Mother's war time romance sparks daughter's search for Polish airman

It all began with a dictionary, given to Wendy's mum Patricia during World War Two, by her then Polish boyfriend.

Planning a recent trip to Krakow, Wendy remembered her late mother's Polish dictionary.  It was given to Patricia by a polish airman during World War Two - Wendy says she called him Marian and that he was her boyfriend at the time.

Finding the item sparked her curiosity, so she decided to find out more about the man it belonged to.  On the front her mother’s writing reads: ‘To Patsy, from Polish boyfriend. He was in Polish airforce, wartime 1940. His name Marian. Only way we could talk - this book’.

“I didn’t think that was his actual name,” Wendy says, “I imagine his real name was too hard maybe for her to pronounce.

“Anyway, on the side of the dictionary there’s this number, and I’m ex forces myself, having served in the Women’s Royal Army Corps for more than 17 years, so I saw the number and I thought I bet that’s his regimental one, so then I googled it, and it came up - it was amazing!”

Wendy, from Bury St Edmunds, found out that Władysław Kapuściński, was a Polish Air Force sergeant, stationed at RAF Kirton in Lindsey, near to where her mother lived at the time.  He served with the 307th Polish Light Bomber Squadron.

Polish Air Force Sergeant Władysław Kapuściński

He was eventually stationed at RAF Horsham St Faith near to Norwich. And sadly, after being injured during a training fight at the end of the war, died in hospital in October 1945. The 34 year old’s grave is in New Hunstanton Cemetery.

“When I found out he was buried there I couldn’t believe it, I’ve got a friend who lives nearby - so I visited the cemetery. I had to go, it completes the puzzle, it was a good feeling."

“There are actually six Polish graves, so I put a cross on each one. I also laminated all the information about my mum and her story and I’ve left that on the grave.”

Her hope is to reunite the dictionary with Władysław's family, “I’d be absolutely thrilled to give it to them, because it will mean something to them. He was only young when he died, it would mean everything to me to try and get it back to a relative.”

Wendy (right) with her mother Patricia

I ask Wendy what her mother, who died in 2018 aged 94, would have made of the discovery, “Oh, she’d be fascinated, but also overwhelmed and saddened that he died at the very end of the war. I would have taken her to the grave too.

“I added a personal message to his when I visited, to thank him. Well, to thank all of them really because it was amazing that they fought for us.  It's so important to remember them."

It is indeed.  Wishing Wendy all the luck in finding a member of Władysław Kapuściński's family.

Meeting Simon, Rambo and Moon last month