Antoni Dunin
Encyclopedia
Antoni Dunin was a Polish
nobleman (szlachta
), a Hrabia
(Count
), and an army officer who received the Virtuti Militari
award.
Dunin was born on June 5, 1907, the youngest child of Lucia (Łucja) Taczanowska
(1862–1917) and her second husband Count Rodryg Dunin
(1870–1928). He grew up at the Granówko
estate near Poznań
, the youngest of ten children. He had six older siblings by his mother's first marriage to Stanisław Niezychowski, and two full sisters and one full brother, children of his own father Rodryg. The Dunin family crest is the Łabędź (swan).
On December 28, 1933, Dunin married Zofia Helena Werner (1910–1939), daughter of Poland's vice-Finance Minister Edward Werner
, and great-niece of Saint Raphael Kalinowski
. They had three children: Krystyna, Stanley (Stanisław, named after Dunin's older brother), and Magda (Magdelena).
Between 1933 and 1934 he served as an NCO in the Polish Army and graduated from the Cavalry Training Centre, where he was also awarded with the memorial badge of his home unit, the 15th Poznań Uhlan's Regiment. Mobilized prior to the outbreak of World War II
, Dunin was drafted into the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade under Gen. Roman Abraham
. Serving in the rank of Porucznik (First Lieutenant) he commanded the march squadron
of the 15th Poznań Uhlan's Regiment. He joined the regiment with his unit on September 8, 1939, and took part in the Battle of Bzura. Dunin was killed in combat at the age of 32 on September 16, 1939. His wife was killed the next day, at the age of 29.
Dunin's descendants were eventually able to escape Poland to France
and finally to the United States
in the 1940s.
(ISBN 8-80-454976-9).
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
nobleman (szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
), a Hrabia
Hrabia
Hrabia is the title used for a rank of Polish nobility roughly corresponding to that of a Count. An earlier counterpart, komes, was used for a non-hereditary office in Piast Poland and faded from use before the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.The wife of a hrabia is a hrabina,...
(Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
), and an army officer who received the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
award.
Biography
Taczanowski
Taczanowski is the surname of a Polish szlachta family from Poznań bearing the Jastrzębiec Coat of Arms and the motto: Plus penser que dire. They took their name from their estate Taczanów in the 15th century and by the 19th century were among the leading magnates in partitioned-Poland...
(1862–1917) and her second husband Count Rodryg Dunin
Rodryg Dunin
Rodryg Dunin was a Polish noble , a hrabia , and an industrialist and agriculturalist. His work in agricultural industry, including pioneering new techniques, earned him recognition among the farming circles of early 20th century Greater Poland.- Biography :Rodryg Dunin was born in Marszewo,...
(1870–1928). He grew up at the Granówko
Granówko
Granówko is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Granowo, within Grodzisk Wielkopolski County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Granowo, east of Grodzisk Wielkopolski, and south-west of the regional capital Poznań.An old...
estate near Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, the youngest of ten children. He had six older siblings by his mother's first marriage to Stanisław Niezychowski, and two full sisters and one full brother, children of his own father Rodryg. The Dunin family crest is the Łabędź (swan).
On December 28, 1933, Dunin married Zofia Helena Werner (1910–1939), daughter of Poland's vice-Finance Minister Edward Werner
Edward Werner
Dr. Edward Henryk Werner was an economist, judge, industrialist, and politician. He was best known as Vice-Minister of Finance in the Second Polish Republic.- Life :...
, and great-niece of Saint Raphael Kalinowski
Raphael Kalinowski
Rafał Kalinowski, O.C.D. was a Polish Discalced Carmelite friar born as Józef Kalinowski inside the Russian partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the city of Vilnius...
. They had three children: Krystyna, Stanley (Stanisław, named after Dunin's older brother), and Magda (Magdelena).
Between 1933 and 1934 he served as an NCO in the Polish Army and graduated from the Cavalry Training Centre, where he was also awarded with the memorial badge of his home unit, the 15th Poznań Uhlan's Regiment. Mobilized prior to the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dunin was drafted into the Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade under Gen. Roman Abraham
Roman Abraham
Roman Abraham was a Polish cavalry general, commander of Wielkopolska Cavalry Brigade during German and Soviet Invasion of Poland in September 1939, in Battle of Bzura commander of Polish cavalry ....
. Serving in the rank of Porucznik (First Lieutenant) he commanded the march squadron
March battalion
A march battalion is a battalion-sized military unit formed of all the rear-echelon units of an infantry regiment. It usually includes all the tabors, field kitchen staff, reserve soldiers, military police, commander's reserves, guards, aides, and raw recruits who did not arrive at the...
of the 15th Poznań Uhlan's Regiment. He joined the regiment with his unit on September 8, 1939, and took part in the Battle of Bzura. Dunin was killed in combat at the age of 32 on September 16, 1939. His wife was killed the next day, at the age of 29.
Dunin's descendants were eventually able to escape Poland to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and finally to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1940s.
In popular culture
Dunin is one of the characters in the Italian novel "Il Guardiano dei Sogni" (The Guardian of Dreams) by Paolo MaurensigPaolo Maurensig
Paolo Maurensig is an Italian novelist, best known for the book Canone inverso , a complex tale of a violin and its owners.-Biography:Maurensig was born at Udine....
(ISBN 8-80-454976-9).