foreign Department of the Wiadomości editorial office .

He was a war correspondent and reported events from areas of armed conflicts and great catastrophes. He made documentaries from places such as Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Abkhazia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Romania, Turkey and Spain. He is well-known thanks to a series of documentaries entitled Dziwny jest ten świat [This World Is Strange]. He received many awards for his work. Among others, he was honoured four times by the President of Polish Television, received the title of Journalist of the Year, was the winner of Wiktor, the Polish Pulitzer, Telekamery and the Grand Press award. Johns Hopkins University awarded him the SAIS-Ciba Prize for Excellence in Journalism. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of state television, the President of the Republic of Poland honoured him with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In 2003, he reported on the Second Gulf War.

He died in Iraq on May 7, 2004, when the car of a Polish team of journalists travelling from Baghdad to Karbala and Najaf came under fire (for the murder, Salah Chabbas was accused). Together with him, the Algerian editor of Polish citizenship, Mounir Bouamrane, was killed, and the camera operator Jerzy Ernst was wounded. He was posthumously awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. The urn with his ashes was buried in the Military Cemetery in Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.

Biographical notes:

He was 65 years old. He graduated from the prestigious Moscow Institute of International Relations. In his diplomatic career he was an ambassador in Belgium, France and a representative of Russia to NATO.

In the 90s, he served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He became an ambassador in Warsaw in 2002 and performed this role at a time when Polish-Russian relations became, to put it mildly, difficult. Controversy aroused by his letter on the occasion of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising - Afanasjew wrote then about the "indisputable results of World War II" and appealed to "not make attempts to rewrite history anew".

At the beginning of this year, he criticized Polish "spies" and appealed to Russian companies in Poland "not to create the reputation of the mafiosos".

The Ambassador acted to facilitate tourist traffic between Poland and Russia, which - as he argued - could improve mutual relations between the two countries. He postulated the introduction of cheap and fast visas, including the ones for young people, students and people visiting the graves of relatives.

Biographical notes:

Mjr art. res. Jan Piwnik, alias ”Ponury", ”Donat", born August 31, 1912 in the village of Janowice, in the area of Opatów. He was the son of Jan (a farmer) and Zofia Kłonica. In 1924, he was admitted to the second class of the State Gymnasium of Chreptowicz in Ostrowiec, graduating in 1932 and receiving a secondary school certificate. From August 11, 1932 to June 23, 1933, he was in the Artillery Officer Cadet School in Włodzimierz Wołyński and transferred to train in the 10th Heavy Artillery Regiment (7th battery), on September 20 to the reserve. He was appointed to the rank of Second Lieutenant on January 1, 1935. He then joined the State Police and, in 1938, graduated from the police reserve school in Golędzinów. During the September 1939 campaign, he led a company in the motorized police battalion, including the defence of the Pilica River. On September 23 he crossed the river at the Polish-Hungarian border. Traveling through Hungary, Yugoslavia and Italy, he reached France on November 11, where he was assigned to the 4th Heavy Artillery Regiment 4 DR.

After the surrender of France in June 1940, he was evacuated to Great Britain. There, he was assigned to the 4th Light Artillery Squadron of the 4th Cadre Brigade of Riflemen and later the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade. In October 1940, he volunteered to serve in the country. After training in the field of diversion, he was sworn in to Branch VI of the Staff of the NW on October 10, 1941.

On the night of 7/8 November 1941 (air force operation “Ruction", team 1), he jumped to the "Ugór" receiving station, located near Łyszkowice, 20 km west of Skierniewice. From December 1941 to April 9, 1942, he served as the head of reception in the "Syrena" Airborne Unit of the Home Army Headquarters. He had been intended to be the leader of the security of the Government Delegate. At his own request, on May 15, he was assigned to one of the “Wachlarz” units as the commander of the second section, with the main direction of action being Kiev and Kharkiv, covering the area of ​​the Volyn region and further east. After a short reconnaissance trip to Volhynia and Ukraine, in the second half of June 1942 he finally left Warsaw for Równe. In July, together with his deputy lieutenant “Czarka" (Jan Rogowski), he was arrested in Zwiahle, from where he managed to escape after a few weeks thanks to the help of his companions. After reaching Korets (Dr. Haduch), he was placed in the Tarnopolski estate in the face of extreme exhaustion, where he became seriously ill with dysentery. After his recovery, he started work but Lt. Klon (Tadeusz Klimowski) was nominated for his replacement as the commander of the Second Section. Faced with the impossibility of performing his function, at the end of September after many adventures, he was able to get to Warsaw.

