S for Stepfather

 

 

My stepfather P. was born in 1922 in Warkowicze, Poland. The place was then in Wołyń Voivodeship. The area had been incorporated into the territory of Poland after the Polish-Soviet War. P.'s family/ancestors were of Polish descent.

When WW2 started, P. was 17. Where my stepfather lived then, I do not know. P.'s father's name appears on the list of the property owners who left their households/land and relocated before 1938 (1). If I am correct (?), their home was in the village of Kniaże, which was part of Podberezie municipality. Very likely, it was the political turmoil, terror, and violence spread by nationalistic groups/bands in that area of Poland was the reason which forced P's family, among many others, to leave their homes. The abandoned properties were officially liquidated by the Polish state in 1939.

When P. grew up, he became a driver. On 1 April 1944, the man joined the Polish Army. Later, he was part of the 1st Transportation Regiment that was formed by the Polish Army in September of that year. 

 P.'s 1st Transportation Brigade Badge - Polish Army WW2

With the Regiment, P. went through the front trail up to the capital of Germany, where he fought in the Battle of Berlin in 1945. The soldier was honorably discharged on 9 May 1945, Victory Day.

My stepfather was a kind and modest man who never spoke about his past. Never spoke about the war either. I wish I had asked him about those days, and showed some interest in that matter when he was alive. Well, I guess I was too young, WW2 seemed ancient history to me then. However, since he never mentioned the war, it was assumed he did not want to talk about that and as such, was respected.

P. and his war-time companions waited for quite long for the official state recognition of their WW2 heroic deeds. In 1966,  the Polish Peoples' Republic issued a medal commemorating the servicemen and women who took part in the Battle of Berlin. P. was one of the medal recipients on 5 May 1974. 

 

For his exemplary service in the Polish Army during WW2, P. was also honored with a Medal of Merit for National Defense.

Medal of Merit for National Defense

 

Stepfather P. was quite a knowledgeable man, you could talk to him on any subject. He was also an honest and reliable person and a caring father. After the war, he worked as a taxi driver. Later, in his mature years, he was a lecturer at a state driving school. Stepfather P. was also the one who taught me to ride a motorcycle.

My stepfather passed away in March 1996. In his life, P. was awarded a few other medals. I will talk about them in separate posts, though.

UPDATE:

From my research

• My stepfather's parents, siblings, and other relatives lived in the town of Tarnopol at the end of the 19th century (2).

• On 22 January 1944, three persons (a lady and two 4-year-old children), possibly relatives of P's (the same distinctive surname), and over 20 other citizens of the Buszcze (Bishche) village, Brzeżany County, Tarnopol region, were brutally killed by Ukrainian Insurgent Army (3), a nationalist type group, known in Poland as OUN/UPA bands. On the next day, citizens of Buszcze who sought refuge in the local church were burned alive together with the church building. The village was attacked again by UIA also in March and April (4, 5). The citizens of Buszcze were only some of the numerous victims of horrifying atrocities committed by UPA bands.

Considering the time of the tragic events in Buszcza (January, March 1944) and the day on which my stepfather joined the Polish Army (1 April 1944) - the two might have been related - one influenced the other.

Sources:

1. Wołyński Dziennik Wojewódzki nr. 5, Łuck, 3 marca 1939,

2. Spis imienny ludności zamieszkałej w Tarnopolu (zesp. nr 303, sygn. 231)/ record of Tarnopol citizens,
3. "Na Podolu. Pamię
ci tych, którzy zgin
ęli z rąk OUN-UPA tylko dlatego, że byli Polakami", Władysław Kubów, Warszawa, 2003,
4. Genocidium Atrox Portal,
5. Nie o zemstę lecz o pamięć i prawdę wołają ofiary ludobójstwa.
 

• More about my motorbike riding lessons here.