RICO R D ELLIOTT ELLIOTT
ELLIOTT ELLIOTT
OPTICIANS
OPTICIANS
19A P I ELYAR40 F
John fINOR MJr. Ex-11]arisi Bros' SFuded Tel.
NO. 9,181.
Piccadilly Arcade Perth Tel. B7988
B79BB
PERTH, WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1946.
SEVENTYSECOND YEAR.
PRICE THREEPENCE.
Australian Airman in the Polish Underground Army Thrilling Experiences with Gestapo in Warsaw Humour in the Midst of Sacrifice and Danger .. . blood and whose real name he only By W. BESTERIIAN. heard in Brussels on the way from I'irst of all he spoke over the teleWarsaw to London. The name was revealed to him by a " contact" from phone. He spoke from the railway Warsaw. station in Washington; he had arrived He joined the army straight from the • from New York and wanted to see me University. From Australia he prourgently. I thought that in putting ceeded to Canada, where he was trainclown the receiver he had said in Poled as a Fighter Pilot. Then to Engish, " Goad-bye to you." Naturally I land, where he happened to arrive must have made a mistake, for he had during the last months of the air battle introduced himself as Flt,/Lieutenant for the domination of the British ChanX; the name sounded very British nel. Ile was flying a Spitfire in the and he added that he was an Austrasquadron of the famous late Paddv lian airman who had recently arrived Finucane. He was shot down over the from London. Channel and rescued by Germans. Ile A few hours later he smilingly enwas a prisoner now and was transporttered my room. He was rather short, masculine with dark, bright eyes, a ed to the east, one of the numerous internment camps for airmen. The (welliformed nose, and somewhat unplanning of an escape, the unsuccessful wieldy thick hair. On his uniform escape, the rapture, the punishment, were the ribbons of Australian decorations; including the Distinguished Flyfresh plans, long and difficult, requiring as much cunning as courage—that ing Cross. He spiritedly shook my is along story of many, many months hands and said very clearly and alduring which the nerves, the spirit most without a trace of foreign accent, and the body underwent identical tor"Good-dap," in Polish. Noticing the amazement in my eyes he added with tures. They escaped at last—and they were a smile of a boy who had played a not caught. Thev were immediately successful joke, " Yes, I speak Polish, taken care of by the powerful Polish iwhv not— have I not spent two years Underground Movement. which safely in Warsaw?" concealed them in Warsaw. Here "When?" I asked, " before the war? began Flt./Lieutenant _X's Polish life, But you are not more than twenty , He knows Warsaw probably better five therefore... " than most who had lived there for "Before the war!" Ile gesticulated. years. Ile loves the city because he "Why, before the war Iwas in Sydney has seen it not beautiful, warn and where I studied medicine when the homely, like Poles in pre-war days, but war started. Iwas in Warsaw recentmortally wounded, suffering, fighting, ly, Ileft in May, 1941. Iserved in and which took care of him as an ac. the Underground Army...." The people of Warsaw also For two days, with interruptions, 1 tual son. opened their hearts. Thev concealer) listened to Flt./Lieutenant X's story, which will remain amongst the most him, fed him, gave him arms and taught him—the son of the Antipodes impressive legends of this war. IIe is —to fight the Germans in military acwriting it, but we will have to wait for tions, planned by the staff of the Polthe appearance of the hook by the Australian .airman who was a soldier ish Home Army. Ile knows \Warsaw well, because he • of the Polish Underground Army. One tramped many time ,;from one end of cannot circumvent regulations guardthe city to another, from one suburb ing military secrets. Ile sate alot; he to another. Ile walked or went by experienced even more. tram. Ile carried out orders, comOne can divulge very little of what municated with strangers, whom he adhe said, but even that-which is allowed mires and of whom he speaks with sounds like an impressive fairy tale moist eyes or with clenched fists when written with blood, sacrifices courage he recalls what is being said of these and humour. For he does not lack men; his magnificent comrades-in-arms humour which I particularly admired in the fight against the Germans; in was acquired -in Warsaw and its subradio broadcasts, in contemptible puburbs. Ile lived in the suburb of lications of the enemy, or maybe worse Saska Kepa for eighteen months with than the enemy—the traitor... . aman whom he loved like afather and Ile wants to be most exacting on brother in one, and for whom he would everything which he desires to explain. give the very last drop of his own If you can't procure in town what you require, TRY US.
