english version

19-03-2023

07-05-2012

wersja polska

Murdered in Katyń – members of related families from Siedlce


Introduction

Although we have heard in the past that some members of the Wajszczuk family participated during the 19th and 20th century in the resistance and fighting against the occupants, including Russia and then the Soviet Union, we do not know their precise number, their identities or full stories. As far as we know, nobody from the Podlasie branch of the family - in particular from the immediate Wajszczuk family in Siedlce – died in the course of the last war in a Soviet POW camp, althought Zbigniew (0062) was a prisoner-of-war there (see ») - or in GULAG.

We know about one member of the Zamosc branch, Antoni Wajszczuk (1591), who was fighting the Russians at the beginning of the 20th century, was captured and sent to Siberia in 1906, where he perished and no trace of him was ever found  (see ») There were, though, several members of a family from Podlasie, (see »), who were expelled at the onset od World War II from the eastern polish territories (”Kresy”), spend the war years in exile in the Soviet Union (Kazakhstan), but were able to return to Poland after the war in 1946 – except one, Kazimierz (0423) who died in a tank battle as a soldier in the Polsh Army, which was formed in the Soviet Union (see »).

However, several members of other families from Siedlce, who were related to the Wajszczuks by marriage, were less lucky and they were killed in the spring of 1940 in the Soviet Union, in the ”Katyn” massacre. My childhood memory retained only the names – during the war and for many years afterwards, there were no loud conversations about their fates, they could result in an involuntary trip to Siberia or worse. Only recently the information could be gathered, with difficulty, from their families, who were scattered around Poland and the World. They belonged to the Olszewski, Skolimowski, Radoniewicz, Le(h)man and Wierzejski families – (see ») or (see ») – see below:


List of persons murdered in Katyn, Kharkov, Twer and Miednoje
who were promoted posthumously to a next higher rank

(Members of Siedlce families, who were related to the Wajszczuk family)

 LT. Tomasz Olszewski (M003)

2LT Mieczysław Skolimowski (M035)

CPT Julian Radoniewicz (M091)

LT Dr. Stefan Wierzejski,

Maria and Julian Radoniewicz with daughters - Hania (M092) i Basia (M096)

Helena (M101) and LT Dr. Bolesław Le(h)man
(wedding picture)

List read during public solemn commemorative ceremonies held on November 9-10, 2007

http://www.katedrapolowa.pl/lista_awansowanych.php

4086 LT. Wierzejski Stefan s. of Karol 1901 Katyń Captain
3506 LT. Olszewski Tomasz s. of Konstanty 1893 Kharkov Captain
7149 2LT. Skolimowski Mieczysław s. of Józef 1903 Katyń Lieutenant
2347 CPT Radoniewicz Julian s. of Jakub 1895 Twer Deputy inspector (Police)
3244 LT. Leman Bolesław s. of Jan 1892 Kharkov Captain

 


Prepared by: Waldemar J Wajszczuk & Paweł Stefaniuk 2023
e-mail: drzewo.rodziny.wajszczuk@gmail.com