Edward Polski Sr
(Information provided by Ruby Prebble, family member, The Pittsburgh Press- January 20, 1929, and findagrave.com)
Edward Polski was born on May 25, 1920, to Zigmunt and Theresa Polski. He died on July 4, 1944, at the age of 24. He married Mildred Hevner in 1941. They had a son Edward Polski Jr., who was eighteen months old when his father was killed.
Sgt Polski was killed in a mission over France. At first, he was reported as missing in action but was later updated to killed in action. He was a tail gunner with the Eighth Air Force. He entered the service on September 23, 1943.
Sixty years after his death, a memorial was built to honor Polski and six others who died in that plane crash. The memorial was built in Persac, France. It was a culmination of twelve years of research by Christian Richard. Mrs. Polski received a letter from Richard, but it was written in French. She took the letter to Reed Morton, a former French teacher at Bucktail Area High School for translation. Hence began correspondence between Mrs. Polski, Reed Morton, and his students.
Christian Richard informed Mrs. Polski that a monument was under construction and a public dedication was planned in July 1998. He informed Mrs. Polski that because of Edward’s small statute, five foot six inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, he was positioned as a ball turret gunner in the bottom of the plane.
Mr. and Mrs. Richard traveled to the United States and spent a few days in North Bend. Mrs. Polski presented an American flag to the city where the memorial was built. Christian Richard was a history buff, researched and then wrote a book about the plane crash and the Americans who died in it. While Mr. Richard was in the United States, he spent some time with Mrs. Polski and her niece Ruby and husband, Don Prebble. He also spent time with Reed Morton and his students at the high school. Mrs. Polski was unable to attend the memorial dedication due to health reasons.
The French city was involved in the French Resistance Movement that sheltered Allied soldiers from German Infantrymen during WWII. Two of those hidden were American survivors from Polski’s plane “Touch the Button, Nell II.”
A young boy walking through the field where the plane crashed found part of Edward Polski’s identification bracelet.
