Franciszek Kornicki

Franciszek Kornicki (18 December 1916 – 16 November 2017) was a Polish fighter pilot who served in the Polish Air Force in Poland, France and Britain during the Second World War and later served in the Royal Air Force (RAF). He died just a few weeks short of his 101st birthday and was the last surviving Polish fighter squadron commander from the Second World War.

Early life and education

Kornicki was born at Wereszyn, south of Hrubieszów, in Poland, on 18 December 1916, the sixth son of Łukasz Kornicki, a coachman on a large estate, and his wife, Aniela Kornicka. He went to the village school in Wereszyn and then the gymnasium in Hrubieszów, where he boarded and covered his expenses by coaching less able pupils.

Forces career

Eager to further his education but unable to afford university fees, he was admitted as a cadet in the twelfth entry at the Polish Air Force academy in Dęblin. In July 1939, he completed his studies, where he finished in third place out of a class of 173 pupils. In the middle of a fortnight's leave prior to his first posting, he received orders to report to his unit immediately in the general mobilisation as the clouds of war were gathering and said his goodbyes to his family. He never saw his father again, and did not see his mother and brothers again for another 25 years.