Drunken padre

[Lancer44]

Following story is from the Polish Army in North Africa, exactly in Iraq, Mosul-Kirkuk area.. II-nd Polish Corps was later in
1943 transferred to Italy where in 8-th British Army fought to the end of the war.
My father served there in Karpathian Lancers Regiment, hence my nick Lancer44.
As you know Polish army was predominantly catholic, with small percentage of Jews and orhodox soldiers.
Every Saturday night, the whole regiment queed to confession, than on Sunday morning there was traditional Mass.
Jews and orthodox could do what they wished but soldiers which declared themselves as catholics had to attend Mass.
Standing at attention in 35 or more degrees C, wasn't nice at all. Karpathian Lancers chaplain, captain padre Malinowski was well known
from his inclination to drink copious amounts of alcohol.
It happened, that Friday night, ex-commander of regiment, colonel Bobinski visited and him, padre Malinowski and present CO, major Zakrzewski spent all night emptying bottles delivered from Tel-Aviv.
Celebrating Mass padre Malinowski lifted chalice above his head, standing with his back to the soldiers and suddenly fell backwards on his back and just stayed there on the canvas sheet. After few seconds of consternation everybody realised that padre is asleep because he started to snore loudly. Officers which were standing in first row from the altar took padre to his tent.
This story was recalled by my father in 1978 in presence of a few veterans which all remembered the story. One of them, Stan was even serving as altar boy to padre.
And this Stan said something amazing after 36 years… He said:
- The Mass was not valid anyway. Padre told me to use cherry vodka, (Kirsch), which we together bought from Jews in Tel Aviv, instead of altar wine.

Below picture of similar Mass in desert conditions, Tobruk 1941, artillery unit of Polish Independent Karpathian Brigade.


Picture has got nothing to do with the story but helps to imagine how things looked.

Photo courtesy of AWM Canberra.


Cheers,
Lancer44

[Tom Houlihan]

When I was a young altar boy, I once sneaked a swallow of altar wine. To this day, I won't drink it any more. Kirsch tasted better, but maybe in your Padre's case, it tasted too good!

[Jim O]

That's a great story. I take it that after all that, your father left for Oz after the war ended?

[Lancer44]

Originally Posted by Jim O

That's a great story. I take it that after all that, your father left for Oz after the war ended?

Hi Jim,

No, my father returned to Poland in 1947. Silly move but he wanted to go home...
There is another story attached to it.
He had girlfriend in Scotland - in Grimsby. Her father was quite wealthy and had two or three large fishing trawlers and canned fish factory. My father and her kept contact, they wrote long letters every week. One day in late 1948 letter from her arrived. She wrote that before Xmas one of her father trawlers will go to Sweden to pick up engine parts and on it's way back they will stop in Gdynia to spend Xmas there. She advised him which member of the crew will know everything, contact point in one Gdynia restaurant and openly wrote that he should come back to Scotland on this trawler.
Letter was already opened with censorship stamp and relevant sentences were underscored with thin pencil. Obviously UB or rather NKVD branch these days already knew and they were just waiting.
He had no choice but went straight to UB and explained that the whole story is probably provocation. They kindly thanked him and released.
After two weeks he was arrested and spent one year in one of the most hard prisons in Poland - Cracow Montelupich.

My way to Oz was in 1984. After martial law in 1981 I was involved in anti-commie conspiracy, survived a year in hiding, printing and distributing illegal paper, arrested in late 1982, I spent my one year in prison, which earned me
ticket to Oz. (Paid by United Nations).

Cheers,

Lancer44

[Jim O]

I can understand his wanting to go home. After all, he had been fighting for his country. Amazing that after all that he was sent to prison and that you also were later a political prisoner and essentially became a refugee.

[Lancer44]

Originally Posted by Jim O

I can understand his wanting to go home. After all, he had been fighting for his country. Amazing that after all that he was sent to prison and that you also were later a political prisoner and essentially became a refugee.

Yes, from summer 1939 when he went to the army to summer 1947...

There is saying that apple cannot fall far from apple tree.