Jacek Januariusz Zagórski   Born on 19 September 1923 in Lwów, the regional capital city of southeast Poland.  At the start of WWII at the age of 15, enlisted as a volunteer in the College Cadets to the guard duties at Lwów railway station.  Escaped to Romania where he was imprisoned.  In December 1939 Jacek escaped to Africa joining the Polish Army in exile.  His unit, transferred to France, took part in the defensive action.  After the fall of France in 1940, he made escape to Britain to rejoin the re-established Polish Army.  The horse-riding competitions of the pre-war Uhlans of Jazłowiec were adapted to the intensive training in tank warfare.  Jacek proved to become the best tank driver in his squadron and did not hesitate to shoot Scottish grouse with a .22 tank rifle, for supper at the officers’ mess. Graduated in 1943 with the rank of the 2nd Lieutenant from the Military Academy “Sandhurst” in Camberley where Bernard Montgomery and Winston Churchill had previously attended. In 1944-45 he took part in the liberation of continental Europe, serving with the 1st Polish Armoured Division that was commanded by General Stanisław Maczek.  On 6 September 1944 Jacek led a reconnaissance patrol near Ypres in Belgium.  Surprising the Germans, the patrol captured the bridge on the main road.  Having received a head wound, Jacek remained in command in his light tank and maintained fire awaiting the arrival of the advance guard in their heavy tanks.  Although almost fainting from the loss of blood, he did not seek medical help until having completed a detailed report on the field situation.  This was not the first time that the superiors praised his daring determination and courage.  On 10 October 1944, as commander of another reconnaissance patrol near Falaise in France, Jacek succeeded in the task of establishing contact with Canadian forces, fighting fiercely through the German positions.  This time he was wounded in the leg and promoted to Lieutenant.  On 12 April 1945 his Polish 2nd Armoured Regiment liberated the POW Stalag VI-c Oberlangen in Northern Germany with 1750 Polish women, Home Army soldiers who had previously fought in the Warsaw Uprising.  Among them was his future (1949) wife, Aniela (“Lilka”, Lee) Sulistrowska boasting the ancestral, prince’s coat of arms “Lubicz.” On the last day of the war in Europe, 5 May 1945, his unit participated in the surrender of the German major naval station of Wilhelmshaven. After the war, Jacek obtained a Bachelor of Science (Engineering) degree from the University of London, 1946-50, and emigrated with his wife and first son to Melbourne, 1951.  His career path started as Design Engineer for the first Australian aluminum smelter at Bell Bay in Tasmania, 1952-54, and he continued as Chief Design Engineer with Monsanto Chemicals in Melbourne, 1954-64.  Having worked as Chief Product Development Engineer with Massey-Ferguson in Melbourne, 1964-79, he was in charge of the team developing the world’s first self propelled chopper-type sugar cane harvester.  This meant that he obtained several Australian patents and undertook a special assignment in Florida, USA to develop a new version for the unique regional environment, 1972.  He was engaged in engineering consultancy, 1980-95, and lectured at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.  He also acted as Technical Adviser to various associations and became a fellow of several professional institutions.  Lieutenant in the Polish uniform (allied with Western powers), June 1945 Coat of arms of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, during World War II Captain (retired).  Awarded the Polish Cross Virtuti Militari for courage in the battlefield, at the age of 21. Also decorated with several Polish, British and French military medals.  Member of Polish ex-servicemen’s associations in France and Australia. Author of two published memoirs. The Zagórskis have four sons and four grandchildren, all living in Australia.  His parents: Tadeusz (coat of arms “Ostoja”) and Irena née Kowalczewska, are buried at the Łyczaków cemetery in Lwów (now in Ukraine), their grave being cared for locally by Halina Makowska.              Memorabilia from Jacek's military service Medals and decorations                              Ostoja                                                            Lubicz   Celebrating the Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2009, with congratulations from all over the world, along with that from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The brooch on Lee's dress with a mermaid holding a sword in her hand, the coat of arms of Warsaw, is on a silver base that was hand made to Jacek's design, especially for their 60th wedding jubilee. It mounts a 0.75 carat diamond from his late mother's engagement ring.

