Stanisław Ujejski

Stanisław Ujejski (14 November 1891 - 31 March 1981) was a Polish general and aviator. He first won distinction as a cavalry officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War, moving to the new Polish Army after the end of that conflict and being assigned to military aviation.

He was promoted to brigadier general in January 1939 and upon the general mobilisation on 24 August the same year was made chief of staff to Józef Zając, head of the Polish Air Force. He fought in the September Campaign and on 18 September escaped to Romania. He then moved on to France to rebuild the Polish Air Force and from March 1940 was its second in command, continuing in that role in Britain after the Fall of France.

In July 1940 he was promoted to command the Polish Air Force and also made inspector general of the Air Force. After general Władysław Sikorski's death in 1943 he left that post to be inspector general of the fire brigade from 18 July to 19 September 1943.

Life Education and First World War

Ujejski (sitting, fourth from the left) during Prince Nicholas of Romania's visit to Poland, 21 August 1931. Ujejski (third from right) in the official group photograph in front of the Hotel Adlon, showing Poles with German officers whilst visiting Berlin in May 1935. He was born in Ropczyce In 1908, after passing the school leaving exam, he graduated from the V Classical Lyceum August Witkowski in Krakov. He then studied at the Polytechnic in Bern, gaining a degree in 1913. After the outbreak of the First World War he was assigned to serve in the Landwehr, part of the Austro-Hungarian Army. From 15 December 1914 to 1 March 1915 he attended the cavalry officers' school before continuing his training at the infantry officers' school in Brück.

On 1 January 1916 he was made a sub-lieutenant in the reserve cavalry, signing himself as "Stanislaus Ritter von Ujejski". In 1917 he was posted to the Reitendes Schützenregiment No. 1, part of XV Army Corps at Leopoli. From April to June 1918 he attended the balloon observers' school at Gundromsdorf,

Independent Poland On 8 November 1918 he joined the Polish Army and was promoted to Lieutenant, serving as an observer in military planes. From 16 June to 30 November 1919 he was on the first course at the Staff School and after gaining the brevet was appointed to Poland's general staff. From 1 December 1919 he was on the "West" section, before being put in charge of the planning section of 3rd Division of the Supreme Command and promoted to Captain. On 20 April 1920 he began a year heading the "East" section. Next he spent two years as a teaching assistant on tactics at the same School. and in the meantime was promoted to colonel in 1930. and then in November 1935 of 1st Aviation Group in Warsaw. In March 1937 he attended a training course for senior officers in Rembertów and on 14 December the same year he was made chief of the air staff.

Second World War and after Marian Kukiel, Władysław Sikorski, Tadeusz Klimecki and Ujejski in 1942. In January 1939 he was promoted to brigadier general and on general mobilisation on 24 August was made chief of staff to the supreme commander of aviation and air defence brigadier general Józef Zając. After the Polish Armed Forces in Britain were dissolved in 1946 he left for Canada. On 28 August 2014, during the ceremony celebrating the Day of Polish Aviation, an urn with Ujejski's ashes was moved into the columbarium at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw, in which Poland's honour guard and the Military Aviation Orchestra both participated.

Honours

Polish Order of Polonia Restituta, Officer Iron Cross of Merit Legion of Honour, Officer, 1931 (France) Order of the Star of Romania, Officer