Wladyslaw Siwicki

Polish 2nd Corps

Wladyslaw was born on 17 December 1916 in Poland. He enlisted into the army in September of 1938 and fought in the September Campaign in Poland. He was captured by the Russians and sent to a POW camp in Siberia.

In June 1941, Germany turned on its ally, Russia. Stalin then quickly changed tactics and allied himself with the west so that the allies could help him defeat the Germans. This led to the signing of the Sikorski-Majewski agreement that called for the freeing of Poles imprisoned in POW camps and labour camps in the USSR, and the formation of a Polish Army in the southern USSR.

The news of this ‘amnesty’ did not reach every camp, but where it did become known, the men and boys soon made plans to make their way south to join the army. For most, this meant walking thousands of kilometers and only occasionally getting on a train for part of the journey. Many did not make it, and those who did were emaciated skeletons by the time they got there. Wladyslaw was one of those emaciated skeletons.

Wladyslaw joined the Polish 2nd Corps and evacuated with the army to Persia (now Iran). He served in the Middle East, North Africa, and in the Italian Campaign. He was awarded the 1939-1945 War Medal, the Monte Cassino Cross, and the Italy Star. On 25 May 1947, he was discharged from the Army.

After the war, Wladyslaw emigrated to Alberta, Canada, on a two-year work contract. There, he met his future wife, Zofia Maliszewska. They were married in Portage La Prairie in 1949. Soon after, they settled in Winnipeg and raised their family.

Wladyslaw worked in the construction field for many years. He worked for companies such as Trident, Comstock, Bird and Borger during his construction years, and helped to build such buildings as the Deer Lodge Hospital, the NorthStar Inn and the Planetarium. The last few years, before his retirement in 1981, he worked for The Cold Storage Company.

Wladyslaw was a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 246 in Winnipeg.

Wladyslaw Siwicki passed away in Winnipeg on 26 October 2000, at the age of 83 years. He was buried follow in Holy Ghost Cemetery.