Latest news with #EugeniuszNiedzielski
Rhyl Journal
7 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
Leader Live
7 days ago
- Leader Live
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
North Wales Chronicle
7 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Visit to Scotland ‘means the world' to 100-year-old veterans, says charity
Donald Turrell, 100; Dorothea Barron, 100; and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, 101, are set to travel to Scotland in August in a trip organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (TCMV). As well as visiting a number of sites linked with their service, the 'remarkable' trio will attend the Edinburgh Tattoo on August 12. Colin Mills, chairman of TCMV, said: 'We are incredibly proud to be taking three remarkable WW2 veterans to Scotland this August, and we are so grateful to everyone whose generous donations have made this trip possible. 'Don Turrell, Dorothea Barron, and Eugeniusz Niedzielski, each with extraordinary stories of service and resilience, will be visiting places that hold deep personal significance. 'Trips like this are only possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and it means the world to these veterans to be honoured in this way.' London-born Don Turrell enlisted in the army when he was just 17, having lied about his age, and joined the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). He intends to visit Dunfermline, where his mother was born, and also to return to Fort William in the Highlands where he spent time training before being sent to France in the weeks following D-Day. 'It was hard, very hard,' the 100-year-old recalled of his time training in Scotland. 'It made me fit. There are some photographs floating about with me with all my muscles showing,' he said with a chuckle. He added: 'We used to hang over cliffs on ropes. Just tapped in a six-inch nail on the ground, rope round it, down the side a cliff and swing about, (and) climb up. 'I enjoyed every minute of it.' Other destinations include a visit to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton, which houses the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) collection. The visit is set to take place on August 8, when a parade with the standard will be held. Dorothea Barron enlisted in the Wrens when she was 18, having been a schoolgirl in London during the Blitz. Working as a visual signaller, she spent much of her time at naval sites in Scotland, initially at Port Edgar on the Firth of Forth and then Rosyth in Fife, Aberdeen, and Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula. The 100-year-old said she was especially looking forward to revisiting her old posting at Port Edgar. 'They're going back to Hopetoun, which was the rallying point for all the naval people,' she said. 'And from there we were sent off to various parts of Scotland. So, I'd love to see if my little tin hut of a signal station has survived the Scottish weather. 'I doubt it very much, but it's going to be such fun looking for it.' During her visit to Port Edgar on August 7, she will perform the sod-cutting ceremony at the old Port Edgar Barracks, which is set to be converted into a new housing scheme. Born in what was then Poland, Eugeniusz Niedzielski was deported to Soviet work camps during the invasion of Poland in September 1939. Released when Stalin joined the Allies in 1942, Mr Niedzielski joined the new Polish army, which was placed under British command, and took part in the Allied offensive in 1944 – including taking part in the liberation of the Dutch city of Breda. He served in the Polish 1st Armoured Division, which was formed in Duns, in the Scottish Borders, by General Stanislaw Maczek in 1942, and intends to visit the town as part of the trip. The 101-year-old will also visit the Polish consulate in Edinburgh on August 10, as well as travelling to Alnwick in Northumberland, Kelso and Faslane. Mr Turrell and Ms Barron both expressed their gratitude to the TCMV for arranging trips for veterans like themselves. 'This is what keeps me alive,' Mr Turrell said. 'Now I know I'm going on another (trip), I'll got to keep myself going. 'Otherwise, I just sit in a chair, fall asleep, wake up, look at a telly, fall asleep again.' Ms Barron said: 'The lovely London taxi drivers charity were the ones who found me out and gave me all these wonderful opportunities to meet other people who'd been in the war. 'Because, once my husband died and our local doctor died, nobody else, I think locally, had been in the war. 'So it was lovely. It was intriguing, and it's giving me a second lifetime.'
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
King pledges to lend his watercolours to Polish cultural centre in London
The King has said he will loan a leading Polish cultural centre some of his watercolours after a plea from its gallery to exhibit his work. Charles was reminded of a request made 15 years ago during his last visit to the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in west London to display his art. The monarch joined heads of state and government in Poland last week for commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and he visited the cultural centre in Hammersmith on Wednesday to show his support for the UK's Polish community. He met a cross-section of Poles and people of Polish descent living and working in the UK, including 101-year old Eugeniusz Niedzielski, a Second World War Normandy veteran who was thanked by the King for his service. When Charles arrived, Joanna Ciechanowska, an artist and manager of POSK's gallery, asked him: 'Have you brought your paintings, your beautiful paintings, to us?' The King, who was being shown a small painting exhibition by Polish-born actor and set and stage designer Felix Fabian, replied with a smile: 'No, sadly not,' then joked: 'I'm not sure they're that good.' After touring the exhibition, Charles told Ms Ciechanowska: 'I'll try and keep up my painting and you'll have to exhibit them here,' but he confessed: 'I haven't done any of Poland.' Polish culture on display for the King ranged from traditional dishes like pierogi – dumplings – to national dress and music. He listened as the elderly war veteran told him about his experiences and said 'thank you' at the end. Mr Niedzielski served with the Polish 1st Armoured Division and was among the troops who landed in the second wave of Normandy landings. He fought during the decisive battle to capture Normandy at the Falaise Gap, where the Allies surrounded Nazi forces. The 101-year-old described how he was deported to Russia from his homeland 85 years ago this month, something he described as ethnic cleansing, and warned: 'They are doing exactly the same now in Ukraine – the Russians, they're still doing the same thing.'
