Leon Swietlikowski World War II Collection

The Leon Swietlikowski World War II Collection is primarily related to the wartime activities of Swietlikowski, who served in the Polish Air Force during World War II. The collection includes log books, personnel documents, and photographs of Leon Swietlikowski and his wife, Bette. Please note: many of the items in this collection are in Polish, with a small amount in both Polish and French, including the military paperwork. Though the Polish Air Force was a part of the Royal Air Force during the war, the Polish pilots were often led by Polish officers and used their native language in their communications.

The first series, Textual Materials, includes Leon's log books from 1938-1944 as well as a very small amount of correspondence, identify cards and papers, military documents, and other assorted documents, as well as a later (1968) Polish map. The log books give a detailed account of Swietlikowski's aviation activities both before and during World War II and include notes on where he was stationed. One of the log books is related to Swietlikowski's pre-war aviation activities, such as glider flights, in his native Poland.

The second series, Photographs, consists of forty-two (42) loose black-and-white photographs and an album of eighty-five (85) photographs documenting both Leon's and Elizabeth's wartime careers. Included are snapshots as well as formal group and individual portraits of Leon and Elizabeth and other Royal Air Force pilots, including a March 1943 group portrait with caption, "No. 8 Polish Course Officers' School," and the names of each officer, including Swietlikowski, printed on the front. One group portrait features twenty-four (24) members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and has a caption on the back "Senior N.C.O [non-commissioned officer] Admin Course, RAF Wilmslow, Oct. 1943." Also included on the reverse of this image are many signatures and brief salutations, such as "Best wishes," of the various members. Many RAF stations are also depicted, including Gosport, Wilmslow, and Cosford (England).

The photograph album primarily features Leon and Elizabeth Swietlikowski, and all images were all taken during World War II. Most of the photographs were taken at the various RAF stations in England where Leon was stationed during the war, but there are also some photographs which were taken in continental Europe. Some images feature an aircraft with the word "Bette" painted near the nose, likely after Swietlikowski's wife.

Digitized Materials: The archival materials, as well as several artifacts, have been digitized from this collection.

Please note that materials on TMOF: Digital Collections are presented as historical objects and are unaltered and uncensored. See our Disclaimers and Policies page for more information.