Walenty Sawko
(1916-1988)
Walenty Sawko was born on February 20th, 1916, in St. Petersburg, Russia. He possibly went to ORT technical school in, Grodno, Poland (now Belarus). He studied aircraft mechanics at the school.
ORT metal workshop in (Hrodna [Grodno, Grodne]?), Poland [now Belarus], 1920s-1930s. Photo credit: L. Gelgor, Grodno. Archive Ref. psa1351
In the 1930’s, Grodno’s population was 50 percent Jewish. When the war between the Soviets and Germans began, many of the Jews tried to flee the city, however, on June 23rd 1941, the Nazis took Grodno, and forced those fleeing to return. In late September of 1939, there was a small battle between Soviet Cavalry forces and improvised Polish forces. It is possible that he fled Poland for the United Kingdom because of these events.
Kolumna żołnierzy sowieckich wkraczających na ziemie Rzeczpospolitej 17 września 1939 roku.
In the United Kingdom, Walenty joined the No. 317 “City of Wilno” Polish fighter squadron. They were one of 15 Polish AirForce squadrons that fought alongside with the RAF in World War 2.
Walenty’s RAF rank was LAC, or leading aircraftsman, and his PAF rank was Plut.mech, or “platoon leader” in English. He was a instrument repairer, a vital ground crew technician who was responsible for maintaining, calibrating, and repairing sensitive aircraft instruments, such as navigation equipment, cameras, and gun turret parts. Often, these men were made to go on test flights to ensure equipment accuracy.
After the war, Walenty was awarded 2 medals, the 1945 star and the Atlantic Star.
Walenty was not allowed to march in the London Victory Parade, despite fighting alongside the British while in exile. Polish soldiers and airmen were not allowed in the parade due to political pressure from Joseph Stalin.
He continued to live in England, where he met Janina Jastrzebska, another Polish Refugee in England. They got married in Lincolnshire, England. They had two Children, Jerzy Sawko and Krystyna Sawko. The family moved to Hamilton, Ontario by boat, where he lived the rest of his life until January 30th, 1988 when he passed away.
Written by Bianca Sawko, great granddaughter to Walenty Sawko, BCI Student
