Polish fighter and bomber squadrons, which fought in the British skies in World War II, went down in the history of our country with golden letters. However, not everyone remembered Polish pilots as heroes. According to Audrey John-Brown, a squadron in the vicinity of WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Aviation Service), Poles were the worst drunkards, scum and rapists.
I came across the surprising memories of a young soldier purely by chance while searching for materials for my book. This is one of 47,000 reports in the database of war memories published on the Internet by the BBC. The author writes about Poles and their disgusting customs, about the constant fear in which she and her friends lived, as well as about an attempted rape by two Polish soldiers, which ended in a military investigation against herself. I leave the controversial excerpt from Audrey John-Brown's memoirs to your judgment without additional comment:
The Polish squadron was rather animals than people . Even our male colleagues complained with disgust at their customs, especially A.G.M, who was especially responsible for cleanliness, etc. The toilets were terribly dirty, their barracks were the same, they poured through the windows, but the worst was yet to come. Several [women from] WAAF were attacked and raped . None of them served in the MT [car transport] section, but it was terrible and the girls were afraid to go anywhere.
But the girls from the MT section just had to [leave]. Our section was far from our quarters, and the shortest path was across the field as we used to walk in twos, and so on, but we knew there would be times when we would end [service] late and would have to go alone. I had a tire iron in a rubber boot and was determined to use it if necessary. Unfortunately, it did happen when I was attacked on my way back to the long-duty quarters. That night I finished around 9pm instead of 8pm and was very tired and still had to walk back. On the way, two drunk Polish primitives jumped out of the ground and tried their luck . The one behind me grabbed me, but I lunged forward, knowing he was drunk, and tried to throw him off balance. I helped myself with a blow from the elbow. My right arm was still trapped when I broke forward, so I reached [into the shoe] and managed to grab the tire levers with my left hand. When the other one lunged at me, I swung and hit him on the side of the head. The first one released me and he staggered backwards, while I started to run. I was running really fast at that time, even in those rubber boots, and my anger only gave me wings.
I unceremoniously burst into the office and openly said what I thought about this lack of a little security, that WAAFs cannot count on any protection, that they live in fear and risk etc. They gave me a cup of tea and I went to my hut to go to sleep. I did not sleep for a long time, because after about two or three hours a sergeant came and told me to report to the administration office immediately.
I had no idea what it was about, but at this late hour I first thought about home, but also about what might have happened ……. No.
The second drunk finally made it back to his hut and reported that he had been attacked and that his friend was unconscious. I was questioned and the guard sergeant gave them my report. My squadron commander was also there, he was very supportive but rules are rules and there was an investigation which I had to participate in. It really was terrible - my word against their word. And then it turned out that the one I hit was dead. He choked on his own puke. A Polish legal representative or someone like that asked if I was ashamed of killing one of our soldiers. I replied NO . They attacked me. Then the squadron commander intervened and handed them a long list of raped and injured WAAF's , stressing that I had the right to defend myself.
There is now a monument in Faldingworth commemorating the courage and bravery of the airmen of the Polish 300 Squadron.
The author does not give the date or exact location of the events, but from the context it can be concluded that they took place in Faldingworth during the last years of the war. It's a town in central England, in Lincolnshire. Many Poles passed through the local air base, especially at the end of the war and after the surrender of Germany. First of all, it was the seat of the 300 Masovian Bomber Squadron. Today there is a monument commemorating this unit in the village.
Source:
I have quoted a fragment of Audrey John-Brown's memoirs in my own translation. The original can be read on the BBC website. It is part of the publication entitled "Four Years In A Lifetime A Lifetime In Four Years by Audrey St. John-Brown Formerly Turner ”(part 6).