Life of John Franklin, of Bury St Edmunds, last surviving Polish WWII veteran in the UK, celebrated at St Edmund’s Roman Catholic Church
The life of the last surviving Polish World War Two veteran living in the UK was celebrated today.
Mieczysław Frąckiewicz, better known as John Franklin, who lived in Bury St Edmunds, died this month at the age of 104.
His family and friends, as well as representatives from the RAF and Polish government, came together at St Edmund’s Roman Catholic Church to say a final goodbye to him.
Father Dick White was asked by John’s daughter, Linda Davies, to preside over the ceremony due to his own military experience, having served in the armed forces for 26 years.
During his homily, Father White said: “John lived 104 years of ups and downs. John was, without doubt, a courageous, brave man.
“One can’t forget that sense of belonging that is so obvious in John’s life – he belonged in this town, belonged in the way of life in this town and in our hearts and our minds.
“John, I salute you.”
The service opened with a hymn, Lord Of All Hopefulness, followed by a reading from John Saunders of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3: verses 1-15, and a second reading from Father White of Wisdom, Chapter 4: verses 7-15.
Mr Franklin was also honoured with letters from top Polish government officials, including President Andrzej Duda, Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski.
His granddaughter, Jadwiga Kunicki, read a eulogy of Mr Franklin, where she recounted his time during the war, including being taken into Soviet custody as a prisoner of war in the Gulag in Siberia, and his role as an airman, including a reconaissance mission in which he sunk a German submarine off the coast of Cornwall.
She said: “Throughout his life, John demonstrated unwavering resolve and will to never give up – his determination gave him the strength to carry on throughout adversity.
“John put in long hours to become a successful businessman, working until the early 1990s when he retired to support and care for Pam.”
During the eulogy, Ms Kunicki recounted several other incredible and unique parts of his life, including a visa to move to America arriving on his wedding day, one which ultimately went unused.
She told of how John continued to drive his car beyond his 100th birthday and of a ‘spectacular’ event celebrating him at the Polish embassy in London, where he was ‘the star of the show with his smile’.
West Suffolk Council chairperson Pat Hanlon attended the funeral.
Born on November 3, 1919, in Sopockinie, a region of north eastern Poland – now part of Belarus – John served in the RAF with Squadron 304 and worked as a Morse code radio operator before settling in Bury in around 1945.
In 2019, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant by the Polish president Andrzej Duda and in November, on his 104th birthday, he became a lieutenant.
