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Flying Officer Alexander Roman Zatonski was an airman of the Royal Air Force who died during the Second World War.

He was born on 1 November 1915, in Philadelphia, Pensylvannia,[1] the son of Polish parents Joseph and Marcella Zatonski, who had emigrated to America c. 1899.[2] The family, who returned to Poland on a number of occasions, eventually settled in Canada, in the city of Brantford, Ontario.[1]

As tensions became increasingly fraught in Europe in 1939, Zatonski attempted to arrange passage to Poland with the objective of joining the country's air force. He reached England but was unable to complete the journey. Instead, Zatonski enlisted in the Royal Air Force and, in 1940, joined 79 Squadron at the height of the Battle of Britain.[1]

On 28 August, Zatonski suffered a leg wound and severe burning after bailing out of his Hawker Hurricane, which was shot down near Hythe, Kent.[1] He rejoined his squadron in December, serving with it until a transfer to the North Africa-bound 238 Squadron in 1941. He was reported missing after an engagement with German aircraft over Libya on 6 December.[1] Zatonski had married just prior to his death, to Constance Bunce.

The location of his aircraft and grave remain unknown and he is, thus, commemorated by the Alamein Memorial.

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Knoblock, Gleen (2008), With Great Sacrifice and Bravery..., p. 134.
  2. familysearch.org.

References[]

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