Appointed by General “Grot" (Stefan Rowecki) on December 31, he was leader of the mission aimed at freeing soldiers of ”Wachlarz” from a prison in Pińsk. The mission was successfully carried out on January 18, 1943, with released prisoners being transported to Warsaw. For these actions, he was decorated with Virtuti Militari of 5 on February 3rd. After the dissolution of “Wachlarz”, he was assigned to “Kedyw KG” of the Home Army, where, amongst other things, he was: an instructor at the “Zagajnik” subversion school, from June 4 the head of the Kedyw Section of Kielce District and, at the same time, the commander of the "Partisan Groupings of Ponury", who on average consisted of about 350 soldiers. At the same time he divided partisan units into: Group No. 1 commanded by lieutenant “Nurta" (Eugeniusz Kaszyński), Group No. 2 under the command of lieutenant “Robot" (Waldemar Szwiec) and Group No. 3 under the command of lieutenant “Mariański" (Stanisław Pałac). He made contact with Ing. Kazimierz Czerniewski, alias “Korebko", who organized the underground production of "Sten" machine guns in a factory in Suchedniów.

On the night of 2/3 July, the group made a diversion on two German trains between the Suchedniów and Łączna stations with the loss of one partisan. On July 12, 1943, the Germans, in revenge for train attacks, conducted the first pacification of the village of Michniów. In response, the partisans arranged to ambush a passenger train travelling from Skarżysko to Kielce (near the railway block "Podłazie" near Michnia). The halted train was shot at and after taking control of the wagons, almost all of the Germans on board were killed. At dawn on 13 July, the Germans again surrounded Michniów and burnt it to the ground, as well as murdering the people there. In total, 204 residents of Michniów died. The German manhunt (organized on July 19) on the area of ​​the guerilla camp at Wykus did not achieve the expected results as the "Ponury" had been informed about the prepared manhunt and went to the Forests of Starachowice, and then at the beginning of August in the Forests of Osieka. For reasons of security and supply, he separated the groups as follows: The "Robot" went to Koneckie, "Nurta" to the Forests of Siekierzyńskie, and "Mariański" to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. From then on, they fought separately, performing a series of combat tasks. On September 4 at midday, Lieutenant “Robot" took over the Wólka Plebańska railway station and, upon the arrival of the train from Koluszki to Rozwadów, was attacked. As a result of the act, Second Lieutenant “Rafał” (Rafał Niedzielski) died. 16 Germans were killed and a dozen were wounded. Weapons, ammunition and equipment were acquired.

For the purpose of presenting a banner, he ordered the concentration of all camps in Wykus on September 16, 1943. In the face of reports of a German manhunt, he moved the troops to the forests in Barwinek. However, at dawn on September 16, the enemy attacked. The fight lasted until dusk. Subsequently, they broke away from the enemy and after three days met in Łysica in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. He moved to the area of ​​forests of the Samsonów Forest District. On October 4, he separated the groups again, went to the village of Rejów near Skarżysko with the security team and lodged himself in the mill of Władysław Cioka, where on October 7 the head of the Kedyw of the Home Army AK was to confront Colonel "Nil" (August Emil Fieldorf). After the briefing, the mill was attacked by the superior forces of the enemy, but all the officers there managed to retreat to the nearby forest. A partisan from the security team died, corporal “Jędrek" (Andrzej Pasek). At that time, the "Robot" group was in the Niekłańskie Forests, and its commander was unwell in their hideout in Wielka Wieś, which was attacked on October 14. “Jędrek" died while attempting to break through, despite being supported by the team.

After re-concentration of the camps in Wykus, taken by total surprise, on the morning of October 28, the Germans set up a manhunt during which 27 soldiers from the unit of Lieutenant “Jacek" (Jan Kosiński) and 9 from the "Ponury" were killed. It became clear that there was a Gestapo agent in the staff, who later turned out to be a Second Lieutenant “Motor" (Jerzy Wojnowski). After breaking through, the "Ponury” ordered a partial demobilization. After the defeat, he fell into open conflict with the District Command, which gradually grew as a result of exposing the civilian population to repression and failure to perform the function of the head of Kedyw of the Radomsko-Kielce District, and only commanding groups.

