| The town of Parkes (home of “The Dish”) is a window to the universe. The town of Parkes can also view the past, where you will see the ruined Warsaw and the young Polish insurgent Tadeusz Rackiewicz with the codename of “Bicz” ("Whip").Current time: 93-year-old Tadeusz is one of the 15,000 residents of the town of Parkes. From the airport he looks down to see the town of Parkes as he is flying to Sydney. On August 16, 2012 there was held an intimate ceremony where Mr. Rackiewicz received the Silver Cross of the Order of Military Virtue (“Virtuti Militari”). As it turns out, our old hero was a platoon commander in the 3rd 135 AK Battalion Company "Ruczaj" during the Warsaw Uprising.
August 16, 2012: Gathered in an elegant room of the Polish consulate in Sydney: Tadeusz Rackiewicz with sons Andrew and Robert, grandchildren Danielle and Mark, Robert’s wife Joanne and her father Jack. From the Polish Consulate are Daniel Gromann and Dominika Mosek, and several other employees of the consulate. Representing Borderlands-Siberia are Stephen and Anna Piasecka Wiśniowski, and Tadeusz Tarmasa of SPK Polish people and recording the events are Ernestyna and Andjez from Puls Polonii and Bogumil Philip taking lots of photos. This is very unusual and reverential occassion, the ceremony starting with the historic Polish anthem, and reaching the crescendo when the Consul General Gromann on behalf of the president of Poland, decorates Mr Rackiewicz with the Cross of Military Virtue [Virtuti Militari].
Tadeusz Rackiewicz is now called Ted Rixon, who along with many others changed their name when the emigrated. Consul General Groman recalled that Mr. Rackiewicz was awarded the Cross of Military Virtue under order No. 457 of 27 September 1944. The obvious result of historical turmoil, Mr. Rackiewicz did not, however, receive the Order for many years, obtaining it now after 68 years. He may be the only surviving member of a group of people whose orders Military Virtue granted during the Warsaw Uprising were verified by resolution of the Chapter of the Order of Military Virtue War of 13 October 2011, then completed a list of decorated chapter 104 insurgents missed in 1998, drawn up in the list of persons decorated with the Cross of the Order of the gold and silver of the War of Military Virtue for actions during the battle of World War II.
Tadeusz Rackiewicz "Bicz" - Ted Rixon |
The family of Mr. Rixon learned about the award when grand-daughter Danielle was researching family history on the internet and found the Polish Presidential website containing Teduesz Rackiewicz name on a listing. Then contact with the consul Dominica Mosek about that case led to a successful conclusion. The man himself, and his family requested follow-up to not make a big event, and only a small, intimate ceremony. It's a shame, because all of us, and especially the great Polish youth need role models and insurgent heard stories of the legendary hero. Well, maybe age of the hero played a decisive role. However, it should be stressed that Tadeusz ps. the whip is held straight as a reed, you will see that once was a very handsome man (as seen in archival photographs shown to us). It is a wonderful, cheerful old man, constantly smiling.
Listen to audio. A Speech by Consul General Daniel Gromann
Listen to audio. Tadeusz Rackiewicz reading out a letter from President Bronisław Komorowski
The town of Parkes also views another piece of the past: a POW camp in Germany, somewhere near the Dutch border, and freedom regained by the arrival of the British Forces. Pan Tadeusz, he joined the First Armoured Division of General Maczek. At the camp he met Sophie, whom he later married, is also born eldest son Andrew. In 1949, the Rackiewicz family went by ship to Australia. Both spouses work hard to earn a decent living, but also to save money on buying a house. That dream will be realized only after retirement. Since 1996, Pan Tadeusz is the same. His wife Sophie, a compulsive smoker, died of lung cancer.
