Bronislaw and Izabela Wojniak

Bronislaw was amongst the first to live at Marsworth. He was born in 1932 in Ludzk (Wolin) near Lithuania, Poland. His whole family were deported to Siberia - mother, father and three brothers when he was nine years old.

When the Poles were released from Siberia under an amnesty in 1942 when Russia became allies with Britain, he ended up in Africa (Uganda) with his family. His eldest brother was in the army. While in Africa his parents could not feed their children so his brothers were taken to an orphanage, but there was not enough room for him as well. In the end his parents left him there and luckily the nuns took him in and he survived the war. Bronislaw was 16 years old when the war ended. He arrived in England in 1948.

Bronislaw started out as a general labourer/builder then found work at Kents in 1956 where he made meters, then with training became a setter operator and charge hand. He earned good money, and as most young single men, he was able to buy a motorbike so it was easier to get about.

The young men earned good wages at the various firms which employed them; being single they saved their money and bought items like cars and other families saved up enough for a deposit and bought houses in the surrounding towns where they had work.

Izabela met Bronislaw at Hammersmith when she came over from Poland.

Several of the Wojniak family are buried in the Marsworth churchyard:

Tatiana Wojniak (mother-in-law) died in 1950.

Jozef Wojniak (brother-in-law) worked as a supervisor at the Watch factory. He was a bachelor and died tragically in 1954 aged 26 years.

lgnacy Wojniak (father of Bronislaw) died in 1958 aged 63.

Bronislaw Wojniak died in 2001 aged 69 years, but he was buried in Dunstable where they lived.

Information from an interview by Barbara Fryc.