Corporal Waleria Sawicka PSK Signals 2 Corps

Corporal Waleria Sawicka PSK Signals 2 Corps

Author: Ognisko Polskie May 24, 2024 Duration: 41:17

"...because Polish people are actually very brave and they fight well... even the women"

Marking the 80th anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino in May 2024, Pani Sawicka spoke to me for this podcast at her home in South West London. At 101 years old, she looks back on her military career in World War 2 and reflects on how as a 16 year old, the invasion of Poland in September 1939 shattered her idyllic life. With grit, determination and luck Pani Sawicka survived forced deportation to Siberia and commanded respect in the Polish Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet, Women's Auxiliary Service. Highly intelligent and a multi linguist, Pani Waleria Sawicka was promoted to the Superintendent of the Polish advanced base in Mottola, Italy during the Italian Campaign, serving as a corporal in the 2nd Corps Signals regiment. Her work in Signals work was highly classified: sending morse messages, responsible for secure telephone military communications between allied generals as well as encrypting military commands to Allied bases in Gallipoli, Italy.


Monte Cassino 80 is supported by Polish Cultural Institute in London.

With many thanks to Marek Mrozek volunteer at Polish Institute Sikorski Museum, London.


If you would like to learn more about Pani Waleria Sawicka

listen to the Swiat Sybiru 3 part podcast:

https://swiatsybiru.pl/pl/ze-swiecian-do-kazachstanu-cz-1/

and her personal collection of photographs 1935 - 1946 can view viewed in the Karta archive

https://www.foto.karta.org.pl


Ognisko Polskie’s Monte Cassino 80 podcast is presented by Jola Piesakowska

Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute

Produced by Salt and Pepper Productions in association with #MyLondyn



Colonel Lipinski's in depth memoirs

https://www.kresyfamily.com/romuald-lipinski-intro.html


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Marking the eightieth anniversary of one of the Second World War's most brutal and consequential clashes, MONTE CASSINO 80 is a reflective audio series from Ognisko Polskie. This podcast moves beyond a simple military chronicle to explore the deep layers of history, memory, and human experience surrounding the Polish contribution to the battle and the wider Italian Campaign. Each episode serves as a thoughtful examination, piecing together how the events of 1944 continue to echo through the decades. We delve into the strategic decisions and the grim reality of the fighting, but with equal weight given to the cultural and emotional legacy left in its wake. The series considers the personal stories of soldiers, the geopolitical complexities that placed them there, and the enduring symbols-from song to sentiment-that the name Monte Cassino evokes within Polish identity and beyond. Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute, this is a nuanced journey for anyone interested in how history is lived, fought, and remembered. Listen to this podcast for a multifaceted exploration that connects past sacrifice to present understanding, asking what it means to commemorate such a pivotal moment eight decades later.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 10

MONTE CASSINO 80
Podcast Episodes
In conversation with Prof Norman Davies author of Trail of Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:53
"I get more correspondence from" Trail of Hope "than anything else... Lots of books about Monte Cassino but not very much about the whole Odyssey".'Trail of Hope' situates the Anders Army's journey within the broader con…
Polish Women Warriors of 317 Transport - Tola Styraniec [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
In this podcast we meet Nuna Staniaszek whose mother Tola Turska, nee Styraniec was a volunteer with 317 General transport 2nd Polish Corps. Her service as listed in her Military records began in the Middle East and then…
How to Find Your Polish Roots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:29
In this episode of Monte Cassino 80, with thanks to Kresy Family Polish WWII History Group, we meet Jan Zajaczkowski. Jan is a volunteer at Kresy Family who has become an authority on navigating the available archives as…
Porucznik Danuta Gradosielska PSK 316 Transport Company [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
"I realise now, that at 18, I was too young to understand just how dangerous this was." Danuta (Mączka) Gradosielska was 18 years old when she saw active service at Monte Cassino and the Italian Campaign as a driver with…