'Phone: B5393
Ile does not want to leave out one man, nor one Warsaw street, of which he speaks with as much warmth as he does of the people. We spent many hours punctiliously writing down the names of many men, women, children, and even dogs, for some of the Warsaw dogs found a warm affection in the heart of the Australian airman, the names of streets, squares . and buildings, as well as various Polish words, which Flt./Lieutenant X pronounces eery correctly, but whose spelling is as foreign to him as it is important. "How do you write Kazio, Stela, paczki, passport, cholera, Volksdeutsch, Senatorska, Aleja Szucha, Dworzec Glowny, popielniczka?" The list became endless. "Popielniczka?" (" ash tray"), I ask. ed after a while. " But what has an ash tray to do in your story and especially in the Polish equivalent and not in English? If I am not mistaken you are writing in English and, therefore, only names of people and streets and some very characteristic words will be given in Polish, is that not so?"
the typewritten sheets and thrust them into the ash tray. Igot out and was carefully searched, but nothing was found on me; my identity papers— forged, of course, were in order. We were kept standing for a while and as nothing suspicious had been found we were ordered back into the tram. Sitting down I again dropped my paper, bent down, took the sheets out of the ash tray—my dear ash tray--and put them back in my pocket. I got out at the next stopping place, somewhat perspiring, I must admit, I completed the journey on foot. How can I fail to immortalise ' Popielniczka?' You realise. ,
He says that he frequently used the trams. There is a popular tram joke in Warsaw. Two friends are standing at both ends of an impossibly overcrowded one-compartment tram. One calls out loudly to the other, " Listen, Stefan, alight with me at the corner of Nowogrodzka Street; you can come to my place; we shall listen-in to the London broadcasts." A deadly silence pervades the tram. Stefan pretends that he cannot hear, but his drien•:l per• "Naturally, but ' Popielniczka; he sistingly calls out, "Get out, Stefan, it, pronounced remarkably well and with is nearly five o'clock, we will just be a smile the combination of the letters in time to listen- in. They broadcast "CZ" and " K;" " this ' Popielniczka' very interesting information which I saved my life; therefore, Imust immor. hear every day." The passengers are talise it in its original Polish spelling." beginning to think that the man is a "You see," he became more serious, lunatic. The train stops after a while "as an airman Ihad to carry out cerand the radio listener alights; he is tain technical tasks for the Under. followed by a suspicious-looking inground Army.' I worked for three dividual, who obviously looks like a weeks with a certain Pole who splenGestapo spy. Ile follows him step by didly spoke English; my knowledge step as he enters an apartment house at the time was still very imperfect, and swiftly goes up the stairs without and one evening Ihad in my pocket looking for the shadow at the back. several typewritten sheets, the result Ile enters the apartment. A few moof our work, which was very import. ments later the Gestapo man violentant to the Headquarters. I was travel• Iv knocks his fist on the door. " Open ling by tram to the suburb of Zoliborz, the door!" An elderly lady opens the and as always, to prevent being drawn door. " Where is the man who walked into conversation and not to betray my in here a while ago? No lies! Speak foreign accent. my nose was immersed ,Iam from the Gestapo," The eldin the " New Warsaw Courier," that erly lady, unruffled, answers that her rag published by the Germans in Warson has just returned, but he must not saw. Do you remember before the be interrupted, because he is at the war ash trays at the side of the win. dows? All of a sudden on Wilson's present moment in his room, listening to a London broadcast.... The Ger• Square—stop! The tram is surrounded man is consumed with fury. " What is by Gestapo and IS men in uniforms. this? jokes? I shall teach you, you Get out! One by one, to be searched. scoundrels. Ile pushes the lady Inside the tram is very bright, but aside and rushes into the adjoining there is darkness outside and the Ger. room. His eyes meet the innocently mans can see everything clearly outamazed gaze of the man from the tram. lined like ml a moving picture screen. lie is seated not in front of a radio It is impossible to conceal anything. set, but by the open window, which People are already moving towards overlooks a small courtyard, whence is the exit. \[ y papers are beginning to burn my skin. One must decide in a clearly heard a radio broadcast in German. The Gestapo man listens for a flash of an eye. Idropped the newsmoment. . Yes, it is London, in paper on the floor as if it had fallen German, hurling most appalling aecuout of my hand. 1bent down and, (Continued on Back Cover.) getting up again, I rapidly took out
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