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Jan Paweł Muchliński 1901 - 1942 Edit

Born 22.6.1901 in Dębogórze
Died 30.6.1942 in Gusen

Biography

Jan Paweł Muchliński was born in 1901 in Dębogórze in the municipality of Kościerzyna-Pomorze, the son of Anton Ignac, a landowner, and Ewa, née Ossowska, from Lubiszyn-Pomorze. At 16 he moved to Berlin where he worked as an office clerk at the Schwarzkopf machine factory. After the start of the revolution in Germany he left Berlin in November 1918 and returned to his family home.

As an 18-year-old, Jan Muchlińsk went to Poznań in November 1919 and joined the 4th Nadwiślański Uhlan Regiment of the Greater Polish army, later the 18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment. From 28 May 1920 to 6 May 1921 he served in all the battles fought by the 18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment against the Red Army on the Lithuania-Belarusian front, for which he was awarded bravery medal no. 13,792 while still at the front. After returning from the front he stayed in the army until August 1924 and served with honour as a teacher and trainer within the regiment, as a non-commissioned officer in charge of enrolment and as the regiment’s training officer.

From 1 September 1924 to 30 December 1925 he worked for the Political Police and State Police in Toruń and Grudziądz. From January 1926 he worked as a court clerk in Puck, from June 1928 as a court secretary and sworn court interpreter for German in Nowy Miasto on the Drwęca. In late 1928 Jan Muchliński was awarded a highly prestigious commemorative medal for the 1918–1920 war.

On 6 November 1929 he married Lucja Ulatowska. On 22 September 1930 their daughter Janina was born, followed by a son, Zbigniew, on 16 August 1934.

Between 1930 and September 1939 he played a very active role in social and political life. He was president of the Koła Urzędników Sądowych (Association of Court Officials) and was elected secretary of the Związkek Podoficerów Rezerwy (Society of Reserve Non-Commissioned Officers). As a loyal follower of Marshal Józef Pilsudski he belonged to the Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem (Block for Cooperation with the Government) and the Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego (Faction of National Unity). He was also active in both the Związek Obrony Kresów Zachodnich (Association for the Defence of the Western Kresy Regions) and, later, in the Polski Związek Zachodny (Polish Western Association). As a meritorious veteran of the 18th Pomeranian Uhlan Regiment he became deputy commander of cavalry training for the ‘Krakusi’. Along with 71 other candidates he contested the last election before the war in Nowy Miasto Lubawskie and was elected a member of the 12-person city council on 18 December 1938.

After the start of the Second World War he joined the underground resistance organisation Rota, which was active in Grudziądz and the surrounding area. Because of his resistance activity he was arrested by the Gestapo along with the other 48 members of the organisation on 29 June 1940. Weakened by 15 months of incarceration in a Gestapo prison, Jan Muchliński returned to his family home in Nowy Miasto. But this was not to last long! On 3 October 1941 he was taken from Nowy Miasto to Stutthof, a concentration camp for civilian prisoners, where he was assigned prisoner number 12028.

On 27 November 1941 the administration of the Stutthof concentration camp received a letter from the office of the Gestapo in Grudziądz which informed it that the Reich Main Security Office had ordered the transportation of Jan Muchliński to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

On 4 December 1941 he was discharged from Stutthof on the order of the Reich Main Security Office and transferred via the police station in Malbork to ‘preventive detention’ in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Here he was given the prisoner number 24475.

From Auschwitz he was transferred to the Mauthausen/Gusen concentration camp, where he was given prisoner number 3579. On 30 June 1942 he was murdered there.

 

Roman Amroziak

Translation into English: Joanna White

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