Józef Bartosik

Infobox Military Person
name=Józef Czeslaw Bartosik


caption=
born=20 July 1917
died=14 January 2008
placeofbirth=Kraków, Poland
placeofdeath=England
nickname=
allegiance=POL
UK
branch=Polish Navy
Royal Navy
serviceyears=1935-1948 Poland
1948-1969 UK
rank=Rear Admiral
unit=
commands=
battles=
awards= (CB, Military Division)


relations=
laterwork=

Józef Czeslaw Bartosik (July 20 1917 – January 14 2008) was a Polish Naval officer, born in Kraków, who served on Polish destroyers during World War II, under British naval command. Shortly after WWII he joined the British Royal Navy where he advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, before his retirement in 1969. He died in England in January 2008.

Wartime service in the Polish Navy

In 1935, at the age of 18, he joined the Naval officer cadet school in Warsaw. In 1938 he graduated with the rank of 1st lieutenant. In 1939 he gained the rank of first watch officer on the cadet schooner ORP "Iskra". During the latter half of 1939, he led the wooden sailing ship on a voyage through the Mediterranean and into Southern Atlantic waters. On learning of the 1939 invasion of Poland by Nazi forces, the Iskra returned from the Atlantic and left two crew members with the ship in Morocco. Along with the rest of the Iskra's crew, Bartosik boarded a French ship and departed for France, where after deliberations between the French Navy's War Department and free Polish forces, he reported as a member of the reserve officer group on the ship-base ORP "Gdynia" in Great Britain.

In 1940, he received the rank of watch officer and second lieutenant of artillery aboard the destroyer ORP "Błyskawica". During this time, he was instrumental in Błyskawica's downing of two Luftwaffe aircraft during the Norwegian campaign. He was also in the first crew of the destroyer ORP "Garland" were he was the watch officer and later the artillery officer. After the promotion to first lieutenant in 1941 he took over responsibilities of first artillery officer. Aboard ORP Garland, he participated in action in the Mediterranean and the raid on Spitsbergen involving the evacuation of the Nordic Royal family; as well as the convoys in the Arctic, Atlantic, Icelandic and the Mediterranean. In 1942 he became the flag officer to the chief operating officer of the navy. In 1943 he served aboard the ORP "Blyskawica" as first officer of the artillery and participated in Operation Neptune. In 1944 he became captain of the navy and returned to the department of the navy as a chief flag officer. In 1945 he became the first artillery officer on the cruiser ORP "Conrad".

Post-war service in the Royal Navy

In 1948 he joined the Royal Navy and was dispatched to the service on escort vessels. From 1955-58, he was the commander of the frigate HMS "Comus". From 1960-1961 he led the 5th Frigate Squadron from his ship HMS "Scarborough". From 1962-63 he was commander of Royal Naval Air Station "Culdrose". From 1964-65, he commanded the guided missile destroyer HMS "London". From 1966-68 he was Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations). In 1969, he retired with the rank of Rear-Admiral.

Author

Bartosik was the author of the book "Faithful Ship" pl icon published in 1947, by Orbis of London, listed by the British library, System number: 000217951, Shelf Mark: 9102.a.32.

External links

* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/BARTOSIK.shtml/ Kings College London, Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives.]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/16/db1602.xml/ London Telegraph Obituary 16th January 2008.]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3226256.ece Obituary] The Times, 22nd January 2008.