On October 7, 1943, he renounced the function of the head of Kedyw and, on January 2, 1944, he was dismissed by Colonel "Nil" from arranging the groups, from which lieutenant ”Nurt” took over. On January 20, he left for Warsaw. “Motor", after being captured and interrogated, was shot on January 28, 1944. He was then assigned to Major “Kotwicz" (Maciej Kalenkiewicz) and, on February 20, left Warsaw for the Novogrod district. Until April, he had participated in settling organizational and personal matters as well as training staff.

He participated in the composition of the Military Special Court in the case of Lieutenant “Lech" (Józef Świda), commander of the Nadniemeńskie Group. From May 1, he was the leader of the VII battalion of the 77 unit of the Home Army of the Navahrudak District which, at its peak, had about 800 soldiers. On April 29, he led an unsuccessful attempt to take over Szczuczyn. The most important parts of the battalion included the capture of German defence points in Wasiliszki and Skrzybowce (in May), in Juchnowicze and the defeat of the German relief from Nowy Dwór to Juchnowicz on June 8. He was killed on June 16, 1944 during a successful attack on the German stiitzpunkt in Ještales, and was buried in Wawiórka near Lida. He was posthumously appointed to the rank of major. He was awarded with The War Order of Virtuti Militari in both the 4th class and 5th class, respectively. After the war, he was strongly condemned by communist authorities, including for the liquidation of part of the bandit branch of the People's Guard "Tanka" (Zenon Kołodziejski) on December 8, 1943. His legacy’ established in the Kielce region during the time of German occupation, was diminished. On September 17, 1987, after eighteen years of efforts, the ashes of the Major were brought from Novgorodskoye to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and were laid to eternal rest on June 12, 1988, in the Cistercian monastery in Wąchock.

Biographical notes:

Edward Bernard Raczyński (b. December 19, 1891 in Zakopane, d. July 30, 1993 in London) - Polish diplomat, politician, writer and Polish President (in exile between 1979 and 1986).

He was both the oldest (he took office at the age of 95) and the longest-living President of the Republic of Poland (he died at the age of 101 years and 7 months).

Youth

The count came from the well-known Greater Poland family of Raczyński, the Nałęcz coat of arms. His father was Edward Aleksander Raczyński, and his mother Róża (née Countess Potocka). He was the brother of Roger Adam Raczyński and the half-brother of Karol Roger Raczyński and Adam Krasiński, the fourth Ordinate of fee tail in Opinogóra.

He spent his school years in Krakow, where he lived in the "pod Baranami" residence in his grandma's (Adamowa Potocka) house. After her death, he moved with his family to Szpitalna Street near the theatre. He spent the early years of his education together with his brother Roger at home, which was commonly practised by landowners in Poland. He then (from the fifth grade) attended the Second Secondary School of King Jan III Sobieski in Kraków.

He studied law in Leipzig, also studied at the London School of Political Sciences and obtained his doctorate in law at the Jagiellonian University.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

In 1919, he started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stayed at diplomatic missions in Copenhagen, London (Secretary of Legation of the Republic of Poland) and Geneva. From 1932, he represented the Republic of Poland as a permanent delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva (though was in this position for less than three years). For two terms(from 1934 until the withdrawal of recognition of the Polish Government-in-Exile by the British government [July 5, 1945]), he served as the ambassador of the Republic of Poland in London. On behalf of the Polish government, he signed the Polish-British alliance agreement.

The Second World War

In the years 1941-1943, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Based on documents imported in the form of microfilms to London (sent by courier Jan Karski and confirmed by his testimony), Edward Raczyński prepared and presented a detailed report on the Holocaust to the Allies (on 10 December 1942), which was sent as the official note of the Government of Poland in exile and addressed to the governments of the countries signing the United Nations Declaration. Raczyński's note was the first official report on the Holocaust in the world giving information on the global public opinion of it. Raczyński also personally edited the government statement after the discovery of graves in Katyń in 1943 and sent a request to the International Red Cross to explain the crime.

The post-war period

Council of Three

After the war, he was an organizer and member (together with Władysław Anders and Tomasz Arciszewski) of the Council of Three. It was established in 1954 as a result of the opposition to August Zaleski, who did not want to step down from the office of the president. Its composition changed six times, but a permanent member was Edward Raczyński.

Activities after presidency

After serving a 7-year term, he resigned from his post on April 8, 1986.He was the author of In Allied London (London 1974) and the book The Time of Great Changes (ISBN 2-85316-064-5, Paris 1990).

