Rank
Born
Unit
Regiment
Date of death
Today buried
Grave

SKOWRONSKI Ryszard Kazimierz or "Lechita"
ppor. lac. rez.
17.12.1922 Wilno
Polish Army
"Cichociemni" = Polish SOE
15.9.1943
Old Garrison Cemetery, Poznań, Poland
Grave Ref. Plot IX, Row A, Coll Grave (Symbolic Grave)

[About this Cemetery]

About three Polish officers buried in the Old Garrison Cemetery at Poznań.

ppor. lac. rez. Lewko Kazimierz or "Palec" 
 
ppor. lac. rez. Siakiewicz Władysław or "Mruk" 
  
ppor. lac. rez. Skowronski Ryszard Kazimierz or "Lechita" 
 
According to publication "Kuczci Poległych Lotnikow 1939-1945" they has been 
secret agents of the "Cichociemni" being the Polish SOE.
 
Some sources says that the mentioned secret agents belonged to Halifax JD 154. 
But this is wrong. 
They died in cause of crash Halifax JD 269 near Esbjerg, Denmark.
The reason why they have graves at Poznań is not known.
Maybe in the past there was a supposition that they died in cause of crash Halifax JD 154 
at Nowe Skalmierzyce, Poland. 
See below:
 
Halifax II J1D269 crashed north of Esbjerg 14/9-1943 
 
The aircraft belonged to RAF 138 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded NF-Q. 
 
Took off on 18:04 hours from Tempsford, U.K. 
Operation: SOE to Neon 9 in Poland. Dropzone Pierzyna 206 near Minsk. 
 
Outbound while over Esbjerg the aircraft was hit by German flak from and crashed at 21 :40 
hours near the railroad line Esbjerg-Varde 6 kilometers north of Esbjerg killing all onboard. 
 
The German Hauptmann Rose from Abwehrstelle Aarhus inspected the wreckage and found 
180.000 US $ as well as sub machine guns, machine guns and a mortar with ammunition. 
Furthermore he declared that there had been found eight crew members and two civilians 
in the wreckage.  
 
The crew consisted of Pilot F/Lt Angus J.M. Milne, Navigator F/O Ian MacLean DFC, 
W/Op-Air Gnr. P/O Philip E. Rollins, Air Gnr. P/O Jack R. Scarles, Flt. Engr. F/Sgt Frank Shuttleworth, 
Air Gnr. Sgt. Edward J. Smyth and Air Bomber P/O Thomas R. Wilson. 
 
There were three Polish secret agents on-board as well. 
All were laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery on 21.9.1943. 
One of the agents rests still as an unknown Pilot Officer W/Op - Air Gnr. but his two comrades were 
laid to rest as unknown English saboteurs in the civilian part of the cemetery. 
The two civilian graves were demolished in 1963 because this graves were not registered as graves 
in care of the Commonwealth War Graves Comission. 
 
Sources: 
Mr. Kajatan Bieniecki, Canada 
Mrs. Betty Clements, U.K.
Mr. Henk Welting, the Netherlands
Mr. Adrian Pohl, Poland