Born: May 2, 1927, in the village of Adampol, woj. nowogródzkie, Poland
Died: July 29, 2020 in Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Family: father, Stanislaw Chełchowski; mother, Felicja (Nyesin); brothers : Jan, Bolesław & Zygmunt; sister Stanisława (Szmajter) & Post war – half siblings Czesława & Zdzisław (Skrabacz)
Education: Finished Grade 10 in Adampol, Poland and after being released from Russia in 1942, he joined the P.L.P. Boys and attended the Mechanical Company school in Iraq for 2 years under British command and trained as a motor mechanic. He made use of this training later during his service in the war.
Occupation: Licenced Mechanic & Crane Operator
Married: Bogumiła Laskowska in Blackburn, England, on March 27, 1951. Bogumiła died on February 7, 2014.
Children: Twins Alicja & Zosia (January 2, 1952, Blackburn, England) and Janusz (John) (July 3, 1958, London, Ontario).
Military Rank: Lance Corporal
Military Medals: Polish Medals: Medal Wojska, Wyborowy Kierowca; British Medals: 1939-45 Star, Italy Star; SPK Medals: Bronze & Silver
Fates before joining Anders Army : Bronisław’s father passed away in a construction accident in 1931 when he was 6 years old. His family was arrested by the invading Russian Army on the night of Feb 10th, 1940, and was sent on horse driven sleds to Baranowicze, (nowadays Belarus), where they were forced to board the trains that took them to the Siberian Gulag camps near Velsk, Soviet Union, where they were forced to cut trees to survive. They all battled with typhus.
Military history: After the amnesty with the Soviet Union in 1941, Jan, his oldest brother, joined the Polish army, while his mother, sister and youngest brother were sent to Africa. Bronisław, along with his older brother Bolesław, joined the Polish Cadet forces (Junaks) for training on July 11th, 1942. With Bolesław, he was transferred to the Middle East on August 15, 1942, and received training and education as a motor mechanic. He was posted to Egypt between 1942-44 and was embodied into the Polish Army 7th Division, was promoted to Lance Corporal and was sent to a Company Workshop as a Fitter Auto Mechanic (majster) and soldier. In 1944 he began his military service under British 19 Command and was transferred to Italy where he served as a master mechanic until the war ended. At that time, he voluntarily joined the Army Police to serve until the Company demobilized in 1946.
Post-War: By 1948, he was in England and was re-united with his surviving family and friends; there he met and then married Bogumiła (Bogusia) Laskowska on March 27, 1951. They had twin girls, Alicja and Zosia, in 1952. In 1954, he decided to follow his brother and sister to North America, first arriving in New York on the ship King George, and finally arriving in London, Ontario, where he and brother Bolesław purchased a house together at 18 Childer Street to begin their lives in Canada. Later the family settled in Mount Pleasant.
Bronisław joined SPK in 1956 where he was an active full-time member who helped to build and raise funds for the hall and to pay off the mortgage as quickly as possible.
author : Stan Skrzeszewski
source : „Pozostaną Ślady Dawnych Dni” – memory book, Stowarzyszenie Polskich Kombatantów, Koło #2 in Canada.
