Józef Kos
Encyclopedia
Józef Kos was one of the last surviving veterans of the First World War
and one of the oldest people in Poland
at the time of his death. He was an ethnic Kashubian
. In 1918 he served for the German Empire
in the German Army
during the last year of the war.
In Kashubia
Kos attended a German language
school when he was a child living in the small village of Bontsch (Bącz)
(near Karthaus (Kartuzy)
). In this time it was in West Prussia
, part of the German Empire
.
In summer 1918, just before Kos turned 18 years old, the German Army
sent him to train in Rastenburg (Kętrzyn)
in East Prussia
. He and the other troops trained for three months before they began a march to Belgium
, which was on Germany's western front
, in order to deploy to the English Channel
. After many weeks of marching at 40 kilometers per day, the war ended before reaching their destination. On his journey back to Poland, he witnessed the chaos in Germany as the country went through revolution
and people stealing food just to have something to eat. He and other troops were given the opportunity to serve as border guards in the city of Danzig (Gdańsk)
, which eventually became a free city
after the war, but he declined the offer and went home.
In 1920 Kos was a volunteer for Poland in the Polish-Soviet War
, which secured Poland's independence
.
When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939
, Kos was one of many Polish men that were rounded up and sent to Stalag XIII-D Nuremberg-Langwasser
, which was a prisoner-of-war camp used by Germany and located in Nuremberg
. He was interned for a month and a half, at which time the civilians from Kashubia
were released. His wife and two daughters were waiting to greet him at the train station in Sierakowice
, Poland, when he arrived back home.
Kos started learning his trade as a shoemaker when he was 14 years old, and retired in 1965. He enjoyed bee-keeping after his retirement, and some people credited his longevity to his daily healthy consumption of honey.
Kos married his wife Agnieszka née Jelinski in 1935, and they had 5 daughters, and at the time of his death 7 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Before he married, as a bachelor, Kos bought a home in Sierakowice that he would live in for the rest of his life.
Kos died after several weeks of illness at the age of 106, just a few days before Easter. Services were delayed until after Easter, in order to allow for the many interested people to view his coffin, which was displayed at the St. Marcin's Church in Sierakowice
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and one of the oldest people in Poland
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...
at the time of his death. He was an ethnic Kashubian
Kashubians
Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....
. In 1918 he served for the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
in the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
during the last year of the war.
In Kashubia
Kashubia
Kashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....
Kos attended a German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
school when he was a child living in the small village of Bontsch (Bącz)
Bacz
Bącz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kartuzy, within Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately west of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
(near Karthaus (Kartuzy)
Kartuzy
Kartuzy is a town in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland, located about west of Gdańsk with a population of 15,472...
). In this time it was in West Prussia
West Prussia
West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
, part of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
In summer 1918, just before Kos turned 18 years old, the German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
sent him to train in Rastenburg (Kętrzyn)
Ketrzyn
Kętrzyn , is a town in northeastern Poland with 28,351 inhabitants . Situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship , Kętrzyn was previously in Olsztyn Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kętrzyn County...
in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
. He and the other troops trained for three months before they began a march to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, which was on Germany's western front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, in order to deploy to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. After many weeks of marching at 40 kilometers per day, the war ended before reaching their destination. On his journey back to Poland, he witnessed the chaos in Germany as the country went through revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
and people stealing food just to have something to eat. He and other troops were given the opportunity to serve as border guards in the city of Danzig (Gdańsk)
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, which eventually became a free city
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
after the war, but he declined the offer and went home.
In 1920 Kos was a volunteer for Poland in the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, which secured Poland's independence
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
.
When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, Kos was one of many Polish men that were rounded up and sent to Stalag XIII-D Nuremberg-Langwasser
Stalag XIII-D
Stalag XIII-D Nürnberg Langwasser was a German Army World War II prisoner-of-war camp built on what had been the Nazi parade grounds in Nürnberg, northern Bavaria.-Timeline:...
, which was a prisoner-of-war camp used by Germany and located in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. He was interned for a month and a half, at which time the civilians from Kashubia
Kashubia
Kashubia or Cassubia - is a language area in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland. Located west of Gdańsk and the mouth of the Vistula river, it is inhabited by members of the Kashubian ethnic group....
were released. His wife and two daughters were waiting to greet him at the train station in Sierakowice
Sierakowice, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Sierakowice is a village in Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kashubia in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Sierakowice. It lies approximately west of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk. Kashubian is here in official use, as a regional language...
, Poland, when he arrived back home.
Kos started learning his trade as a shoemaker when he was 14 years old, and retired in 1965. He enjoyed bee-keeping after his retirement, and some people credited his longevity to his daily healthy consumption of honey.
Kos married his wife Agnieszka née Jelinski in 1935, and they had 5 daughters, and at the time of his death 7 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Before he married, as a bachelor, Kos bought a home in Sierakowice that he would live in for the rest of his life.
Kos died after several weeks of illness at the age of 106, just a few days before Easter. Services were delayed until after Easter, in order to allow for the many interested people to view his coffin, which was displayed at the St. Marcin's Church in Sierakowice
Sierakowice, Pomeranian Voivodeship
Sierakowice is a village in Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kashubia in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Sierakowice. It lies approximately west of Kartuzy and west of the regional capital Gdańsk. Kashubian is here in official use, as a regional language...
.
See also
- Veterans of the First World War who died in 2007