Jakub Tomasz Nowakowski, pseud. "Tomek", "Tomasz" (born 4 December 1924) is a Polish

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, participant of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

, independence conspiracy activist during

World War II 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 ...

, and a retired

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (, ; abbreviated SZ RP), also called the Polish Armed Forces and popularly called in Poland (, roughly "the Polish Military"—abbreviated ''WP''), are the national Military, armed forces of the Poland, ...

Biography

Before the

, he attended the Military Family Association School on Czarnecki Street in Warsaw, and later the Adam Skwarczyński Public Elementary School. At the outbreak of World War II, he was a student at the

Tadeusz Czacki Tadeusz Czacki (28 August 1765 in Poryck, Volhynia – 8 February 1813 in Dubno) was a Polish historian, pedagogue and numismatist. Czacki played an important part in the Enlightenment in Poland. Biography Czacki was born in Poryck in Volhynia ...

State Men's Gymnasium in Warsaw. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

, he joined the independence conspiracy within the 1st Platoon - 1st Company "Maciek" –

Zośka Battalion Battalion Zośka (pronounced /'zɔɕ.ka/; 'Sophie' in Polish) was a paramilitary scouts battalion that specialized in field intelligence gathering, irregular warfare and scouting of the Polish resistance movement organisation - Home Army (Armia K ...

– Broda 53 Diversionary Brigade – Kedyw of the Main Command of the

Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...

. When the Warsaw Uprising began, due to the isolation of

Żoliborz Żoliborz () is one of the northern dzielnica, districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the Warszawa-Śródmieście, City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is ...

, he could not join his parent unit and thus fought during the uprising in the ranks of Platoon 226 – Żniwiarz Group – Żoliborz Subdistrict of the Warsaw Home Army District. He participated in the assault on the

Warszawa Gdańska station Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greate ...

during the attempt to link Żoliborz with the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

. After the uprising, he was captured as a prisoner of war in Stalag XI A Altengrabow. After returning to Poland, he studied biology at

Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń or NCU (, UMK) is located in Toruń, Poland. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473. History The beginnings of higher education in Toruń The first institution of higher ...

, and after a year transferred to the

University of Poznań A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. To secure a place in a dormitory, he joined the

Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy The Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy (, ZBoWiD) was an official Polish state-controlled veterans association in the People's Republic of Poland. Initially headed by Franciszek Jóźwiak, it was formed on September 2, 1949 out of 11 ...

. After graduation, he became an assistant at the Zoology Department. He earned his PhD at the

Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii PAN is a zoology, zoological museum in Warsaw, Poland. It was established in 1819. It is an institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It publishes the journal ''Acta Chiropterologica'', a scientific journal on bats. ...

in Warsaw, where he worked until retirement. He is a member of the

World Association of Home Army Soldiers The World Association of Home Army Soldiers (; abbreviated ŚZŻAK) is an international non-governmental organization gathering former soldiers of the Home Army. ŚZŻAK brings together members of the Army and other armed organizations subordinat ...

and the Social Committee for the Care of the Graves of Fallen Soldiers of the Zośka Battalion. In 2022, he was appointed a member of the

Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression The Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression () in the main institution in the Government of Poland to deal with the issues of Polish veterans of struggles for independence and victims of oppression. In 1991 a special status was set up for ...

Personal life

He is the son of painter

Bogdan Bartłomiej Nowakowski Bogdan (Cyrillic: Богдан) is a Slavic masculine name that appears in the South Slavic languages and in Polish, Romanian and Moldovan. It is derived from the Slavic words ''Bog'' (Cyrillic: Бог), meaning 'god', and ''dan'' (Cyrillic: д ...

(1887–1945) and Zofia née Dydzińska. His sister,

Wanda Janicka Wanda Janicka (née Nowakowska, alias "Zofia") (16 June 1923 – 7 September 2023) was a Polish architect, participant in the Warsaw uprising. Biography From 1939 she was involved in independence activities. From February 1944, she was in the ...

(1923–2023), was also a participant in the Warsaw Uprising. His wife was biologist Irena Nowakowska, née Totwen (1924–2023), and they had one daughter.

Awards

In 2012, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta; the decoration ceremony took place in 2016 during the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. In 2019, he received the Centenary Medal of Regained Independence.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nowakowski, Jakub Tomasz 1924 births Living people Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań alumni Home Army members Polish prisoners of war in World War II Polish military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Warsaw Uprising insurgents Polish zoologists Polish men centenarians