The following research of the Lobaczewski family was carried out by Stephen Lobaczewski.

Kazimierz Lobaczewski married Izabela Wyszynska.  They had two sons Zygmunt Lobaczewski and Wladyslaw Lobaczewski Zygmunt was killed in action on 10th October 1919 in Lithuania and is buried in the Rossa Cemetry in Vilnuis Wladyslaw married Maria Ostkkiewcz-Rudnicka and they had one son Maciej Janusz my father who was born in Torun.

On the 11th of October 1923 my father married Shiela Coleman and they had five children, Alan, Stephen, Valerie, Jenifer and Marylin.

My great uncle Zygmont was engaged to Maria my grandmother until he was killed.  Wadyslaw then married Maria.

My grandfather Wladyslaw was an officer in the Polish Airforce, stationed in Torun where my father was born.  He stayed in the polish air force until he retired. He was then given a business by the Government, which was normal practice for a retiring officer.  A tobacco wholesaling business which was in Kuty, South-Eastern Poland, beside the Romanian border.  This was also where the Polish Government retreated prior to escaping over the Romanian border.

My grandfather was asked to go to Romania to pick up some planes, so he decided to take my father with him leaving grandmother behind to tend the business.  They crossed the border into Romania and were ar-rested and placed in a camp.  The Romanian authorities found out that my father was only 15, so had to release him into lodgings. This was in Tirgu Juhl.  My grandfather was handed over to the Germans and was transported to a POW camp for officers in Germany called Oflag 68 where he remained for the rest of the war.

My father meanwhile made his way to Palestine where he- joined the British Army, telling them he was older than he was.  He was then posted to the 3rd Carpathian Rifles and sent to North Africa where he fought at the Siege of Tobruk (which incidentally was my first port of call in 1966 when I was in the merchant navy).  From the dessert he was transferred to Britain to join General Sossabowski in the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade to do his training in Fife, Scotland.  Originally they were to parachute into Warsaw which was under seige by the Germans while the Russians waited on the opposite bank of the river so that the Germans would finish its destruction of Warsaw. In the meantime my grandmother was hiding from the Germans in the sewers until it was safe to make her way to Warsaw. As for the business we never found out what happened to it.  Probably looted by the Germans.

My father was wounded at Tobruk, transferred to hospital then on recovery sent back to his unit.  On the defeat of Rommel he was then moved back to Britain, where he volunteered to join the 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade, training in Fife in Scotland where he became Lance Corporal and parachute instructor.  The brigade was trained to parachute into Warsaw and help to relieve it from the Germans.

Meanwhile the Russian Army was waiting on the other side of the river to invade Warsaw when the Germans had finished destroying the city.   This they achieved with very few buildings left standing or recognisable.  When Warsaw inhabitants returned from the front they could not find the street where they previously lived, never mind their houses.  Warsaw was completely flat.

When my father’s units got an order to report to somewhere in the South of England (they were not told where) the rumor spread that they were- going to Warsaw.  As all rumors, this turned out to be untrue. Instead they were told in mid-flight they were going to Arnheim to assist the British army already there.  Unfortunately, they were dropped on the wrong side of the river and straight on top of the German defenses.  This was a gift to the Germans as they were picking off the ‘Poles’ as they made- the-ir way down.  It was slaughter.

My father was again wounded and stretchered to hospital.  He then returned to Scotland until the British Army decided what to do with them.  Some went to Orkney to help with the clearing of army property.

My grandfather was released from Oflag VI and was given the choice of which country he would like to live after the war.  Like many he chose America as he believed his wife had been killed by the Germans and Russia had moved into Poland.  He lived in New Jersey until his death in 1964, when his body was flown back to Poland and was buried in Warsaw, followed by his wife- and her sister Zofia all interned in the same plot.