Flight Sergeant Jozef Antoni Pudelko (P-781015) served in the Polish Air Force and the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was born on 13th December 1918 in Brynce Zagorze, near Lwow, Poland.
Pudelko served as a Corporal in the Polish Air Force, being promoted to Flight Sergeant during his time with RAF 309 (Polish) Squadron. At the time of his death in Northern Ireland, he was part of a detachment of RAF No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit based at RAF Sydenham, Belfast.
WartimeNI Photo: Grave of Jozef Antoni Pudelko (P-781015) of the Polish Air Force who served in RAF 309 Squadron during the Second World War. Photo taken at Milltown Cemetery, Belfast on 11th November 2017. Copyright Scott Edgar - WartimeNI.
Pudelko died on 23rd April 1942 aged 23 years old while piloting Westland Lysander V9721. The plane crashed on take-off from RAF Sydenham, Belfast.
Remembering the crew of Lysander V9721
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pudelko | Jozef Antoni | Flight Sergeant | Pilot | P/781015. Killed aged 23 years old. |
| Elcock | Norman | Flight Sergeant | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | RAFVR 1112747. Killed aged 21 years old. |
Jozef Antoni Pudelko’s grave is in War Graves Group Section A, Row LG, Grave 38 of Milltown Cemetery, Belfast.
Just over 2 years after Pudelko’s death in Northern Ireland, many members of his family died when the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and local Ukrainian peasants attacked the village of Brynce Zagorze. They attacked at around 0500hrs on 22nd May 1944 brutally killing 145 Poles, mostly women and children, and burning the village to the ground. These events are described in ‘Children of the Borderlands’ by Lucyna Kulinska.
Thank you to Paul Szymanski on Twitter for the information regarding the murder of members of the Pudelko family in 1944.