Aleksander Woźny,War and post-war life of captain Wojciech Lipiński, the former chairman of Department A-Z (the Sorbian issue)

Capitan Wojciech Lipiński crossed the Romanian boarder on 18 September 1939 and reached Vatra Dornei, where he was working in conspiracy on establishing the operational communication with the country (passages and transfer routes to the Soviet occupation zone). At the end of 1939 he was called from the military base, and on 3 February 1940 he reported in Paris in a camp for officers - Bessieres. On 1st April he was directed to Polish Army’s backup centre on the south of France and then to the harbor in Marseilles. In connection with organization of Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade in Syria he sailed to Beirut (Lebanon). Afterwards he stationed in French a military camp in Holms. After the capitulation of France in June, he and his brigade went to Samkah on Sea of Galilee in Palestine (British influence zone), and by the beginning of July they were in Laturn, near Jerusalem. In October he held a post of the chairman for the 2nd Department in the Brigade’s backup centre, and then the chief of the 2nd division. In summer 1941 he became the liaison officer for the British Command of the Polish Armed Forces in Cairo. In April 1942 he got back to the brigade due to its transfer to Palestine (Quastina region). On 3rd May the brigade was reformed, and as the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division and was moved to Iraq (Quizil Ribat, Qairayah), where captain W. Lipiński was presumably directed to the counterintelligence division. Subsequently, on 1 December he took part in the training for Cichociemni (“the unseen and silent” - elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Army). In January 1943 he was promoted to the rank of Major. Simultaneously he was perfecting his language skills and passed the Cambridge University Committee’s exam for Lower certificate in English. In June 1946 he gained competences to teach English. After demobilization he reported his return to Poland, and on 31 July 1947 he reached Szczecin by sea. He settled in Łódź. On 1 February 1948 he started to work as an English teacher in, among others, Łódź Polytechnics. Since October he was under the UB’s surveillance under the “Targowica” surveillance operation. From the beginning of 1951 he became a suspect in trial. On 10 September under the motion of Department of Investigation, which was validated by the Polish State’s Attorney, he was temporally arrested. The sentence was ruled on 4 June 1954. He was sentenced on the basis of the Responsibility for the September defeat and spreading fascist influences in the nation decree of 22 January 1946. He was charged with “coordination of sabotage activities that might potentially lead to the fall of Czechoslovakia.” During the rehabilitation trial that took place on 27 April 1957, the Criminal Division of the Highest Court passed the judgment of acquittal and restoration of civil rights. During the years to follow, Lipiński’s life was not easy. Only in August 1964 did he receive a consent to go to Glasgow which was issued for health reasons. Wojciech Lipiński died on 18 February 1966 in Lódź.