Jan Główczewski, the last soldier of the 62nd Wielkopolska Infantry Regiment, died at the age of 107, the Łobżenica (Wielkopolska) Municipal Office informed on Friday. Główczewski was a participant in the defensive war in 1939.
The Municipal Office of Łobżenica Commune emphasised that the deceased was the oldest resident of the commune and the 15th oldest Pole.
Jan Główczewski was born on 7 September 1915 in Łobżenica.
“In 1938, he was called up to do his compulsory military service. This is how he ended up in the “pułk dzieci bydgoskich.” In 1939 he went through almost the entire combat route of the September campaign. He set off from Bydgoszcz (…) and reached as far as the Kampinos Forest. There, on 22 September 1939, he was taken prisoner by the Germans,” reported the Łobżenko local government.
As a prisoner of war, he was led to Pruszków, then to Żyrardów, and finally ended up in a stalag in Kolonia. He was liberated by the American army and returned to Łobżenica after the war.
In 1999, Jan Główczewski was awarded the medal “For participation in the defensive war of 1939”. In 2001, by the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, he was appointed a second lieutenant of the Polish Army.
Jan Główczewski’s funeral will take place in his home town on Tuesday, 21 February.