Born
Rank	
Unit
Date of death
Initiallyburied

Today buried

PONIKIEWSKI Józef
30.11.1916 Brylewo p. Leszno
por. mar. woj.
Polish Forces
4.7.1943 Gibraltar
Newark on Trent Cemetery, U.K.
War Graves Plot, Section H, Grave 320
since 9.12.2010 in Oporów Cemetery, Poland

See:
http://www.polskieradio.pl:80/5/3/Artykul/280519,Ponikiewski-zostanie-pochowany-w-Oporowie
http://www.polskieradio.pl:80/5/3/Artykul/280896,Trumny-z-oficerami-Sikorskiego-w-stolicy

On 4.7.1943 on 23.08 hours, Liberator AL 532 of 115 Sqdn RAF crashed 
in the sea immediately after takeoff from Gibraltar.
The exact circumstances of this crash remain a dispute which has given 
rise to conspiration theories.
Crew and 11 passengers have been except the pilot captain Edward Prchal.

Amongst the passengers were the following Polish victims:
Prime minister of the Polish Government in exile 
general Władysław Sikorski and his daughter Zofia,
gen. bryg. Klimecki Tadeusz Apolinary,
por. mar. woj. Ponikiewski Józef,
płk Gralewski J.K.H.  
płk. dypl. Marecki Andrzej Marian,
civilian Adam Kulakowski

General Sikorski Władysław, Klimecki Tadeusz Apolinary, 
Ponikiewski Józef, Marecki Andrzej Marian were buried in the 
NEWARK-UPON-TRENT CEMETERY, United Kingdom

On 17.9.1993 the remains of general Sikorski were exhumed and 
transferred to the royal crypts at Waweł Castle in Kraków, Poland.

Generals Sikorski's daughter Zofia and Adam Kulakowski are missing.

In the night of 3/4 July courier płk Gralewski J.K.H. arrived, 
after a difficult journey through Europe, in Gibraltar.

After a meeting with general Sikorski he was invited by the general to 
travel with him to Great Britain.

His mortal remainders were recovered from the sea on 8th July 1943.

Why he was buried in the North Front Cemetery of Gibraltar 
is not known.

[About this cemetery]