Born: November 20, 1925, Wyręba near Kielce, Poland
Died: December 11, 2015, Koszalin, Poland
Buried: Koszalin, Poland – Municipal Cemetery – section P-22, row 4, grave 18
Family: father Józef, wife Stefania – marriage in 1952; children – 2 daughters, son
Fate before World War II:
Józef Kiniorski lived before World War II in Ćmińsk Wyręba (Kielce region) near Zagnańsk in Poland.
Fate during World War II:
In 1940, he was deported to forced labor in agriculture in Germany. He escaped and reached France. He received his military training in Coetquidan at the Guer military camp in Brittany. From France, like the rest of Polish soldiers, he reached England, where, after being formed on February 25, 1942, he joined the ranks of the 1st Polish Armored Division. During the fighting in France, he was wounded, and after convalescence, he returned to fighting in the ranks of the Armored Division. He covered the entire combat route from France to Germany. After the Division was disbanded in 1947, he received an offer to work in England. Refused.
Post-war fate:
He returns to Poland. He lived with a family in Zagnańsk. Arrested by the communist Security Service and imprisoned in Kielce torture chamber. Despite repeated torture and beatings, the secret service failed to break down and take Józef Kiniorski to their side. After regaining freedom, he moves to Mielno, where he unsuccessfully looks for a job. He moves to Koszalin, where he lives at Piłsudski St., then Sikorski St. He started working at the Koszalin Engineering Company (KPRI) in the mechanical department. He died and was buried in Koszalin on December 11, 2015.
author: Witold Gudyś