Wladyslaw TOMCZYNA
German POW
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Wladyslaw was born on 18 February 1912, in Kujdance, district of Zbaraz, province of Tarnopol, Poland, where he lived with his parents until 1936. His early years were difficult ones. His mother passed away when he was four years old and he and his sisters lived with relatives until his father remarried, and the family was reunited.
Wladyslaw was enlisted for compulsory service in the Polish Army (both in the infantry and in the Cavalry) and served for two years.
The Germans invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939, and the Russians invaded from the east on 17 September 1939. They divided Poland between them.
In August 1939 Wladyslaw was called up again to serve in the September Campaign as part of the 12th Artillery Regiment in Rzeszow. He was taken prisoner by the Germans and spent the war years in Germany working near Halle and Torgau. As a prisoner of war, he was kept in Stalag IV-A and Stalag IV-D.
After the war Wladyslaw emigrated to Canada where he wanted to build a future. He was very proud to be a Canadian but never forgot his Polish heritage.
Through unimaginable hardships that he experienced in his life, he became the corner stone in his wife Wanda's life for 50 years. He loved to read and had a passion for gardening. His love for animals was second to none.
Wladyslaw Tomczyna passed away in Winnipeg on 28 March 2007, at the age of 95 years. He was buried at Holy Ghost Cemetery.
Copyright: Tomczyna family