Jadwiga Piłsudska-Jaraczewska (; 28 February 1920 – 16 November 2014) was a Polish

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

who served in the

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between fac ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She was one of two daughters of

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

Life and career

thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

Piłsudska was born on 28 February 1920 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, the younger daughter of

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

, Poland's

Chief of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state. Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of state depends ...

(1918–22) and dictator (1926–1935), by the woman who would later become his second wife,

Aleksandra Piłsudska Aleksandra Piłsudska ( Szczerbińska; 12 December 1882 – 31 March 1963) was a Polish socialist and independence activist, member of Polish Socialist Party and Polish Military Organisation, the second wife of Józef Piłsudski. Life and car ...

(née Aleksandra Szczerbińska). In 1937 Piłsudska began flying gliders and obtained a pilot's licence. In 1939 she graduated from secondary school and decided to study aircraft engineering at the

Warsaw Polytechnic The Warsaw University of Technology () is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...

. In September 1939, Poland was invaded by

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, initiating the

, and her family realized that under the circumstances it would be prudent to leave the country immediately. Piłsudska fled with her mother and elder sister,

Wanda Wanda is a female given name of Poland, Polish origin. It probably derives from the tribal name of the Wends.Campbell, Mike"Meaning, Origin, and History of the Name Wanda" ''Behind the Name.'' Retrieved August 12, 2010. The name has long been popu ...

, to

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and eventually arrived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She resumed her studies, in 1940,

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in architecture. Later she acquired her aircraft pilot's license, and in July 1942, she joined the

. With the rank of second officer (

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

) she flew unarmed military aircraft in the skies of wartime

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and was, with Anna Leska and the Lithuanian-Pole

Barbara Wojtulanis Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously a ...

, one of several Polish women who served as wartime

ferry pilots Ferry flying or a positioning flight is the flying of aircraft for the purpose of returning the aircraft to base, delivering it to a customer, moving it from one base of operations to another, or moving it to or from a maintenance facility that i ...

in Britain. She took leave of absence to become a student at the Polish School of Architecture, at the Polish University Abroad (housed in Liverpool University), from 1944 to 1946, and then on the Liverpool Town Planning Course from 1946 to 1948. In 1944, she married

Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...

Lieutenant Andrzej Jaraczewski. She had two children: a son, Christopher Joseph (in Polish Krzysztof Józef) and daughter, Jane Mary (in Polish Joanna Maria), who later married Polish politician

Janusz Onyszkiewicz Janusz Adam Onyszkiewicz (, born 18 December 1937) is a Polish mathematician, alpinist and politician,Europa Publications, "The International Who's Who 2004", Routledge, 2003pg. 1258/ref> who served as Minister of Defence twice, in the cabinets ...

. She worked as an architect for London City Council from 1948, before she and her husband set up their own furniture design business. Due to the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

takeover in Poland, she remained in England after the war as a political émigré. Never accepting British citizenship, she used a

Nansen passport Nansen passports, originally and officially stateless persons passports, were internationally recognized refugee travel documents from 1922 to 1938, first issued by the League of Nations's Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to stateles ...

, ''valid for all countries in the world, except Poland''. In 1977, she and her husband took part in the

Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the Silver jubilee, 25th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was celebrated with large-scale parties and parades throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth ...

on board the ''MGB S-3'' during the ''Thames River Pageant''. In 1990, with the collapse of the communist government, she returned to Poland and lived in Warsaw. She died on 16 November 2014, in Warsaw at the age of 94.

Honours

She has been honoured with a Bronze Cross of Merit with Swords and the Commander's Cross of the Order of ''Polonia Restituta''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilsudska, Jadwiga 1920 births Józef Piłsudski Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Liverpool Artists from Warsaw Polish glider pilots Polish aviators Polish women aviators Polish female military personnel Polish military personnel of World War II Polish World War II pilots Polish Air Force officers Air Transport Auxiliary pilots Architects from London Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) 2014 deaths Polish female soldiers Polish soldiers Polish exiles Children of prime ministers of Poland Women in World War II Military personnel from Warsaw

Life and career

Honours

See also

References