Mieczyslaw Edmund Popek

Miles Master DL941, 16 SFTS RAF Newton. Collided with Master EM385 during taxiing at RAF Tollerton.

Mieczyslaw was drafted into the army on 4 November 1937 and assigned to the 5th Aviation Regiment in Lida, where he took the military oath on 15 December. In 1938 he graduated from the 5th Fighter School and in the same year he passed the Higher Fighter Pilot Course in Grudziadz. Assigned to the 152nd Fighter Squadron equipped with P.11c aircraft.

In September 1939, the 152nd Regiment was assigned to the Modlin Army. On 1/9/1939, he took part in the first combat flight of his unit – being in the section of Major Edward Wieckowski (commander of the 5th Fighter Squadron) around 4:30 pm he took off for a flight to the Modlin cover (area to the north of Warsaw). However, he spotted a large flight of He 111s, separated from his leader, and, together with two other squadron sections, attacked the enemy. Four He 111s were reported shot down.

10/9/1939, he was shot down in combat with Bf 110s from I./ZG 1 unit, covering He 111 bombers, in the area of Minsk. Mazowiecki made a forced landing, the plane burnt out.

After the fall of Poland he escaped through Romania and made his way to France, where at the Lyon airbase he was assigned to the squadron of Lieutenant J. Falkowski. Aircraft (Bloch MB.152) were not received until 15 June and by the fall of France they had made only a few patrol flights without contact with the enemy.

On 23 June he sailed on the MS Batory to Great Britain.

18/9/1940 he was assigned to the Polish 307 Night Fighter Squadron equipped with Boulton Paul Defiant aircraft.

October 1940, after a week's training at No. 5 OTU at Aston Down, he was transferred to RAF 32 Fighter Squadron with Hurricanes.

On 28/11/1940 he was transferred to RAF 249 Squadron with Hurricanes.

In February 1941 he was transferred to 303 Squadron with Spitfires, adding a Fw190 to his kills and sharing another Fw190 and a Ju88 with other squadron members.

In March 1943 he volunteered for the Polish Fighter Team of 15 pilots and 10 Spitfires going to Algeria, C Flight 145 Squadron. There he scored two kills, both Italian Mc202’s. He also reported a Bf109 and Fw190 damaged. The squadron turned out to be the best in North Africa, flying 539 sorties, with 28 kills, 3 probable, 9 damaged, for the loss of only 1 pilot POW.

On his return on 22/7/1943 he was reassigned to 303 Squadron.

11 October 1943 he was transferred to the 16th (P)SFTS as an instructor.

14 January 1944, after a training flight, he taxied Miles Master III DL941 at Tollerton airfield near Nottingham and collided with a Master II EM385 which was taking off. The crew of the latter aircraft was uninjured, while Popek was killed, being hit with the landing gear. He was buried in Newark Cemetery 17 January 1944.

Miles Master III DL941 Tadeusz Bubess pilot under instruction later W/O Bubess - unhurt, served in 316 Sqn died 9/5/1988 at Nottingham, ashes interred Newark Cemetery.

Miles Master II EM385 both crew unhurt.
P/O Zygmunt Malinowski - Served with 305 Sqn. Died 16/6/1992 buried in Nottingham.
Sgt Stanislaw Drazek - Served with 315 Sqn. Died 6/1/1975 buried in Norwich.

Unknown