Jakub Tomasz Nowakowski

Jakub Tomasz Nowakowski
Personal details
Born (1924-12-04) 4 December 1924 (age 100)
Warsaw, Second Polish Republic
ProfessionZoologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences
AwardsCross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Centenary Medal of Regained Independence
Nickname(s)"Tomek", "Tomasz"
Military service
Allegiance Poland
Branch/serviceHome Army (AK)
Years of service1943–1945 (during WWII)
Rank Major
UnitParticipant in the Warsaw Uprising
Battles/warsWorld War II

Jakub Tomasz Nowakowski, pseud. "Tomek", "Tomasz"[1] (born 4 December 1924)[2] is a Polish zoologist, participant of the Warsaw Uprising, independence conspiracy activist during World War II, and a retired major of the Polish Armed Forces.[3]

Biography

Before the World War II, 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 State Men's Gymnasium in Warsaw.[1] During the German occupation, he joined the independence conspiracy within the 1st Platoon - 1st Company "Maciek" – Zośka Battalion – Broda 53 Diversionary Brigade – Kedyw of the Main Command of the Home Army.[2] When the Warsaw Uprising began, due to the isolation of Żoliborz, 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.[1][2] He participated in the assault on the Warszawa Gdańska station during the attempt to link Żoliborz with the Old Town.[1] After the uprising, he was captured as a prisoner of war in Stalag XI A Altengrabow.[2]

After returning to Poland, he studied biology at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, and after a year transferred to the University of Poznań. To secure a place in a dormitory, he joined the Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy.[1] 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 in Warsaw, where he worked until retirement.[4]

He is a member of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers 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.[5]

Personal life

He is the son of painter Bogdan Bartłomiej Nowakowski (1887–1945) and Zofia née Dydzińska.[2] His sister, Wanda Janicka (1923–2023), was also a participant in the Warsaw Uprising.[6] His wife was biologist Irena Nowakowska, née Totwen (1924–2023), and they had one daughter.[7]

Awards

In 2012, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta;[8] the decoration ceremony took place in 2016 during the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.[9] In 2019, he received the Centenary Medal of Regained Independence.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jakub Tomasz Nowakowski "Tomek" "Tomasz"" (in Polish). 1944.pl. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Jakub Nowakowski" (in Polish). 1944.pl. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Niezwykła lekcja historii. Uczniowie spotkali się z powstańcem". korso.pl. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. ^ Grygiel, Małgorzata (29 August 2019). "Nowakowski Jakub, Part 2". instytutpileckiego.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Major Jakub Nowakowski ps. Tomek nowym członkiem Rady do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych" [Major Jakub Nowakowski aka Tomek appointed as a new member of the Council for Veterans and Victims of Oppression]. kombatanci.gov.pl. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Odeszła na wieczną wartę - Wanda Janicka ps. "Zofia"". 1bltr.wp.mil.pl. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Irena Totwen Nowakowska, Warsaw, 11 May 2023 - obituary". nekrologi.wyborcza.pl. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. ^ Decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, 4 July 2012, on awarding orders and decorations (M.P. z 2013 r. poz. 111).
  9. ^ "Odznaczenia w 68. rocznicę Powstania Warszawskiego" [Awards at the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising]. prezydent.pl. 30 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Ordery i odznaczenia z okazji 75. rocznicy wybuchu Powstania Warszawskiego" [Awards on the 75th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising]. prezydent.pl. 30 July 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.