Strange Polish grave in England...

[Sabrejet]

Does anyone know more of Plt (plutonowy = platoon leader) Jozef Jabłecki; 5.P.Art.Plot., Polish Army who died on 5 December 1946 aged 42? His grave is at Savernake Forest (St Katharine) churchyard and is unusual in being marked by a WW2-era tin helmet.

Can anyone explain more about the circumstances of his death?

 

[Wurger]

"Plutonowy" is not a platoon leader. It is a military rang but not a function. In the English it is a staff sergeant ( Air Force) or master corporal ( Army).
In the case, Master Corporal Józef Jabłecki was servicing in the 5th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment. The unit belonged to the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division that was fighting as the part of the 2nd Polish Corps in Italy eg.. at the Monte Cassino, Ancona, the battle on the Gothic Line and in the Battle of Bologna staying untill the end of the war in the Italy. In September 1946 the regiment together with units of the II Corps was moved to the Great Britain.

 

[Snautzer01]

"Plutonowy" is not a platoon leader. It is a military rang but not a function. In the English it is a staff sergeant ( Air Force) or master corporal ( Army).
In the case, Master Corporal Józef Jabłecki was servicing in the 5th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment. The unit belonged to the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division that was fighting as the part of the 2nd Polish Corps in Italy eg.. at the Monte Cassino, Ancona, the battle on the Gothic Line and in the Battle of Bologna staying untill the end of the war in the Italy. In September 1946 the regiment together with units of the II Corps was moved to the Great Britain.

Well done Wurger

 

[Sabrejet]

Nice one. So any ideas where the unit was, or why he's buried in what is actually an area that's a bit off the beaten track? Nearest repatriation camp seems to have been Castle Combe but that's quite a way away...

 

[Wurger]

Unfortunately I didn't find out more about the soldier. Personally I would ask the pastor/parish priest of the church there. He also has to have the registery of all buried people there and their funerals. It is possible J.Jabłecki could get engaged or married in the England. Also he could died because of wounds he got in the Italy or just because of his health status. It should be mantioned that the the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, the 5th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment was a part of , was formed in Stalin's Russia. In 1942-43 Gen. Anders started the evacuation of the Polish Army from Russia via Iran to the Near Est and then to Italy in 1944. Being repressed by soviets , starving and suffering from many illnesses those people weren't the picture of good health. As mamo serves many of them still were sick until death.
I think it would be a good idea to get contact with the Polish Sikorski Institute/Museum in London. They should have there the full registry of all Polish soldiers who died in the Great Britain.

PS. The demobilization of the the 5th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment was in 1947. So in 1946 the unit was still a part of the Polish Army.

 

[buffnut453]

There's a death certificate for him recorded in the GRO. He was 42 years old at the time of his death. I've requested a copy...I'll update this page once I receive it.

 

[Sabrejet]

There's a death certificate for him recorded in the GRO. I've requested a copy...I'll update this page once I receive it.

That is very kind of you: thankyou!

 

[buffnut453]

Here's a direct transcript of details from Josef Jablecki's Death Certificate:

Place of Death: Sevenoaks Hospital
Date of Death: 5 December 1946
Rank or Profession: Sergeant in the Polish Army based at RAF Station Ramsbury
Cause of Death: Fracture of the base of the skull sustained by misadventure when he was thrown from an Army truck in which he was riding after it struck a bank and turned over.

 

[Sabrejet]

Many thanks: kind of makes sense since Ramsbury is not too far away.

 

[buffnut453]

He probably fought through WW2 only to die in an accident while still serving. It's really sad.

 

[Sabrejet]

There were a few like this in the area: I know a US Army truck overturned near Marlborough with several fatalities and there was also an explosion at a bomb dump in Savernake Forest. I'll keep an eye out for newspaper reports and update if I find anything.

 

[Ed Williamson]

Here's a direct transcript of details from Josef Jablecki's Death Certificate:

Place of Death: Sevenoaks Hospital
Date of Death: 5 December 1946
Rank or Profession: Sergeant in the Polish Army based at RAF Station Ramsbury
Cause of Death: Fracture of the base of the skull sustained by misadventure when he was thrown from an Army truck in which he was riding after it struck a bank and turned over.

I suspect that the name of the hospital has been misread, and should be "Savernake." It's still there, only a mile or so from st Katharine's church.

 

[Alex Smart]

The CWGC has these 4 Polish servicemen for December 5th 1946, one in Egypt the other 3 in the UK. I wonder if they were all in the same accident but laid to rest where they may have settled down in ?

Name, Rank & Service No.	Unit, Regiment, Country of Service	Date of Death	Commemorated at
M SZYBERLO Kapral Service Number: 5/N	P.W.S.K. Polish Army Polish	Died 05 December 1946	KANTARA WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY Plot III Row A Grave 2. Egypt	More detailsSave to My list
EMIL BADER Plutonowy	DTWO.2.Korp. Polish Army Polish	Died 05 December 1946 42 years old	WREXHAM CEMETERY War Graves Plot Section D Grave 9649. United Kingdom	More detailsSave to My list
JAN WOLSKI Kapral	Osr.Inw. Polish Army Polish	Died 05 December 1946 32 years old	WREXHAM CEMETERY War Graves Plot Section D Grave 9748. United Kingdom	More detailsSave to My list
JOZEF JABLECKI Plutonowy	5.P.Art.Plot. Polish Army Polish	Died 05 December 1946 42 years old	SAVERNAKE FOREST (ST. KATHARINE) CHURCHYARD North East of Church. United Kingdom	More detailsSave to My list