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Ignacy Sienkiewicz's Service in the Battle of Britain

online resource
posted on 2024-06-05, 18:17 authored by Their Finest Hour Project Team

Ignacy Sienkiewicz

June 1907 (Opatów Kielecki) - March 1996 (London)

In 1925, whilst studying to be an electrical engineering at the University of Warsaw, Ignacy learnt to fly under the instruction of Franciszek Żwirko at the Pole Mokotowskie in Warsaw. The training took place on various biplanes after they had been decommissioned after the First World War and Ignacy eventually became a reserve pilot.

In 1939, during the September campaign, he commanded a group of men in the construction of field airports. He escaped with his unit to Romania and from there, via the Black Sea, in a roundabout way, he ended up joining the Polish air force that was re-forming abroad in Lyon, France. After the surrender of France in June 1940, he was evacuated from St Jean de Luz to Blackpool, where the Polish air force had begun to re-form for the second time.

Upon his arrival, during the Battle of Britain, he immediately served in the technical units as an electrical engineer. He implemented new equipment in bomb squadrons and then carried out work in specialised experimental units of Polish aviation. In 1947, he joined the RAF where, for the next 20 years, he served as a Flight Lieutenant in, amongst others, Egypt and Cyprus. After active service and until retirement, he continued to work with the latest technology in the arms industry.

Ignacy jako student inżynier-elektryk Politechniki Warszawskiej zaczął się szkolić w 1925 roku z instruktorem Franciszkiem Żwirko na Polach Mokotowskich w Warszawie. Szkolenie odbywało się na rozmaitych dwupłatowcach z demobilu po pierwszej wojnie światowej. Jako lotnik pilot przeszedł do rezerwy.

W 1939 podczas kampanii wrześniowej dowodził oddziałem budowy lotnisk polowych. Przeszedł z oddziałem do Rumunii a stamtąd okrężną drogą przez Morze Czarne dołączył do tworzącego się lotnictwa polskiego w Lyonie, we Francji. Po kapitulacji Francji w czerwcu 1940 ewakuowany z St Jean de Luz do Blackpool, gdzie po raz drugi odtwarzało się lotnictwo polskie.

Zaraz po przybyciu, podczas Battle of Britain, służył w oddziałach technicznych jako inżynier elektryk. Wdrażał nowy osprzęt w dywizjonach bombowych a potem prowadził prace w specjalistycznych jednostkach doświadczalnych lotnictwa polskiego. W roku 1947 przeszedł do RAFu, w którym służył jako flight lieutenant przez kolejne 20 lat m. inn. w Egipcie i na Cyprze. Już w cywilu i do emerytury pracował przy najnowszej technologii w przemyśle zbrojeniowym.

History

Item list and details

1. I have attached a photo of pre-war training where Ignacy (Ignas) is second from the left in what was probably the Pola Mokotowskie in Warsaw. 2. There are two photographs from 1926 (in full Biggles attire) and from 1940 in Polish officer's uniform. There is a third photo when he had retired from the RAF (but not yet retired!). He went on to work at Racal Decca for a few years helping with electronic equipment and radars. 3. There are two (hand written) files relating to his declaration of status in the UK after the War and a very clear and detailed timeline of his pre- and post-War activity with dates. 4. There is an excerpt from the London Gazette relating to his appointment on 5th Mar-52 to Flight Lt. 5. Various historical disclosures from his time with the RAF. 6. A brief bilingual bio - reproduced above. 7. He was a wonderful man. I miss him dearly to this day. My son is named after him.

Person the story/items relate to

Ignacy Sienkiewicz

Person who shared the story/items

Jan Scibor-Kaminski

Relationship between the subject of the story and its contributor

My maternal grandfather

Type of submission

Shared online via the Their Finest Hour project website.

Record ID

95107