Comic-book heroes tend to have special powers, which let them fight to defend weaker and disadvantaged members of society. The epitome of such fictional characters is Superman. This ordinary, shy journalist who, when called upon in the fight against evil, became this extraordinary being, this superhero. Władysław Raczkiewicz, the hero of our comic-book, differs from Superman in one very important way. He was not a fictional character. He lived and functioned for real. Many times, he was called upon to battle against the enemy, weapon in hand like in 1920 in the battle against the Bolsheviks, during which time, following in the footsteps of former borderland heroes (like Kmicic or Colonel Wołodyjowski), he formed a volunteer battalion that fought to defend Vilnius. However, we are looking at a different time in his life. A time that was tragic, but also unique. A time when he really had to show superhuman strength. On September 30, 1939, when, by breaking international laws and agreements, German and Soviet invaders divided Poland between themselves, Władysław Raczkiewicz assumed the office of the President of the Polish government -in-exile and thus, thwarted the plans of the aggressors who claimed that Poland had now ceased to exist. However, Poland did still exist. It had a president and an appointed government, an army (which Raczkiewicz and General Władysław Sikorski first established in France before its fall and then later in Great Britain) and an underground state that operated on occupied territory and recognised the Polish government-in-exile. Few people knew that the tragedy of Poland was intertwined with the personal drama of the President of the Polish government-in-exile. A few months before the outbreak of the war, while governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Toruń, Raczkiewicz had learned that he was suffering from leukemia. A very serious illness still today, but back then, when chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants were not an option, it simply meant a death sentence. Doctors were able to extend Raczkiewicz’s life by several years, but they could not effectively relieve his suffering. Despite his diagnosis, Władysław Raczkiewicz did not even hesitate for a moment, as the only candidate accepted by Polish politicians and by French allies to take on the burden of leading Poland in one of its most difficult periods in history. He died on June 6, 1947 in Ruthin, Wales. He was buried at the Polish Aviators’ Cemetery in Newark, Great Britain. A superhero among superheroes.
E H T F O R E D N U FO
P T A GRE
IA N A R OME
Piotr Całbecki Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
text
Maciej Jasiński illustrations
ISBN 978-83-949231-8-1
Jacek Michalski
text Maciej Jasiński illustrations Jacek Michalski historical consultation
dr hab. Maciej Krotofil
FOUNDER OF THE GREAT POMERANIA
translation Lucas Adamczyk ISBN
Comic books, as a form of fictional storytelling, play by their own rules. This is also the case with the hero of this publication. The authors of this comic-book have added sensationalism and dramatic motifs to the events in the life of Władysław Raczkiewicz of which historians have either not talked about or for which there is no clear evidence that they ever took place. To those who are interested in the life of the President of the Polish government-in-exile, we present a short biography of our hero. Władysław Raczkiewicz was born on January 28, 1885 in Kutaisi (then part of the Russian Empire, today Georgia). His grandfather fought in the January Uprising and was exiled to the Caucasus as part of post-uprising repressions. Władysław was the son of Józef Raczkiewicz, a judge and Ludwika, née Łukaszewicz. In 1903, he graduated from high school in Tver. He then studied Law and Mathematics at the University of St Petersburg. He was active in public and conspiratorial youth organisations: the illegal National Youth Organisation and the Polish Youth Union „Zet”. To escape political repression, he moved to Dorpat (today, Tartu in Estonia), where, in 1911, he graduated from the local university. Before the Great War, he worked as a lawyer in Minsk. During the war, he served in the Russian army, with the rank of ensign (the lowest officer rank in the tsarist army). After the February Revolution, he helped to create a Polish military unit in Russia. In 1917, he was a member of the Polish Military Executive Committee. As a lieutenant of the Lithuanian-Belarus Division, he defended Minsk against the Bolsheviks. In 1920, he took part in the defence of the Vilnius region. From June to November 1921, he was the Minister of Internal Affairs in the government of Wincenty Witos. From October 1921 to August 1924, he held the office of the governor of Nowogród province. From June 1925 to May 1926, he was again the Minister of Internal Affairs. After the May Coup, he was the governor of Vilnius from May 1926 until December 1930. From November 1930, he was a senator from the list of the Non-party Bloc for Cooperation with the Government. In December 1930, he became the