Then and now, here and there

Ladies and Gentlemen! 

Sergiusz Paplinski showing me his precious photos

Let me introduce Mr Sergiusz Paplinski known as 'Kawka' to his comrades (jackdaw in English). He is one of the great WWII heroes I had the honour to meet recently at the prestigious and historic Polish club (Polish Hearth) in South Kensington. Born in Radom, not far from my hometown, he would visit his aunt in Skarzysko-Kamienna. On one such visit he saw the railway station attacked by the Soviet planes soon after the Soviet Union followed the German attack on Poland in September 1939. Our allies did declare war on Germany that September but didn't lift a gun (nor a proverbial finger) as they... weren't ready then. As if Hitler had asked us to rehearse before he struck... Soon Sergiusz joined an underground army fighting in the area of The Holy Cross Mountains.

What a life! That evening Mr Paplinski shared some memories with me and showed me his old photographs. You can see them in this short film along with... his paintings! Yes, this brave soldier replaced his gun with a painting brush having settled in Albion! And did so having studied the arts first!

Sergiusz Paplinski in The Holy Cross Mountains

Silent-Unnamed marching

Sergiusz pointing at his commander Antoni Heda 'Shary'

Sergiusz Paplinski's paintings form the background for Katy Carr and Alexander Smaga

So many British people his age and younger do not realise how different their lives would have been if not for people like Sergiusz. Only a young teenager when the war broke out, he joined the underground armed forces and fought against the Nazi Germans. To my surprise I learnt that his commander was Antoni Heda 'Szary'  , who was recently commemorated with a monument in my hometown of Skarzysko-Kamienna. A new roundabout near my home was named after him too. 

In contrast, an English woman his age I met only last Monday, shared her lighthearted wartime memories with me: how she had danced and laughed in front of her mother singing: 'The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming!'. When travelling to Central London, she and her friends always laughed at the German prisoners of war working hard by the railroads. And what was happening in Poland at the time???

I know a bit and wouldn't like it to happen again. How can we allow such things to happen to others somewhere else now??? !!!

Thanks for reading! A penny for your thoughts! ;-)