Born: February 24, 1924, Poznań, Poland
Died: June 29, 2008, London, Great Britain
Buried: Rogalin near Poznań, Poland – Raczyński family grave
Family: parents – father Włodzimierz, mother Krystyna; wife Wanda Róża (nee Raczyńska), father-in-law – Polish President in Exile count Edward Raczyński
Medals: Polish – Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Brown Cross of Merit
Prewar fates:
Ryszard Dembiński came from a family with military traditions. His father, Włodzimierz, was a general of the Polish Army and a doctor of law. Uncle Stefan Dembiński was also a general. Both were awarded the highest Polish military decorations – the Order of Virtuti Militari and the Cross of Valor.
Fates during the war:
After the outbreak of World War II, Ryszard voluntarily joined the Polish Army and fought during the September Campaign in the ranks of anti-aircraft defense units in Warsaw. On April 13, 1940, he was deported by the Soviets together with his uncle Stefan’s family (his wife Maria and their three children) from Przemyśl to exile in the Kustanai Oblast in Kazakhstan. Freed after the conclusion of the Polish-Soviet Sikorski-Maysky Agreement on July 30, 1941, two years after his deportation, on April 13, 1942, he volunteered to join the Polish Armed Forces being formed in the USSR under the command of General Władysław Anders. The remaining members of the Dembiński family, who were deported with him, also joined Polish Forces in USSR.
After being evacuated from the USSR together with the Polish Army, Ryszard Dembiński reached Great Britain in 1942 through Iran, Iraq, South Africa, America and Canada. He graduated from the Signal Cadet School in Scotland. As a soldier of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Armored Division under General Stanisław Maczek, he took part in the liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. He ended his service in the Polish Armed Forces with the rank of captain.
Post-war fate:
After demobilization from the army, he obtained a scholarship and studied history at the University of Strasbourg. Then he returned to Great Britain to start a very active social and publishing activity. For many years he served as secretary, editorial board member and chairman of the Editorial Committee of “Cavalry and Armored Weapons Review” (Polish “Przegląd Kawalerii i Broni Pancernej”). He was also the secretary and chairman of the Polish Association of Cavalry Regiment Circles. From 1956 he was associated with the Polish Institute and the General Sikorski Museum in London and from 1979 he was its president for 24 years. He was a member of the Council for the Study of Underground Poland (Studium Polski Podziemnej) and the Committee of the Order of Polonia Restituta. On his initiative, the Polish Forces in the West Banners Foundation was established, which takes care of the banners of the Polish Armed Forces stored in London. Married since 1957 to Wanda Róża, Count Raczyńska (d. 2016). Ryszard Dembiński died in 2008 in London and on August 8, 2008, he was buried in the Raczyński tomb in Rogalin near Poznań.
author: Aneta Hoffmann