A man who worked for the “underground forces” at the age of 14 in Poland when Germany invaded his country has celebrated his 100th birthday in Cwmbran House Care Home.
Cwmbran Life visited Stan Stuart with Evelyn Wright, a media and comms student at Cardiff Metropolitan University, earlier this week.
Denise Watkins, a staff member, got us settled with a coffee in a lovely comfy room, before Mr Stuart walked in. He was born in Warsaw on 5 January 1925 with the surname ‘Suwarów’ but changed it after moving to the UK.
He said: “It’s lovely but it’s only a number. It’s a high number. It doesn’t mean anything to me just makes me feel old that’s all. It comes to all of us.”
He shared his experiences of World War II when he started helping his country as a 14-year-old before joining the 2nd Polish Corps.
Underground forces
“The war started when I was 14. I started when I was 14 and Germany started to occupy Poland. During the war in Warsaw I was in the underground forces as a 14-year-old. I couldn’t take a lot of activities for the Polish Army so I was just a more or less, not an agent. How should I put it? I’d take activities but not very serious ones but I did undertake activities in Warsaw during the war. I couldn’t do a lot as I was too young. I was doing things on a small scale.
“In 1943 I was 18, taken to Germany on the forced labour where I stayed until the end of the War. Which meant it was 1943 to the War ended in 1945.
“Then in 1946 I went to Italy, stayed there for nearly a year and rejoined the forces [the 2nd Polish Corps).
“I came here [the UK] with the 2nd Polish Corps on the 13 December 1946 and I’ve been here ever since.
“I went to North Wales to wait to be demobbed. I chose South Wales firstly because of the weather, the further south the warmer it is, so they say.
“They found work for us. I went to the technical college in Warsaw so the nearest to me was the steelworks. I didn’t stay there very long.”
British Nylon Spinners
Jobs became available at British Nylon Spinners in Mamhilad.
Mr Stuart said: “It was a new industry in south Wales and then it changed hands to ICI and called it ICI Fibres. And I was there ever since.”
He worked there until he retired at 57.
“First of all I worked on the shopfloor, then I qualified to be a technician, and I was there until the end of my career.
“I never thought I’d reach this age. There are no secrets actually. Just life goes along and I follow it.”
He spoke about his love of bowls and said: “I started playing bowls when I started working with ICI. I achieved a lot in bowls. I was the club champion in ICI (BNS) about 20 times.” He won the Wales-wide championships twice, taking both indoors and outdoor titles in the “private greens championships.”
“I loved it. I played it. I enjoyed it. I played quite a lot. I was champion of the best of Wales indoors and outdoors. I played as much as I could.”
Denise Watkins, from Cwmbran House Care Home, said: “He is lovely. He’s got his own little group in the dining room” and “enjoys the company.”
He lived in Pontypool with his wife, who has passed away, and his son (who now lives in New Mexixo in America) and his daughter (who now lives in Canada).