Jadwiga Piłsudska: Difference between revisions

Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska
Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska
Born	Jadwiga Piłsudska; February 29, 1920 (age 104); Warsaw, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Other names	Jadwiga Jaraczewska
Education	Wanda Szachtmajer Female High School
Alma mater	Newnham College, Cambridge; Polish University Abroad
Occupation	architect
Employer	Office of Urban Planning (London County Council)
Spouse	Andrzej Jaraczewski
Children	Krzysztof Józef Jaraczeski; Joanna Maria Onyszkiewicz
Parent(s)	Józef Piłsudski (father); Aleksandra Szczerbińska (mother)
Relatives	Wanda Piłsudska (sister)
Military career
Allegiance	Poland; United Kingdom
Service / branch	Polish Air Forces; RAF: Air Transport Auxiliary
Years of service	1942-1944
Rank	Second Officer (Flying Officer)
Unit	1st Ferry Pool, White Waltham
Awards	;

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Revision as of 20:48, 7 September 2013

Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska (born 20 February 1920, in Warsaw, Poland) is a pilot, who served in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. She is the one of two daughters of Marshal and Naczelnik Józef Piłsudski.

Life

Jadwiga Piłsudska was born on 20 February 1920, in Warsaw, Poland, the younger daughter of Marshal Józef Piłsudski, Poland's Chief of State (1918–22) and dictator (1926–1935), by his second wife, Aleksandra.

In 1937 Jadwiga began flying gliders and obtained a pilot's licence. In 1939 she graduated from secondary school and decided to study aircraft engineering at the Warsaw Polytechnic.

In September 1939, Poland was invaded by the Nazis, initiating the Second World War, and her family realized that under the circumstances it would be prudent to leave the country immediately. Piłsudska fled with her mother and elder sister, Wanda, to Lithuania and eventually arrived in the United Kingdom. She resumed her studies, in 1940, matriculating at Newnham College, Cambridge University.

Later she acquired her aircraft pilot's license, and in July 1942, she joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. With the rank of Second Officer^[1] (Flying Officer) she flew unarmed military aircraft in the dangerous skies of wartime Britain and was, with Anna Leska and the Lithuanian-Pole Barbara Wojtulanis, one of several Polish women who served as wartime ferry pilots in Britain.

In 1944, she took a leave of absence to continue her studies by enrolling in the Polish School of Architecture at Liverpool University. In 1946 she graduated with an engineering degree in architecture.

In 1944, she also married Lieutenant Andrzej Jaraczewski, an officer in the Polish Navy. She has two children: a son, Krzysztof (in English, Christopher), and a daughter, Joanna.

Due to the Communist takeover in Poland, she remained in England after the War, as a political émigré. She has never accepted British citizenship. She used a Nansen passport, valid for all countries in the world, except Poland.^[2]

In 1990, with the collapse of the Communist government, she returned to Poland and now lives in Warsaw.

Honours

She has been honoured with a Bronze Cross of Merit with Swords and the Commander's Cross of the Polonia Restituta.

References

^ T. J. Krzystek, Personel Polskich Sił Powietrznych w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAFF), Agencja Lotnicza ALTAIR - Krajowa Rada Lotnicza, Warszawa 2007
^ A. Romanowski, Piękne wczoraj, "Apokryf", No 13 (in "Tygodnik Powszechny, No 45/1998)

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[1] T. J. Krzystek, Personel Polskich Sił Powietrznych w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAFF), Agencja Lotnicza ALTAIR - Krajowa Rada Lotnicza, Warszawa 2007

[2] A. Romanowski, Piękne wczoraj, "Apokryf", No 13 (in "Tygodnik Powszechny, No 45/1998)

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 In 1937 Jadwiga began flying [[sailplane|gliders]] and obtained a pilot's licence. In 1939 she graduated from secondary school and decided to study aircraft engineering at the [[Warsaw University of Technology|Warsaw Polytechnic]].
-In September 1939, Poland was invaded by the [[Nazis]], initiating the [[World War II|Second World War]], and her family realized that under the circumstances it would be prudent to leave the country immediately. Piłsudska fled with her mother and elder sister, [[Wanda Piłsudska|Wanda]], to [[Lithuania]] and eventually arrived in the [[United Kingdom]]. She resumed her studies, in 1940, [[matriculating]] at [[Newnham College, Cambridge |Newnham College]][[Cambridge University]].
+In September 1939, Poland was invaded by the [[Nazis]], initiating the [[World War II|Second World War]], and her family realized that under the circumstances it would be prudent to leave the country immediately. Piłsudska fled with her mother and elder sister, [[Wanda Piłsudska|Wanda]], to [[Lithuania]] and eventually arrived in the [[United Kingdom]]. She resumed her studies, in 1940, [[matriculating]] at [[Newnham College, Cambridge |Newnham College]], [[Cambridge University]].
 Later she acquired her aircraft pilot's license, and in July 1942, she joined the [[Air Transport Auxiliary]]. With the rank of ''Second Officer''<ref>T. J. Krzystek, ''Personel Polskich Sił Powietrznych w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAFF)'', Agencja Lotnicza ALTAIR - Krajowa Rada Lotnicza, Warszawa 2007</ref> ([[Flying Officer]]) she flew unarmed military aircraft in the dangerous skies of wartime [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and was, with [[Anna Leska]] and the Lithuanian-Pole [[Barbara Wojtulanis]], one of several Polish women who served as wartime [[Air Transport Auxiliary|ferry pilots]] in Britain.

Revision as of 20:48, 7 September 2013

Life

Honours

See also

References