He created the Foundation of the Raczyński Family in Poznań in late 1990. He handed over the palace and park in Rogalin, the Rogalinska Gallery at the National Museum, of which he remained the actual owner, and his rights to the property/land surrounding the palace and Rogalin Park. The gallery included over 300 paintings, sculptures and various artistic objects. The palace and park in Rogalin were in the possession of the National Museum in Poznań. Until now, against the will of its Founder, ownership of the agricultural property has not been regained meaning it still has to be leased in order to meet its statutory goal of protecting one of the most beautiful landscapes in Wielkopolska.

Edward Raczyński was buried in Rogalin.

Orders and decorations

On May 2, 1923, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

On November 10, 1933, he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, for merits in the field of state work in the Department of Foreign Service.

On November 11, 1937, "for outstanding services in the state service" he was awarded the Commander's Cross with the Star of the Order of the Polonia Restituta.

On April 8, 1979, Edward Raczyński became a Knight of the Order of the White Eagle, a bachelor of the Great Ribbon of the Order of Polonia Restituta and the Grand Master of both orders.

In 1991, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

On December 18, 1990, by virtue of a resolution by the Poznań City Council, he received the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Poznań.

He was decorated with the Great Crosses of foreign orders: the British Empire, Pius IX, the Dannebrog, the Stars and Crowns of Romania, the Three Stars, the Stars of Afghanistan and others.

Biographical notes:

Lee Richardson (b. April 25, 1979 in Hastings, d. May 13, 2012 in Wroclaw) - English speedway champion.

Richardson was junior world champion in 1999 (Vojens, Denmark). He represented Great Britain (as a senior rider) on numerous occasions. He was a finalist in the World Cups between 2003 and 2006, including winning silver in 2004 and bronze in 2006. He was a participant of the Grand Prix IMŚ series in 2003-06 and twice stood on the podium after tournaments - in 2004 he took third place in Cardiff and second in Bydgoszcz in 2005.

In the Polish league, he competed continuously from 1999 to 2012. He won three DMP medals with Polish teams - gold in 1999, bronze in 2002 and silver in 2006.

On May 13, 2012, during a meeting between Betard Sparta Wroclaw and PGE Marma Rzeszów, Richardson was involved in a serious accident during the event – he collided with a solid safety barrier. He suffered serious internal bleeding, had breathing difficulties and subsequently died in the hospital during surgery. Richardson's funeral took place on June 7, 2012 in his hometown of Hastings. The body of speedway champion was cremated.

Biographical notes:

Gaetano Scirea (b. May 25, 1953 at Cernusco sul Naviglio in Italy, d. September 3, 1989 in Babsk) was Italian footballer who played as a sweeper. He began his football career at Atalanta Bergamo. Despite his perceived ‘weak’ physique, he quickly became one of the best defenders in Serie A. He played so well that in 1975 his talent drew the attention of Juventus.

Career at Atalanta

In Serie A, he made his debut on September 24, 1972, when Atalanta played against Cagliari, with the game ending in a goalless draw. Later, however, their form dipped and the team were subsequently relegated to the second division. Scirea stayed in Bergamo for a year before returning to Serie A as a Juventus player.

Career at Juventus

In 1974, he joined the ‘Old Lady of Turin’ for fourteen years. He was a mainstay in a team which was unbeatable at the time. With Juve, he won many trophies and won Serie A on 7 occasions.

Career for the Italian National Team

He played at three World Cups. The first was in Argentina, less than three years after his debut (December 30, 1975 Italy - Greece 3: 2). Enzo Bearzot’s player certainly did not disappoint their fans as they reached the third place play-off before succumbing 2-1 to Brazil. Scirea appeared in all seven games. Before the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, which was also a successful tournament for the Italians, Italy also hosted Euro 1980. The final test for them before Euro '80 was a friendly match against Poland. At the Stadio Comunale in Turin, the match finished in a 2-2 draw with Scirea scoring the first goal in the 24th minute. The Azzurri finished the tournament in fourth place. At the beginning of Spain ‘82, the Italians faced the red and white of Poland. For Scirea, it was important as it was his 50th cap. At the Estadio Balaidos in Vigo, the game ended goalless with some of the tournament favourites were also unable to win against Peru and Cameroon. Though seemingly weakened, they found themselves in the last twelve and, from that moment, their master class began. They defeated Argentina, whose team contained Diego Maradona and Mario Kempes, and then edged out the incredibly spectacular Brazilian. On this wave of enthusiasm, Bearzot’s team, whose captain was forty-year-old Dino Zoff, unexpectedly eased past Poland before humbling West Germany in the final. Scirea had another seven great matches and was chosen in the best eleven of the championships. Four years later, the holders failed to defend their title. They finished second in their group before being knocked out by France in the knockout stage. Scirea played his last four matches for Italy as captain.

