Józef Bartosik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Józef Czeslaw Bartosik Rear-Admiral |
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| Born. 20 July 1917 | |
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| • Captain HMS London (D16) • Captain HMS Scarborough • Captain HMS Comus |
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| •1st Artillery Officer ORP Conrad • 1st Artillery Officer ORP Błyskawica • 1st Artillery Officer ORP "Garland" |
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 Virtuti Militari |
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 Krzyż Walecznych |
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 Medal Morski |
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 Distinguished Service Cross |
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| Order of the Bath (CB, Military Division) | |
Jozef Czeslaw Bartosik was born on the 20th of July 1917 in Kraków, Poland. He served as a Polish Naval Captain, on destroyers during World War 2, under British naval command. Shortly after WWII he joined the British Royal Navy where he advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, his final posting was the deputy chief of staff Royal Navy, 1966-68; before retirement in 1969. He lives in Gloucestershire, England (November 2006).
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[edit] War-time 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 first watch officer on the cadet schooner ORP Iskra. During the latter half of 1939, he led the wooden sailing ship Iskra, 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, he 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 Blyskawica. During this time, he was instrumental in Błyskawica's downing of two Luftwaffe aircraft as part of the Norwegian Campaign. Since the war the ship has become a museum ship, and is located in Gdynia, Poland. He was also in the first crew of the destroyer ORP Garland 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.
[edit] 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 head of the frigate HMS Comus. From 1960-1961 he lead both 5 Frigate Squadron and Commanded HMS Scarborough. From 1962-63 he was commander of Naval Airstation RNAS Culdrose. From 1964-65, he was commander of rocket destroyer HMS London. 1966-68 Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations). In 1969, he retired with the rank of Rear-Admiral.
[edit] Author
Author of the book "Faithful Ship" (Written in Polish) published in London in 1947, by Orbis of London, listed by the British library, System number: 000217951, Shelf Mark: 9102.a.32.
Towards the end of 1945 he expressed the wish to return to Poland and authored the document "The basis of the war navy against the question of returning to the country". But in 1946, he retracted this idea and remained in Great Britain.
