Wladyslaw was born 6 February 1921 in the town of Zdzary, in Poland. In 1936 he moved to Warsaw, where he lived until the war broke out in 1939. He remained in Poland during the German occupation of Warsaw, was captured in January 1944 and taken to Germany to work at Konz-Reifen-Dienst.

 

In March 1944, he escaped and walked to Ramsen, Switzerland where he moved from camp to camp (Schaffhausen, Basel, Bremgarten, and Waldegg).

 

In September 1944, he joined the Polish army in Ruegisberg under Captain Jerzy Majewski. Landed in Geneva. He crossed into France on 1 December 1944 and sailed from Marseille to Taranto, Italy. While crossing the Mediterranean, he witnessed the spectacular eruption of Mount Vesuvius. His unit was in Bolonia, Italy when the war ended.

After some time in Sarnano and Amandoli, he went to Bodney, England, where he worked for Babcock & Wilcox in Ipswich. He later worked for Staythorpe in Nottingham, where he met Stanislawa Sawicki. They married in 1953 and immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1956, where they raised their two children: Richard and Irena.

 

Wladyslaw worked at DeHavilland Aircraft until he retired at the age of 68. In retirement, he devoted much of his time to various Polish organizations: Podhale Boy Scouts, Adam Mickiewicz Polish School & Dance Troop, Zwiazek Narodowy, and the Canadian Legion #621 (to name a few).

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Wladyslaw passed away on 6 March 2022 (exactly one month following his 101st birthday) at Copernicus Lodge in Toronto.

 

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Copyright: Grotek family

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