Sgt. pilot
Mieczysław Marian Lewandowski (1911–1997) – sergeant pilot of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain (RAF P-793754). He was born on 4 January 1911 in Wola Duchacka near Kraków, to the family of Emil and Agata née Rożak. He completed primary school and grammar school in Jarosław (1926). In 1930 he volunteered for the 6th Aviation Regiment in Lwów, where he served until 1932. From 1935 to 1937 he completed reserve exercises at the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków. In parallel he developed a career as a glider instructor – he completed courses at Ustianowa, Aleksandrowice and Katowice, obtaining Grade IV instructor qualifications and Category D glider pilot’s licence. He worked as an instructor and head of glider schools in Tęgoborze and Goleszów. In 1938 he took part in the 6th National Gliding Competition in Masłów. By 1939 he had logged approximately 230 hours on gliders. In September 1939 he fought in the defence of Warsaw, then made his way through Slovakia, Hungary and France to Great Britain (1940). In the RAF he underwent training at 58 OTU and 54 OTU, after which in 1942 he was assigned to No. 307 “Lwów Eagle Owls” Polish Night Fighter Squadron. In subsequent years he served in training units and aircraft delivery units (including 2 Delivery Flight, Target Training Flight, 11 Air Gunnery School). From 1944 he underwent training on the Mosquito at 60 OTU and was assigned to No. 305 Bomber Squadron. After the war he remained in Great Britain. He logged a total of 4,154 hours on aircraft including the Bristol Blenheim, Bristol Beaufighter and de Havilland Mosquito. He died on 24 November 1997 in Blackpool and was buried at the cemetery in Carleton.
