In September 1939, Major Stanisław Poziomek made his way to Romania, and from there to France and subsequently to the United Kingdom. Between 14 November1941 to 15 August 1942, he commanded the 304th ‘Silesian Land’ Bomber Squadron; following his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, he became Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force Inspectorate in London. During an inspection of the 304th Bomber Squadron, he volunteered to join the crew flying a patrol in the Bay of Biscay and was killed during that flight on 11 April 1944. He was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari, the Cross of Valour four times, the British Distinguished Flying Cross and the Field Observer’s Badge.
Corporal Adam Sankowski was imprisoned in the USSR during the Second World War. After his release, he arrived in Great Britain in 1942 and was assigned to No. 304 Bomber Squadron. On the evening of 6 April 1944, he took off on a patrol in the Bay of Biscay; after midnight, contact with the crew was lost – the aircraft was probably shot down by the German air force and crashed into the sea. The entire crew were killed.
Both airmen – S. Poziomek and A. Sankowski – were buried at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Bilbao, in a separate section of the cemetery known as the ‘Memorial Garden’. The Polish coat of arms is engraved on each of the vertical gravestones. The inscriptions read: “Lt Col / S. Poziomek DFC / 304 SQDN / 11 April 1944 Age 36 / Polish Forces” // “Corporal / A. Sankowski / 304 Squadron / 7 April 1944 Age 23 / Polish Forces”.
The cemetery is maintained and managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Information about the cemetery, including a list of those buried there (of various nationalities) and photographs of the cemetery, can be found on the website https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/54334/bilbao-british-cemetery/.

Regina Piątek (MKiDN), Teresa Zachara (MKiDN)