EUGENIA ZAGAJCWSKA Polish WAAF

[Resmoroh]

Dave (Tony),

VMT that info!

This one gets more interesting by the minute. What was a Polish matelot doing with a Polish WAAF in the middle of Norfolk? Not too many Polish Navy ships on the Norfolk Broads!!! Moreover, Malcolm (of rafweb) seems to indicate that our lady had some connections with a Polish resistance organisation. I tried the title on Google but the page came up in Polish - and I have to admit that my Polish is a negative quantity/quality!!!

From a wet and cool UK (and my football team is currently losing!).

HTH
Peter Davies

[Tonym]

Thanks Peter & Dave

Will be sending for her Death Cert. now that I have just about sorted my computer out. Will post the result.

Tony

[Tonym]

Just for the record and general intereast -

Eugenia was born on 7th September 1924 in Ostrów, Sokal, Lwów. Poland. I have no details of her early life in Poland other than she was forced to flee her homeland in 1939 when Poland was occupied by Germany and subsequently jointly by Russia. She would have initially fled to France and subsequently, with the German occupation of that country in 1940, to England where, possibly c.1942 she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force attached to the Polish Air Force. She qualified with the equivalent rank of Leading Aircraftwoman and was posted as a Lady Secretary to the Technical Training Command at the Polish Air Force Headquarters in London. At some time during her service she met and became engaged to a Polish navy man, Wledzyslaw Silzewski, Who had been temporarily released from naval service to study at the Polish Naval College at Bridge of Allan near Stirling, Scotland.

No further information until April 1946 when it appears that Eugenia and her Fiancée spent the Easter holiday period with some friends on the Norfolk Broads. Wladzislaw had a metal canoe that he had previously borrowed from two Polish airmen from Coltishall aerodrome and had used on previous occasions; it was made from the auxiliary petrol tank of an aircraft. However they were canoeing on the River Bure when the boat was seen to capsize and sink, a witness said the boat capsized when Wladzislaw leaned forward towards Eugenia. Ada Llusarek, A WAAF friend of Eugenia and cousin of Wladzislaw, said that Eugenia was clinging to her cousin in such a manner that he could not move because of the mud at the bottom of the six feet of water and he was so exhausted he could not reach the rope that another witness had thrown out to him, consequently he succumbed to exhaustion and they both drowned.

Tony

[Resmoroh]

Tony (at al),
Tks for the update.
Now if that ain't an almost text-book example of the Law Of Natural Cussedness (or Sod's Law). They both go through some of the worst bits of a World War, and then die in a silly boating accident on the Norfolk Broads.
Rgds
Peter Davies

[norfolkjohn]

Long time since I contributed to this forum but still ploughing through RAF (and associated) war graves in Norfolk and revisited this one today. The following link gives the entire and somewhat tragic story of how this young woman and her fiancée lost their lives in a homemade canoe (converted aircraft fuel tank) on the river Bure at Lammas not far from RAF Coltishall.
https://norfolkrecordofficeblog.org/2020/04/22/77637/