Speaker of the Senate. From October 1935 to June 1936, he was the Minister of the Internal Affairs for a third time. From July 1936, he was governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Toruń. With the Germans attacking Poland, on September 12, 1939, the government entrusted Raczkiewicz with the mission of organising the help of Polish expatriates in the United States for the Poles in occupied Poland. Although he managed to cross the Romanian border in Kuty on 17 September 1939, he failed to ever reach America. On September 27, he found himself in Paris. There he learned that, due to the internment of President Ignacy Mościcki in Romania, he would be appointed President of the Polish government-in-exile under the April Constitution of Poland. He took up the post on September 30, 1939. In 1940, when the Germans defeated the French, Raczkiewcz together with the government of Władysław Sikorski, which was entirely appointed by him, boarded a Royal Navy cruiser and escaped to Great Britain. He died on June 6, 1947 in Ruthin, Wales, after a long-standing illness (leukemia) that was diagnosed in 1939. He was buried at the Polish Aviators’ Cemetery in Newark, Great Britain. In 1992, on the initiative of Senator Alicja Grześkowiak, the session room in which the regional council of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship meets, was named after Władysław Raczkiewicz. On October 25, 2010, a statue of the governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and first President-in-exile was unveiled in front of the entrance to the Marshal’s Office in Toruń. By the decision of the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the councillors of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, 2017 was declared as the Year of Władysław Raczkiewicz, both in the entire country and the region. fot. Archiwum Emigracji UMK
978-83-949231-8-1 publication date 2020 edition 500 copies publisher Agencja Reklamowa GALL sc ul. Szosa Chełmińska 50, 87-100 Toruń gall@gall.torun.pl commissioned by Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
Contact: Office of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region in Toruń Address: Plac Teatralny 2, 87-100 Toruń, tel. +48 56: 6218600, 6218610 e-mail: punkt.informacyjny@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl www.kujawsko-pomorskie.pl facebook.com/WojewodztwoKujawskoPomorskie twitter.com/lubietubyc instagram.com/kujawskopomorskie youtube.com/user/umwkp issuu.com/kujawsko-pomorskie flickr.com/photos/kujawskopomorskie
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text Maciej Jasiński illustrations Jacek Michalski historical consultation
dr hab. Maciej Krotofil
FOUNDER OF THE GREAT POMERANIA
translation Lucas Adamczyk ISBN
Comic books, as a form of fictional storytelling, play by their own rules. This is also the case with the hero of this publication. The authors of this comic-book have added sensationalism and dramatic motifs to the events in the life of Władysław Raczkiewicz of which historians have either not talked about or for which there is no clear evidence that they ever took place. To those who are interested in the life of the President of the Polish government-in-exile, we present a short biography of our hero. Władysław Raczkiewicz was born on January 28, 1885 in Kutaisi (then part of the Russian Empire, today Georgia). His grandfather fought in the January Uprising and was exiled to the Caucasus as part of post-uprising repressions. Władysław was the son of Józef Raczkiewicz, a judge and Ludwika, née Łukaszewicz. In 1903, he graduated from high school in Tver. He then studied Law and Mathematics at the University of St Petersburg. He was active in public and conspiratorial youth organisations: the illegal National Youth Organisation and the Polish Youth Union „Zet”. To escape political repression, he moved to Dorpat (today, Tartu in Estonia), where, in 1911, he graduated from the local university. Before the Great War, he worked as a lawyer in Minsk. During the war, he served in the Russian army, with the rank of ensign (the lowest officer rank in the tsarist army). After the February Revolution, he helped to create a Polish military unit in Russia. In 1917, he was a member of the Polish Military Executive Committee. As a lieutenant of the Lithuanian-Belarus Division, he defended Minsk against the Bolsheviks. In 1920, he took part in the defence of the Vilnius region. From June to November 1921, he was the Minister of Internal Affairs in the government of Wincenty Witos. From October 1921 to August 1924, he held the office of the governor of Nowogród province. From June 1925 to May 1926, he was again the Minister of Internal Affairs. After the May Coup, he was the governor of Vilnius from May 1926 until December 1930. From November 1930, he was a senator from the list of the Non-party Bloc for Cooperation with the Government. In December 1930, he became the Speaker of the Senate. From October 1935 to June 1936, he was the Minister of the Internal Affairs for a third time. From July 1936, he was governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Toruń. With the Germans attacking Poland, on September 12, 1939, the government entrusted Raczkiewicz with the mission of organising the help of Polish expatriates in the United States for the Poles in occupied Poland. Although he managed to cross the Romanian border in Kuty on 17 September 1939, he failed to ever reach America. On September 27, he found himself in Paris. There he learned that, due to the internment of President Ignacy Mościcki in Romania, he would be appointed President of the Polish government-in-exile under the April Constitution of Poland. He took up the post on September 30, 1939. In 1940, when the Germans defeated the French, Raczkiewcz together with the government of Władysław Sikorski, which was entirely appointed by him, boarded a Royal Navy cruiser and escaped to Great Britain. He died on June 6, 1947 in Ruthin, Wales, after a long-standing illness (leukemia) that was diagnosed in 1939. He was buried at the Polish Aviators’ Cemetery in Newark, Great Britain. In 1992, on the initiative of Senator Alicja Grześkowiak, the session room in which the regional council of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship meets, was named after Władysław Raczkiewicz. On October 25, 2010, a statue of the governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and first President-in-exile was unveiled in front of the entrance to the Marshal’s Office in Toruń. By the decision of the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the councillors of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, 2017 was declared as the Year of Władysław Raczkiewicz, both in the entire country and the region. fot. Archiwum Emigracji UMK
978-83-949231-8-1 publication date 2020 edition 500 copies publisher Agencja Reklamowa GALL sc ul. Szosa Chełmińska 50, 87-100 Toruń gall@gall.torun.pl commissioned by Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region
Contact: Office of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region in Toruń Address: Plac Teatralny 2, 87-100 Toruń, tel. +48 56: 6218600, 6218610 e-mail: punkt.informacyjny@kujawsko-pomorskie.pl www.kujawsko-pomorskie.pl facebook.com/WojewodztwoKujawskoPomorskie twitter.com/lubietubyc instagram.com/kujawskopomorskie youtube.com/user/umwkp issuu.com/kujawsko-pomorskie flickr.com/photos/kujawskopomorskie
Comic-book heroes tend to have special powers, which let them fight to defend weaker and disadvantaged members of society. The epitome of such fictional characters is Superman. This ordinary, shy journalist who, when called upon in the fight against evil, became this extraordinary being, this superhero. Władysław Raczkiewicz, the hero of our comic-book, differs from Superman in one very important way. He was not a fictional character. He lived and functioned for real. Many times, he was called upon to battle against the enemy, weapon in hand like in 1920 in the battle against the Bolsheviks, during which time, following in the footsteps of former borderland heroes (like Kmicic or Colonel Wołodyjowski), he formed a volunteer battalion that fought to defend Vilnius. However, we are looking at a different time in his life. A time that was tragic, but also unique. A time when he really had to show superhuman strength. On September 30, 1939, when, by breaking international laws and agreements, German and Soviet invaders divided Poland between themselves, Władysław Raczkiewicz assumed the office of the President of the Polish government -in-exile and thus, thwarted the plans of the aggressors who claimed that Poland had now ceased to exist. However, Poland did still exist. It had a president and an appointed government, an army (which Raczkiewicz and General Władysław Sikorski first established in France before its fall and then later in Great Britain) and an underground state that operated on occupied territory and recognised the Polish government-in-exile. Few people knew that the tragedy of Poland was intertwined with the personal drama of the President of the Polish government-in-exile. A few months before the outbreak of the war, while governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Toruń, Raczkiewicz had learned that he was suffering from leukemia. A very serious illness still today, but back then, when chemotherapy or bone marrow transplants were not an option, it simply meant a death sentence. Doctors were able to extend Raczkiewicz’s life by several years, but they could not effectively relieve his suffering. Despite his diagnosis, Władysław Raczkiewicz did not even hesitate for a moment, as the only candidate accepted by Polish politicians and by French allies to take on the burden of leading Poland in one of its most difficult periods in history. He died on June 6, 1947 in Ruthin, Wales. He was buried at the Polish Aviators’ Cemetery in Newark, Great Britain. A superhero among superheroes.
E H T F O R E D N U FO
P T A GRE
IA N A R OME
Piotr Całbecki Marshal of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
text
Maciej Jasiński illustrations
ISBN 978-83-949231-8-1
Jacek Michalski