Roman Wierzbicki   Graduation as Corporal Cadet in Poland, 1936 Field training of Wierzbicki's military unit in Poland, 1936   Memorabilia from his military service in France Born on 23 August 1916, the son of Saturnin and Paulina, née Jenke, in Przeworsk in the southeast corner of Poland. Voluntary service in the local Officer Cadet School, 5th Regiment of Carpathian Riflemen, 1935-36 and graduation as a Corporal Cadet. His law studies at Jan Kazimierz University in Lwów were interrupted by Nazi Germany invading Poland on 1 September 1939.  No military call-up order reached him due to disruption of communications. Therefore, Roman departed on 3 September 1939 trying to reach his regiment in Przemyśl.  He joined another unit, crossed the border to Hungary and was interned there in Győr.   He managed to sneak to France, arriving in April 1940. Enlisted in Coetquidan in the 1st Polish Division of Grenadiers, First Regiment, 3rd Battalion of Infantry.  The Division was commanded by Polish General Bronisław Duch and incorporated as part of the 20th French Army Corps, and was moved soon towards Luneville. Roman’s platoon was a machine-gun unit (cooling down the weapons with red wine which was a regular part of French Army rations). When on the frontline, during the months of May and June 1940, the Division fought a bloody, defensive battle near Marne-Rhine Canal at Legard, district Moussey, thus, enabling the steady retreat of the French Army to new positions. This was followed by further defensive battles in the region of Baccarat and Raon l’Etape. The campaign resulted in the Polish Division in France losing in excess of 5,000 men. After the French surrender in June 1940, Roman followed the instruction to move towards the Swiss border. Once caught by a German patrol, he was put to a dreadful position of a prisoner-of-war in Strasbourg. Appalling forced labour conditions and malnutrition resulted in a need for a hospital treatment.  From there, he accepted the German alternative order for forced labour on a farm in Alsace.  In April 1941, Roman managed to escape to Nancy and subsequently Lyon which remained part of unoccupied France. Here he joined the underground organisation, the Maquis which had established a Polish wing.  Information was gathered about the local German military strengths.  On the brink of being caught, he escaped via Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar to Scotland. In January 1944, Roman joined the Polish forces under British command and was assigned to the Polish Reserve Battalion at Kinross. A stay in hospital due to rheumatic fever prevented him from participation in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.  Instead, he was found soon eligible to complete his law degree at Magdalene College of Oxford University, in the Polish Faculty of Law.  This was aimed at preparing the staff for a new administration in a “Free Poland.”  He wisely undertook also a course in Marine Insurance, Shipping and Commercial Law at the School of Foreign Trade and Port Administration in London. Having met an Aussie in London and being somewhat adventurous, Roman decided to give the land of “milk-and-honey” a chance.  He sailed on the “Stratheden” and arrived in Sydney on 21 December 1950.  His Polish Law degree did not present any assistance in getting employment.  However, he managed to get a job with British Traders Insurance Company, and in 1961 achieved a status as an Associate Member in the Marine Section of the Insurance Institute of Australia. He married Janet Eggeling in November 1968. They have two sons: Matthew and Anthony. Roman has been awarded with numerous French, British and Polish military and civic distinctions.   Diploma of the Polish Faculty of Law from Oxford University, UK MEDALS and DECORATIONS French Republique Française Medaille Commemorative Française de la Guerre 1939–1945 Republique Française Croix de Combattent British War Medal 1939–1945 H.M. Armed Forces Veteran Polish Krzyż Czynu Bojowego Polskich Sił Zbrojnych na Zachodzie Odznaka Weterana Walk o Niepodległość (awarded by the Head of the Office of Ex-Servicemen in Warsaw) Senior, aged 84, in the Consulate General of Poland, Sydney on 11 November 2000, awarded rank of Captain in Polish Army Reserve

