News

Last week, in response to the Museum's appeal for the collection of memorabilia, the CMJW’s Museum seat in Łambinowice was visited by Mrs. Ewa Mękarska, granddaughter of Lieutenant Colonel Władysław Żabiński - an outstanding Polish officer, prisoner-of-war during both World Wars, the last commander of the 79^th Infantry Regiment, who was taken prisoner by the Germans after the Battle of Kock in October 1939 - with the intention of donating her family heirlooms.

Colonel W. Żabiński had the POW number 491 and was held, among others, in oflags XI A Osterode and X C Lübeck, and after the end of the Second World War he was the leader of Polish officers who were former prisoners-of-war in Willebadessen.

The Lieutenant Colonel's granddaughter gave to the Museum her grandfather's valuable collection: archive documents (50!), family correspondence and photographs relating to both his military service and his captivity. Particularly noteworthy is the illustrated and humorous commemorative thank-you note from fellow POWs comrades to Lt. Col Żabiński - ‘a very fair coffee-tabaco-breeches-donor and fearless commander of this room’. The thank-you note features humorous motifs (including a frog [żaba in Polish], referring to Żabiński's surname) and the signatures of fellow prisoners. Another extremely valuable item is a typescript written in German captivity, containing an excerpt from the 1940 camp chronicle from Oflag IX B Weilburg, as well as previously unknown literary and musical works by POWs. Among the authors we can find well-known post-war figures of public life, such as Second Lieutenant Henryk Rostworowski, Second Lieutenant Kazimierz Rudzki and Second Lieutenant Jerzy Michałowski. The collection also includes the Colonel's registration card from Oflag X C Lübeck, containing a set of registration photographs, as well as his Hinterlegungsbuch book of deposit receipts from the First World War period, issued during Captain Żabiński's time in Arbeitsbatalion 111, where he was sent after the Battle of Kaniów in May 1918.

Many thanks to Mrs. Ewa Mękarska for her gift!