L/Cpl. pilot
Ludwik Cieślak (1907–1983) was a lance corporal pilot of the Polish Army and a Warrant Officer in the Royal Air Force, a soldier of the Polish Air Force during World War II. He was born on 25 February 1907 in the village of Podczerwone near Nowy Targ. In the interwar period he served in various aviation units, including the 2nd Aviation Regiment. He then evacuated to France, where he participated in the 1940 campaign, and after its fall made his way to Great Britain, where he was incorporated into the Polish Air Force within the RAF. Between 1940 and 1945 he took part in the defence of the British Isles and combat operations as part of No. 301 Bomber Squadron. During his service he was shot down on 21/22 October 1941 and was taken prisoner by the Germans, being held in the Stalag Luft III POW camp in Żagań. After the war he returned to service in Allied aviation structures. He was decorated with the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Order. After the war he remained in exile in Great Britain, where he died on 8 October 1983 in Bradford.