The town of Parkes you can also see the distant continent of America, and another link to the famous NASA. From the same platoon as Tedeusz there is the colleague Bogus Cioth. Boguslaw after the war he went to England, where he graduated from university, then moved to the U.S., where working with NASA he constructed a rockets for the moon missions and beyond. His name, in recognition of the contribution to the space industry by NASA was engraved on a plaque, which is one of the Apollo missions took to the moon. Insurgent friendship has survived the years. Bogusław visited the Rackiewicze in Parkes, Australia then in 1998 Mr. Rackiewicz and his younger son Robert met with Bogumił in California.
The meeting at the consulate was too short to inquire about everything, and yet there are many questions. I asked Pan Tadeusz by memories of the Warsaw Uprising. With difficulty browsing a weakened memory, mixed with Polish language English language "whip" talked about how he was hurt, and how long he stayed in an underground hospital. He was aware that many insurgents were killed around, but he never lost hope that he would survive.
Text & audio Ernestyna Skurjat-Kozek
Photos by Puls Polonii & Bogumiła Filip
Original Polish version: Widok z miasteczka Parkes
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Turbulent uprising and the fate of post-war years meant that the orders for the decorated not arrived, which was caused not only by the fact that some of them were awarded posthumously. The fate of these records were very dramatic. The Order of the Miliary Virtue has become the highest contribution to the testimony of the Polish Republic, and the list of recipients was investigated by the Office of Security. Following this investigation the Chapter of the Order reviewed those to be officially honored with the Order and the official list has been updated. Only years later was able to reach the 104 new names on the list.
“Unfortunately we do not have the technical possibility to get this information to the families of those decorated, so we want to spread the message that we are ready to pass the next records, ID cards and the same orders, which have the potential to become an important family memorial” - said in November 2011, by the Adviser to the President, Thomas Nałęcz.
Secretary of the Chapter of the Order of Military Virtue War Gen. Zbigniew Scibor-Rylski said that members of the Chapter are very happy that finally after so many years these documents came to light. With a deep analysis of the original list of 170 names being considered positively verified 104 was decorated with the Silver Cross of the Order of Military Virtue War V class - Scibor-Rylski said. Bogumił's Biography
Boguslaw B. Cioth
Engineering consultant
Born Poland; married Halina M.; children: Renata B., Adam J., Alexander E., Gregory A.
Education: Gimnazjum Poniatowskiego and Technical School in Warsaw; Bachelor of Science (B.S.) mechanical engineering, University of London; Harwell Reactor School, Oxford, England; graduate courses in United States.
Languages: English, Polish, Italian, Russian.
Career: Engineering consultant in England, Rockwell International, space division (worked on the Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz and Shuttle project); Hughes Aircraft Company.
Author: Numerous professional publications, achievement awards and certifications; one of participants whose name travelled to the moon on the Apollo 16 mission; patent for a tennis ball pick-up machine.
Military: Armia Krajowa (AK), section leader, wounded in the Warsaw Uprising, Aug. 3, 1944; corporal, Polish forces under British command 1945-46. Prisoner of War (POW) in Zeithein and Muhlberg 1944-45.
Member of: Armia Krajowa (AK), United States Tennis Association, Polish American Cultural Network (PACN), United States Golf Association, Polish Tennis Association.
Resident: in Poland to 1944, England 1946-57, United States 1957-; Rolling Hills Estates, CA.
From: "Polish Americans in California, Vol. II," National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs & Polish American Historical Association. California 1995.
Famous radiotelescope in Parkes. In 1969 it received tv signals from the Apollo Moon landing & relayed them to a worldwide audience of 600 million. Photo Internet |
LINKS
Listen to audio. A Speech by Consul General Daniel Gromann
Listen to audio. Tadeusz Rackiewicz reading out a letter from President Bronisław Komorowski
Listen to audio.Proud sons of Pan Tadeusz, Robert and Andrzej speaking
Listen to audio.Members of Pan Tadeusz family introducing themselves
Listen to audio. And who will write the great story
Click here to watch a photo gallery
A list of over 100 recipients of Virtuti Militari
Batalion Ruczaj - two photos
Batalion Ruczaj - a map
Batalion Ruczaj - Post Office taken
Batalion Ruczaj- the meaning of names
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