L/Cpl. pilot
Walenty Kopa (1915–1942). Corporal pilot of the Polish Army, pilot of No. 316 “Warsaw” Polish Fighter Squadron, participant in the 1939 Polish Campaign and the Polish Air Force in the West. He served in the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków, where he was a member of the 23rd Auxiliary Squadron, serving as a pilot. During the 1939 Polish Campaign he took part in the squadron’s combat operations. After the defeat of Poland he made his way to France, and subsequently to Great Britain, where he served in No. 316 “Warsaw” Polish Fighter Squadron.
He was killed on 20 February 1942 after being shot down; he ditched in the sea near Fécamp, France. Despite using a rescue dinghy he drowned.
