In the recollections of soldiers of the wartime generation, whenever May 8 approaches, it is above all the moment of silence after the din of the front that stubbornly returns. One after another, like scenes in a film, come images of the experiences, joy and pride of that victory.
There is also emphasis on the hope for a better, fairer future, for a normal life in a free, sovereign and democratic Poland. And those who lived to see our times can be proud that their combat effort, sweat and the spilled blood of their comrades in arms were not in vain. Yet cruel fate meant that many among the more than half-million-strong army of people "under arms" did not live to see that dreamed-of, longed-for freedom. They sacrificed their lives for the Homeland in the first days and months free from military operations, under various circumstances. For example, sappers: Lt. Tomasz Nowak, Pvt. Karol Brylski and Pvt. Mieczysław Król died while clearing mines on June 13, 1946, in Gościszów. Places for their eternal rest were chosen rather randomly. Artillerymen: Gunner Stanisław Smoliński and Cpl. Zdzisław Tobis still rest in the Soviet Cemetery on Willowa Street. Canon Henryk Pohibiełko was also buried there, but through the efforts of his family he was moved to the family grave. The armorer of the 13th Cavalry Regiment, Lt. Bolesław Walkiewicz, who died in November 1945, and soldiers of the 40th Infantry Regiment—Cpl. Bronisław Bereźnicki and Pvt. Zenon Śliwiński—were initially buried in the cemetery on Lubańska Street. Now their grave "neighbors" a mass grave...
It is this very group of brave, heroic soldiers of the 2nd Polish Army, not fully identified by name, who "died following the soldier’s path of the 2nd Polish Army under various circumstances," that the tombstone unveiled on May 8 this year at the Municipal Cemetery is dedicated to. Only 28 of them rest in the mass grave. Sixteen names were engraved by the stonemason’s skilled hand. They are: Lt. Tomasz Nowak, Pvt. Karol Brylski, Senior Pvt. Mieczysław Król, Piotr Fizin, Pvt. Michał Gajda, Ensign Walenty Iniankin, Cpl. Aleksander Jęczmieniowski, Capt. Grzegorz Jeganow, Second Lt. Mieczysław Kudelski, Second Lt. Semen Łobanow, Pvt. Franciszek Łysakowski, Pvt. Jan Marzec, Pvt. Mikołaj Nowosadny, Pvt. Wiktor Radomski, Senior Pvt. Kazimierz Świderski and Senior Pvt. Stanisław Synecki. In the speeches, both in the cemetery chapel during the Mass celebrated by the chaplain of the Bolesławiec soldiers’ community, Reserve Capt. Rev. Wojciech Mroszczak, and by the city president, Eng. Józef Król, and the president of ZKRPiBWP, retired Lt. Col. Włodzimierz Kowalski, it was emphasized that the memorial slab, standing beside the monument to Bolesław Kubik, Bolesławiec’s first postwar mayor, and his associates, expresses remembrance of the heroes of those times. It is a tribute to soldiers of all fronts and formations, to soldiers who, regardless of where they fought, fulfilled their duty with dignity and honor. It is an expression of remembrance for those who restored the ancient Bolesławiec land to Poland—the land on which we have been able to live and work in peace for more than a quarter of a century. Thus, the conclusion of the "Roll Call of the Fallen" sounds especially meaningful:
"Mindful of the cruel past, let us join our strength in keeping alive the flame in the candle of remembrance and glory. May it be a symbol that marks our path in the struggle for peace."
As a matter of historical record, let us add that the entire cost of producing the impressive tombstone was covered by the City Office. The main initiators were members of the ZKRPiBWP municipal branch. Much of the work was carried out by retired Lt. Col. Zbigniew Sonta and retired Capt. Zbigniew Sonta—the secretary of the ZKRPiBWP Board, who also worked voluntarily on the Board of the Bolesławiec District of the World Association of Home Army Soldiers. It was largely thanks to their commitment that most of the fallen soldiers’ names could be brought back to memory. Part of the damage caused in the past by the thoughtless act of destroying (burning) the birch grave crosses with identification plaques was repaired by "someone influential" (detailed information about the names placed on the tombstone is available at the cemetery office).
The ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the tombstone was performed by Lt. Aniela Duma, a veteran of the partisan units of J. B. Tito; Jadwiga Gołąb, an Home Army soldier; Eng. Józef Król; Staff Lt. Col. Bogdan Kośny, commander of the 11th Bolesławiec Anti-Aircraft Regiment; and Reserve Capt. Rev. Wojciech Mroszczak.
The soldiers of the garrison ensured an appropriate setting for the ceremony. An honor company and the Military Band were present. Second Lt. Andrzej Kondrat read the roll call of the fallen, and after the cemetery ceremony, delegations—including students from the Władysław Broniewski General Secondary School—went to the monument to the 2nd Polish Army, where they laid wreaths and flowers.