Feliks Osiński was born on 4 August 1925. He was drafted into the army as an 18-year-old and fought in the September Campaign. He was captured by the Russians and sent to a POW camp in Siberia. He later joined the army of General Berling in Russia.

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On 18-22 September 1944, he took part in the fight with Germany for the capture of Warsaw. During the fighting, he was wounded in the knee. At the end of September 1944, he was captured by the Germans. He was transported to KL Auschwitz, where he spent several weeks. He then was sent to a POW camp in Wolfsberg, Austria.

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After liberation by the Allies, he joined the Polish 2nd Corps. He found himself in Italy, where, at Monte Cassino, he served as a sapper clearing the mine fields.

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“I joined the bomb squad. There were accidents on Monte Cassino where civilians came across mines, because the battlefield was not demined" - he recalled in an interview with PAP, adding that because of this occupation he partially lost his hearing.

He said that by eliminating the mines, they found several soldiers, "only bones and clothes." “I was 21 years old and it was a little scary. We spent eight days there,” he said.

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“I felt fear, even though I was a soldier, it was hard on my heart that so many soldiers died. When you look at a man that he's been lying there for a few months and there's only bones, it's fear that hits you. That's hard to explain." he said.

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On May 18, 1944, after the extremely fierce fighting, the Polish 2nd Corps commanded by General Wladyslaw Anders, captured the monastery. 923 Polish soldiers were killed in the battle, 2,331 were wounded, and 345 were declared missing.

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Feliks was awarded several medals, including the Gold Cross of Merit and the Polish Armt medal. After the war, Feliks came to Canada on a 2-year work contract. He later settled in Calgary.

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Feliks passed away in Calgary on 5 May 2025, just 3 months short of his 100th birthday. He was buried at Eden Brook Memorial Gardens cemetery in Calgary.

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Source: Office for Veterans and Repressed Persons

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