The Airmen's Stories - P/O B A WLASNOWOLSKI

Boleslaw Andrzej Wlasnowolski was born on 29th November 1916. He served in the Polish Air Force and was with 122 Squadron when the Germans invaded on 1st September 1939. On the 2nd he shared in the shooting down of a Do17.

He arrived in England in late 1939 and was commissioned in the RAF in January 1940 and went to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge for conversion to Hurricanes. He was then posted to 32 Squadron at Biggin Hill on 3rd August 1940.

Above: P/O JP Pfeiffer, F/Lt. JBW Humpherson, F/Lt. PM Gardner, S/Ldr. MN Crossley, F/O DH Grice, P/O JF Pain, F/O AF Eckford, P/O K Pniak, P/O BA Wlasnowolski

Wlasnowolski claimed a Me109 destroyed on 15th August and another plus a Do17 on the 18th. On 13th September he was posted to 607 Squadron at Tangmere and claimed a Do17 destroyed on the 15th. There was a further move to 213 Squadron, also at Tangmere, on 17th September. He claimed a Me109 damaged on 15th October.

Wlasnowolski was killed on 1st November 1940 following combat with Me109’s off Portsmouth. His Hurricane V7221 came down at Liphook Game Farm, Stoughton (now W Sussex).

He is buried in Chichester Cemetery.

He was awarded the VM 5th Class on 1st February 1941 and the KW on 31st October 1947.

He is commemorated by a memorial at the crash site of his Hurricane and on the Polish War Memorial, Northolt.

(Northolt memorial entry above)