September 22, 2015 was an exceptional day for the members of the Shipwreck Expeditions Association – the first anniversary of the discovery of the wreck of the escort destroyer “Kujawiak” near Malta and a meeting with the last surviving member of the crew of this ship in England. Kazimierz Stefankiewicz (98 years old, born in Konin, Poland), senior Polish Merchant Marine (served on ships “Warszawa”, “Kosciuszko”, “Pilsudski”, “Batory”) and Navy (served on escort destroyers “Kujawiak” and “Slazak” and the destroyer “Burza”), is in excellent physical and mental condition in his old age.
A big thanks are due to Mrs. Iwona Kuczyńska, his niece and her son Tomasz who were the go-betweens for the Association and their relatives. During the two-hour meeting Roman Zajder, Peter Wytykowski and Mariusz Borowiak had the opportunity to listen to stories from Mr. Kazimierz. The sailor K. Stankiewicz served on Kujawiak at the quad running gun cal. 40 mm, also known as the Pom-Pom gun and he was on board that tragic night in June 1942.
After the war he was in exile . He has lived in Nottingham for nearly 70 years.
We wish you 200 years in good health Mr. Kazimierz.