Second Lieutenant Kazimierz W Malachowski

Kazimierz Malachowski was born on 4 September 1918 in Witebsk, Russia, to Jozef and Aanna Malachowski.

He enlisted in the Polish military on 9 July 1938, and was posted to the Navy Officer’s school.

In 1939 he was posted to 3rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 1st Grenadiers Division, with the French campaign, and in 21 June 1940 was taken Prisoner of War.

He escaped through the sewers four days later and later made his way to Spain, where he was recaptured and sent to a concentration camp at Miranda.

In 1943 he was released and evacuated to Britain, where he enlisted in the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade. In September 1944, 2nd Lieutenant Malachowski took part in Operation Market Garden at Arnhem, where he was wounded in action.

He continued to serve in Britain until his emigration to Australia in 1948.

He married Lucia Maksim around 1949, and worked as Post Master General at Telestra.

Kazimeierz, later known as Kay, died in 2014 aged 95.