On July 2 and 10, 1943, two bodies washed ashore at Hollum on Ameland, identified by their clothing as Polish. Unfortunately, besides their rank, nothing more is known about their identities. Their graves at the cemetery in Nes only bear the inscription “An Airman of the War 1939 – 1945,” their rank, and “Polish Forces.”
- A Porucznik (a lieutenant)
- A Sierżant (a sergeant)
Who are the two unknown Poles?
This naturally raises the question of who these two unknown Poles might be.
This excerpt from a presentation on the Amelander Historie website with a brief description of all the war graves present on the island gives a first clue.
Both graves are also listed on the website polishwargraves.nl (now managed by the Oorlogsgraven Stichting), which has been a significant source for our website. The site suggests that the Porucznik (lieutenant) who washed ashore on July 2 might be Stefan Tomicki. He went missing after the crash of the Wellington bomber with registration number HE148, BH-T, from the 300 Squadron Ziemi Mazowieckiej. This crash occurred on the night of April 9, 1943. All six crew members were killed. Only two were identified: navigator Jan Rudek and gunner Stanisław Stępień. They washed ashore at the beaches of Castricum and Egmond aan Zee the day after the crash. Both are buried in the general cemetery in Bergen.
Given the discrepancy in the location where the body was found, the fact that it was almost three months later, and that Tomicki held the rank of podporucznik rather than porucznik, the above assumption should certainly be treated with caution.
For the grave of the sergeant, polishwargraves.nl provides no further information.
Other possibilities?
Our site lists several airmen who went missing in the period before the bodies were found. In addition to Tomicki, the following Poles went missing in the period before early July 1943:
On May 12, Halifax II with serial number DT627 and squadron code NF-P from the 138 ‘special duties’ squadron crashed in the Wadden Sea off the coast of Sint Jacobiparochie (according to polishwargraves). Their mission was to drop agents in the Netherlands. The loss register states that of the seven-member crew, four washed ashore on the Dutch coast, with the dates on which they washed ashore:
- Lieutenant Jan Polnik, washed ashore July 6 on Terschelling
- Sergeant Bronisław Wojno, also July 6 on Terschelling
- Sergeant Karol Germasiński, washed ashore July 2 at Anjum
- Sergeant Piotr Bednarski, July 1 at Sint Jacobiparochie
Three are still missing:
- Sierżant Jerzy Kurzak
- Sierżant Edward Piatkowski
- Porucznik Jan Henryk Polkowski
We intentionally mention the ranks in Polish so the correspondence with the ranks on the graves stands out. Given the ranks of the missing and the timing and location of the bodies washing ashore, these could be possible candidates.
The question then arises as to why these two could not be identified when the other crew members were. Unfortunately, the description of the discovery does not mention the condition of the bodies, which would provide clarity on this matter, but it is worth investigating.
Finally, we see on the Amelander Historie website that a 13th body washed ashore and is listed as a member of the British Air Force. Could this be the third crew member, but his uniform too damaged to be identified as “Polish”?
Other possibilities?
In addition to the option described above, on May 13, an aircraft from the 300 Squadron disappeared over the Zuiderzee east of Volendam (5 missing), and on June 22, another bomber from the 300 Squadron disappeared 60 kilometers off the coast of IJmuiden, resulting in four missing (by the way, none of them were a porucznik).
Can we still solve the mystery?
The question is, of course, whether after all these years the mystery can still be solved. Are there perhaps any reports about the discovery on Ameland that provide more information about the condition of the bodies? Could someone with knowledge of the currents in the North Sea shed light on the hypothesis involving Stefan Tomicki? Or could someone with knowledge of the Wadden Sea speak to the locations where the bodies from the May 12 crash were found in relation to the location near Hollum? For now, they remain an unknown lieutenant and sergeant in Nes, Ameland.
Photos of the gravestones by Klaas Graansma
