‘Never-before-seen’ photos of WWII leader General Władysław Sikorski found in Scottish attic by local pub singer
Previously unseen photographs of General Władysław Sikorski visiting Polish soldiers in the Scottish coastal town of St. Andrews during WWII have emerged after a rock-and-roll pub singer from the town found the negatives in a rusty container in his attic.
Tad Kucharski had been sorting through some belongings of his late father, Tadeusz Kucharski, a Polish soldier and photographer who came to the town during the war when he was overcome with curiosity.
Scanning the negatives he was stunned to find they revealed images of Poland’s government-in-exile prime minister and commander-in-chief General Sikorski inspecting Polish troops on St. Andrews main road South Street.
Tad, a former coastguard radio officer and now a local musician, was unaware who the photographs showed but knew that they were of an important Polish army officer.
Dr Suchcitz, head of the archive at the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London told TFN: “They were obviously taken after December 1941, as that was when he became a full general and three stars can be seen on his general’s cap.”
When he posted the collection on a local Facebook photography group just before New Year, he wrote: “Polish military in St. Andrews from an unmarked/unlabelled roll of film recently found. No dates but obviously 1940s. Wonder if anyone can throw more light on these.”
He said later, “I came across them during a general rummage while I was having a clear-out.
“I almost threw them out but put them through a scanner to see what they were.
“I didn’t know what it was at first. They were in some rusty containers in the loft. It was a surprise when I opened them.”
It is likely Sikorski was inspecting the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Rifle Brigade of the Polish 1st Corps, who were working on coastal defences in the region.
General Sikorski visited the Scottish town several times before his controversial death in a plane disaster in Gibraltar in 1943.
In October 1940, he inspected the nearby coastal defences with Winston Churchill, which Polish forces were building.
On another occasion, he received an honorary degree from St Andrews university.
However, the new photographs were taken in a warmer month.
Rock-and-roll pub singer Tad Kucharski had been sorting through some belongings of his late father when he came across the old negatives hidden inside a rusty container in his attic.
Dr Suchcitz, head of the archive at the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London told TFN that it is highly likely that these photographs are new.
"Certainly, I have not seen them before," he said, adding, “They were obviously taken after December 1941, as that was when he became a full general and three stars can be seen on his general’s cap.”
He said that it is likely Sikorski was inspecting the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Rifle Brigade of the Polish 1st Corps, who were working on the coastal defences in the region.
“It is difficult to be 100 percent sure as it is hard to identify any markings of the soldiers’ uniforms,” he said.
About 24,000 Polish troops were evacuated to the UK in May 1940 after the fall of France, many thousands arrived later.
About 24,000 Polish troops were evacuated to the UK in May 1940 after the fall of France, many thousands arrived later.
Most were sent to Scotland to defend the coastline against invasion. Many of the men were stationed in the St Andrews area.
“It was a time when the British were preparing for a German invasion and they thought that a diversionary attack may take place on the east coast of Scotland,” Dr Suchcitz said.
In late 1941, the crisis passed and many of the soldiers from the 1st Corps went to form General Maczek’s 1st Armoured Division and the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade.
General Sikorski visited Scotland several times before his controversial death in a plane disaster in Gibraltar in 1943. Pictured: General Sikorski's funeral procession in Plymouth.
Dr Suchcitz added that the photos are important because they are of a very good quality and they also show Sikorski smiling.
“I don’t think he smiled very often,” he said.
The photographer Tadeusz Kucharski came to St Andrews with the Polish 1st Corp. He stayed after the war, and married a Scottish woman.
He ran a photography business in the town, as well as a café and an art studio. He died in 1972.
Pub-singer Tad, a former coastguard radio officer and now a local musician, was unaware who the photographs showed but knew that they were of an important Polish army officer.
General Sikorski’s links with St Andrew are kept alive with a large stone memorial in a park in the town near the St Andrews museum.
Today, 14 February, marks the 80th anniversary of Poland’s Home Army, formed to fight against Nazi-German occupation.
Named the Home Army (AK) by Władysław Sikorski, the underground organization was the largest resistance movement in occupied Europe.
