| Stanislaw Zurakowski | |
 Zurakowski in August 2020, aged 100. | |
| Birth: | 24 July 1920 Wolomin, Masovia, Russian Empire (now Poland) |
| Death: | 27 July 2023 London, England, UK |
| Age: | 103 years, 3 days |
| Country: |  POL UK
|
| Centenarian | |
Stanislaw Zurakowski [Polish: Stanisław Żurakowski] (24 July 1920 – 27 July 2023) was a Polish centenarian, lieutenant colonel, and historian in exile in the United Kingdom.
Biography[]
Stanislaw Zurakowski was born in Wolomin, Masovia, Russian Empire (now Poland) on 24 July 1920. He was the son of Stanislaw Ludwik Zurakowski (1886-1940) and Maria (née Jastrzębska). His siblings were Edmund, Anna (who died in infancy), Ludwik, Józef, Maria, Julia, Jadwiga (after her husband Czok), Antoni.
Zurakowski's father was a reserve officer of the Polish Army, and local government official of the Second Polish Republic who was the mayor of the towns of Wlodzimierz Wolynski, Zdolbunow, Ostrog. After the outbreak of World War I he was arrested by the Soviets and in 1940 murdered as part of the Katyn massacre. The members of the family stayed deep into the USSR, from where they left with the army of General Anders.
Later, he became a soldier of the 2nd Polish Corps in the structure of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. He participated in the Italian campaign in 1944 as a cadet of the 16th Rifle Battalion, and took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino. During the fighting of the 2nd Corps, two of his brothers were Killed.
After World War II, Zurakowski was in exile in Great Britain. He was an honorary employee of the Polish Institute and the General Sikorski Museum in London for many years. He was the author of historical publications. He prepared for publication Letters from Kozielsk by the mayor of the city of Ostrog, published in 1989 by the Polish Institute and the General Sikorski Museum in London and again in 2011 as part of the series Call from Volhynia (Biały Dunajec – Ostroh); the book contains the correspondence of Stanisław Ludwik Żurakowski during his imprisonment at the turn of 1939/1940 and a description of the fate of his family members deported to the depths of the USSR.
Zurakowski died on 27 July 2023 in his apartment in London, England, UK, three days after his 103rd birthday.
References[]
- ZURAKOWSKI, STANISLAW (Oral history) Imperial War Museums
- Stuletni weteran bitwy o Monte Cassino odznaczony Krzyżem Komandorskim z Gwiazdą Orderu Odrodzenia Polski Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego, 24 August 2020
- Monte Casino battle veteran honoured by Polish President TVP World, 25 August 2020
- Stanislaw Zurakowski obituary The Times UK