Accident and death

In the accident, translator Barbara Januszkiewicz, driver Henryk Pająk, and Scirea, assistant coach of Juventus, all died. The Italian had come to Poland for a few days to see Górnik Zabrze in action. They were involved in a head-on collision with a truck carrying four petrol canisters which exploded on impact. Three of the four doors locked and only an official of Górnik Zabrze, whose door remained operational, was saved. The rest were burned alive. After the fire was extinguished, the police needed a dozen or so hours to identify the victims of the accident.

Funeral

He was buried with his wife's family about one hundred kilometres from Turin, in a small town on Morsasco hill.

In September 1989, BONGO carried out activities related to the transport of the body of the Juventus star from Poland to Italy.

Biographical notes:

Kamila Skolimowska (b. November 4, 1982 in Warsaw, d. February 18, 2009 at Vila Real de Santo António - Polish athlete, practising hammer throw, Olympic champion.

She was the daughter of Robert, a well-known weightlifter, medallist at the World Championships and an Olympian since 1980. She started her adventure with sport by lifting weights. Her first athletic footsteps were on the pitch of Legia in Warsaw where, under the guidance of Zygmunt Jałoszyński, her brother Robert practised the shot put. She was encouraged to take up hammer throwing by Zbigniew Pałyszko. In later years of her career, she competed in the colours of Warszawianka and Gwardia Warszawa.

As a youngster, she had already reached an international level (ranked 10th in the world in 1997). In the same year, she won the title of European Junior Champion, and two years later the gold medal at the World Junior Championships. Starting at the Olympic Games in Sydney just shy of the age of eighteen, she unexpectedly became an Olympic champion.

On November 10, 2000, for her sporting achievements, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski awarded Skolimowska with the Golden Cross of Merit [2]. On February 20, 2009, Lech Kaczyński posthumously awarded Skolimowska with the Knight's Cross of the Rebirth of Poland for her outstanding achievements to sport and for the development and dissemination of sport.

Her subsequent participation in the Olympic Games and World Championships did not bring any medal successes. The highest, fourth place, was during the World Championships in Edmonton (2001) and Osaka (2007). At the Olympic Games in Athens (2004), she finished in 5th place. Four years later in Beijing, she finished without any result having committed a foul in each of her three attempts. Only in the European Championships did she managed to win medals - in 2002 she won silver, and bronze in 2006. She was a 12-time Polish champion, most recently in 2008(results). Her personal best of 76.83m was achieved on May 11, 2007, in Doha during the Super Grand Prix IAAF. It is the 7th best throw in the history of world athletics.

From 2004 to 2009, she worked at the Prevention Department of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Piaseczno (Mazowieckie Province). In 2005, she defended her Master's thesis entitled ‘Methods of assessing creditworthiness and its security’ in the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw.

Kamila Skolimowska died unexpectedly on February 18, 2009, during a training session in Portugal. According to the information provided to PAP, she fainted during training. Whilst being transported to the hospital in Vila Real de Santo António, she lost consciousness. Despite an hour of resuscitation, doctors failed to save her [5]. The cause of her death was a pulmonary embolism.

The funeral took place on February 26, 2009. The service, at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw, was led by Bishop Tadeusz Płoski. The urn with her ashes was placed at a grave in the Lane of Honor in Powązki Cemetery, Warsaw.

Biographical notes:

Sir Paweł Edmund Strzelecki (b. July 20, 1797 in Głuszyn, near Poznań, d. October 6, 1873 in London) - Polish traveller, geologist, geographer, researcher and discoverer.

As his name was difficult to pronounce, his nickname, coined by foreign elites, was ‘The Count’. He was a Polish nobleman from a senatorial family. He strived to fulfil his life mission, to leave his footprint on the fate of the world. He believed in the power of human reason and technical civilization, proclaimed the need for the rational use of land by man and believed in social justice and equal rights for all people, including Indians, Aborigines (he paid particular attention to their improper and devastating treatment) and Polynesians. He talked about it vociferously and had as many opponents as friends. He was born in Głuszyn, near Poznań, on July 20, 1797. He died in London on October 6, 1873, where he was buried. The ashes were later moved to Poznań (the crypt of meritorious citizens of Wielkopolska in the church of St. Wojciech).