Andrzej (Andrew) W. Kleeberg *1920 Warsaw      †2010 Canberra He was born the son of Juliusz and Halina (née Olszyńska) Kleeberg. Both his father and uncle Franciszek were generals in the Polish Army.  After finishing his secondary education, Andrew joined in 1939 the Polish Air Force and, then, served mostly as a RAF tail gunner on a "Wellington" bomber.  In October 1941, while flying over Bremen, his plane was shot down.  He was injured and captured by the Germans, and kept until 1945 as a prisoner No 39372.  In recognition of his bravery and achievements during the war, Andrew was awarded Poland’s highest war distinction, the Virtuti Military Cross. He also was honoured with numerous Polish, British and French distinctions. In 1948 Andrew migrated to Australia and joined Stanley Abłamowicz in Yass in drilling water bores. (Stanley was his friend from the prisoners-of-war camp and later became the Mayor of Yass). In 1951 Andrew studied geology at the University of Sydney but when his parents arrived in Australia he started instead a small business with them.  In 1955 he married Ina Ruth Ratliff, a New Zealander.  A change of career followed when he became employed in 1963 by the AMP Society as a field agent in Cooma, providing insurance services to staff engaged in the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric scheme. The Generals in a pre war time: Franciszek (Frank) Kleeberg, uncle/sitting and Juliusz (Julius) Kleeberg, father/standing In 1980  Andrew moved to Canberra where he joined the Polish Ex-Servicemen’s Association and became its national President in 1982. He was heavily involved in the local community work, notably, by being instrumental in setting up a TAFE college in Cooma.  Andrew was recognised for various facets of his community involvement with the award of the OAM. His great legacies were in contributing to form the Polish Children's Home Trust in Marayong, establishing the Foundation of the Polish Ex-servicemen’s Association in Australia and ensuring that the National Library of Australia in Canberra agreed to start the "Polonica Collection". Andrew authored two books: "Who was General Julius Edward Kleeberg?" (Canberra, 1995) and "My long and varied life" (Poznań, 2010). His surviving children are Mark Kleeberg of Bowral and Alicia Peterson of Canberra.               Andrzej (Andrew) Kleeberg                                                                      RAF cap                                                                                       “Wellington” bomber                                     Royal Air Force (RAF) cap and uniform, with the arm badge “Poland”  Polish, British and French military distinctions        Favourite desk Andrew in his later life in Australia Andrew’s study in Canberra with the memorabilia Another desk Wall ornamentation

Mieczysław (Mietek) Zapaśnik 1916 - 2005                                                                                                                                            Born on the estate of Tyszkiewicz in the western part of the Imperial Russia. As a result of the 1917 October Revolution, his family was forced to resettle to Harbin in Manchuria. Upon the 1932 Japanese invasion, Mietek moved with his mother to Yokohama, then, to Tokyo where he started working at the Polish Embassy. It got closed after the Japanese 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour and the personnel with their families were evacuated to Mozambique in Africa. Mietek volunteered to join the Polish Army, having left for England where he completed his cadetship. Commandeered to the First Polish Army division under the command of General Stanisław Maczek, he was severely wounded during the 1944 invasion of Normandy. After being hospitalised in England, he migrated to Australia and was demobilised in Sydney as a Lieutenant. He was awarded with several military distinctions. From 1948 to 1960 he worked on his mother’s farm near Windsor. In 1960 Mietek moved to live in Sydney. Upon completion of the management & administration course, he took a job with the American firm, Parker until his retirement in 1981.    Mietek's war time distinctions

Brotherhood-in-Arms Jeffrey Grey, author of the highly acclaimed book A Military History of Australia, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne, 2008, has noted on p 137, a participation of some forty Australians in the Communist, International Brigades in Spain in 1936.  However, on describing the battle for Tobruk in 1941 on p 163, he made no reference to the Polish Self-Dependent Brigade of the Carpathian Riflemen under command of General Stanisław Kopański. More...

Courtesy of Australian War Memorial         Click on a picture to enlarge

Brian John Downey Page A.O. C.B.E. KM BA. LLB FAIM    1912 - 2008 Brian's life was characterised by self-determination, decisiveness and responsibility. He studied Arts Law at Sydney University and, then, joined the law firm Freehill and Hollingdale & Co.  Upon becoming its partner, he joined numerous prestigious clubs and expanded his professional profile. During the Second World War, he was assigned to the Administrative and Special Duties Division in New Guinea.  Subsequently, sent to Washington to serve with the Australian Air Mission to Combined Chiefs of Staff.  More...

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