Piecing together my grandfather's story: Artur Tomasz Maruszewski

[Reynard]

I'm still working on the paperwork and assorted ephemera... I now have a stack of typed documents all placed in chronological order - a real mixture of stuff by all accounts, from the significant to the mundane.

Though one of the most thoroughly useful bits I've found so far is a list of all the poczta polowa kryptonyms for the different Polish units. So I can now look up what things like P-98, P-15, P-1 and P-90 are on envelopes. Centrum Wyszkolenia Zarzadu Wojskowe, 3 Pulk Artylerii Motorowej, 4 Dywizja Piechoty and Komenda Baonu PSWK respectively.

I also have a wonderful letter from a friend (a Michal from Pinner) who thanks my grandfather for a wonderful meal which involved a "smaczna kura", and to help defray the costs of the bird, encloses some postage stamps. Must have been a special occasion I think, as chicken was expensive and probably used up a large number of ration coupons...

More photographs have come to light too - some with a cardinal in them, some with a lot of Polish generals in dress uniform and one with a British general. Am hoping that some of you knowlegable gentlemen might be able to put names to faces for me at some point. I also have a number of scenic photos from the Middle East, but where they come into the equation, I haven't managed to work out yet. I'm hoping to match the handwriting on the envelope those prints were in to something in the daunting stack of personal correspondence that I've only just started tackling.

Names that are coming up regularly are Ferdynand Switalski, Juliusz Ulrych, Franciszek Wegrzyn (who was a German POW it seems) and a Major Stefan Michno - the latter I know looked after my dad and uncle after both grandmother and grandfather passed away.

Will add some more as and when. In the mean time, I'll leave you with a couple of photos of what my dining room table looks like right now...

[niallclancy]

Hi Witty,

I have just come across this website as I have been trying to do some research on my grandfather Franciszek Wegryzn who was a German POW. I was just wondering if the Franciszek Wegrzyn you mention above could be the same one. As far as I know my Grandfather was born in 1919 and came to England after the war. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks
Niall Clancy

[Reynard]

Hmmm... Given your grandfather's date of birth, I'm not certain it's likely. From what I know, the Franciszek Wengrzyn who is my great uncle was a Lieutenant Colonel during the war. He was married to my grandmother's half sister and had a daughter Krystyna by the time war broke out. Yes, he was a POW - I'd have to look up which Offlag(s) he was detained in, but I do know that he later served with the BAOR. After that, I've not a lot else. Hope this is enough to point you in the right direction.

Witty.