Help me please. 308 Sqdn info

Hi All,

Sorry to bring this up again. Just wondering if anyone else is in a similar boat, my Grandad has been told different things by everyone he speaks to.

We have been passed around the houses and just are unable to get anywhere. I fear that he has given up on something that he is entitled to, which is a real shame as he will be 96 this year and has been trying for years.

I have spoken to PMS Bookshop today about the Polish Air Medal after speaking to the Service Personal and Veterans Agency, but the bookshop didn’t hold much hope. But I think this is a disgrace to treat a Veteran like this, after all he did serve this country and looks like we will have to pay for a medal that he should have by rights.

Just starting to get a bit frustrated about this due to how long this is taking and how we keep getting passed off to other people. Being told that we can buy the medals and that Grandad could be entitled to more and to get a full service record, but when this arrives certain parts are wrong, dates etc.

Didn’t realise this would be that hard, but I guess that due to so much time passing this has not helped our case.

Many thanks for looking and to those who have replied to this thread.

Tom

The reason I ask is that Grandad said that they merged when they were demobbed. Was just wondering as to why?

Thanks Voytech for your help.

Wouldn’t it just mean that he transferred from No. 308 to No. 316?

Just if you look on this card it has 316 sqdn

Quick question was it normal to merge squadrons before they were de-mobbed?

What exactly do you mean by ‘merging squadrons’? All Polish AF personnel were assembled in the Polish Resettlement Corps (RAF) following disbandment of individual squadrons but before all the servicemen were demobilised.

Hello all,

It has been awhile since I have been on the site.

Please see a picture of my Grandad (Right) with his brother during the war.

I am still collecting and finding new things to do with my Grandad along with 308 sqdn.

Quick question was it normal to merge squadrons before they were de-mobbed?

308 Squadron

Burton

For information on 308 Sqn and others try:

300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 315, 316, 317, 318, 663 Polish Squadrons: sites http://www.geocities.com/skrzydla/index.html :contact ratuszynski AT yahoo.com [FWH 02/01]

Spitfire IX & XVI of Polish Airmen. Wojtek Matusiak.Mirage Publications. Mostly Polish text but has English summaries and captions.

The book is entirely bilingual.

There is no 308 Squadron history published as far as I know either in English or Polish. Most most detailed account you can find will be in Jerzy B Cynk’s ‘The Polish Air Force At War’, two volumes, published by Schiffer. A little expensive, it costs just under £100 for both volumes. There is a Polish language version available from AJ Press which is much cheaper.

‘Spit and Polish’ is a book that should be of interest. It is an account of the Polish Spitfire Wing at the advanced landing ground at Chailey. There are a lot of photos of airfield activities and operations that you don’t normally see being published. It would seem that the book is still available.

http://www.aviationbookcentre.com/__12_product_info3_asp4_5_prdID4_18317_prdName5_Spit_54__Polish._RAF_Polish_Squadrons_in_Support_of_D-Day_19440_5_usrID36_FE9078FB-E205-4B57-BB6C-F2577F9F2AB02.html

Destination Belgium Wspomnienia Pilota Dywizjonu 308. Published by the Muzeum Lotnictwa Polskiego w Krakowie. An autobiography of 308 pilot Henryk Krakowian. A lot of it is about his life after WW II. English and Polish text. Should be able to find it at specialist bookshops.

Spitfire IX & XVI of Polish Airmen. Wojtek Matusiak.Mirage Publications. Mostly Polish text but has English summaries and captions. Photos of three or four 308 Spitfires.

A couple of Polish websites that have photos.

http://www.mysliwcy.pl/
http://www.polishairforce.pl/

Try this excellent Polish Air Force history site :http://orb.polishaf.pl/unit/308sqn

Hello all,

My gandad now has managed to get hold of some of his medals. Still trying to track down a Polish Air Force one and even some Mechanic badges also. At the moment we are trying to get the French Resistance medal which after a year we seem to be getting some where.

At the moment I have, to photocopy, my Grandads Polish Air force card. Also we will be writing to: –

Ministry of Defense
APC Polish Enquiries
Building 28 B RAF Northolt

Again to see if we can get a list of request of his military records as well as his British decorations, they area available for free. You will get a letter showing his service etc till 1946.

Hopefully we can get some where as he is 94 this monday (19th Nov)

Thanks

In the continuing quest to find information, I am wondering if it possible to find the Uniform badges anywhere?

All I can say is wow!!! Thank you so much for this information…

If you contact Colonel Marek Lisiak (Defence Attache) at the Polish Embassy in London he can give you the tel no. for Mr. JB Cynk (I have lost it) who is a Polish AF historian.

308 Sqdn info

😎

Hi Thomas – try www.rafweb.org/Sqn300-318htm. This will detail 308 Sqdn and its aircraft if you scroll to 308.

dakota2

Hi Thomas,
I hope that this information will be of some help.
308 City of Krakow Fighter Squadron
09 Sept 1940 308 Krakow Fighter Squadron(drawn from survivors of 2 Krakow Air regiment) formed at Blackpool.
16 Sept 1940 308 moved to Speke near Liverpool,then to Bagington near Coventry.
Commander S/L Davis killed in training flight.
01 Dec 1940 posted operational,given night fighter duties for which their Hurricanes unsuitable(difficult and dangerous to land in the dark).
1941 at Northolt.
1960’s Bruno Kudrewicz became publican of The White Hart in Thatcham.
Howard. 🙂

It’s BAGINTON not Bagington 🙂

308(Polish) SQ

Hi Thomas,
I hope that this information will be of some help.
308 City of Krakow Fighter Squadron
09 Sept 1940 308 Krakow Fighter Squadron(drawn from survivors of 2 Krakow Air regiment) formed at Blackpool.
16 Sept 1940 308 moved to Speke near Liverpool,then to Bagington near Coventry.
Commander S/L Davis killed in training flight.
01 Dec 1940 posted operational,given night fighter duties for which their Hurricanes unsuitable(difficult and dangerous to land in the dark).
1941 at Northolt.
1960’s Bruno Kudrewicz became publican of The White Hart in Thatcham.
Howard. 🙂

Here’s a few leads for you.

http://www.polandinexile.com/addresses.html

I would recommend a visit to the Sikorski Institute in London if you can get there – make an appointment first!

Many Thanks to those who have replied.

VoyTech – Thanks for the link, I have been there, but was after more detailed information, also been to the Jan Hobot site with pictures where my Grandad appears in 2 of the photos.

As you may of guessed from my last sentence above I am doing this to research the Squadron that my Grandad was in during WWII. He was ground crew and his plane was ZF – F and Pilot was F/Lt Kudrewicz. Iam basicly after more information about this squadron as there doesn’t seem to be alot. Also pictures etc. Just want to trace his history in WWII from when he came over from Poland and while he was in the French Resistance etc.

So any help is really gratefull. Also doing a Scaled Spitfire in his pilots colours with mascott for his 93’rd Birthday later this year.

Thanks again.

Thomas

Have you tried this address?
http://www.geocities.com/skrzydla/