My friend, tell someone in Australia about this > Tadeusz Gebethner – POLISH SILENT HERO!

Defender of Lviv and Grodno. Athlete and entrepreneur who fought in the Warsaw Uprising. In 1981, he received the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

He cooperated with the Polish underground and also opened the doors of his house to those in need. He risked his life more than once. This was the case when he gave part of his apartment to a certain Jewish woman and her daughter. He kept them safe for two years. „Make yourself at home,” said Tadeusz Gebethner. Then he helped them get to Hungary, thanks to which they survived the war. “We will never forget Tadeusz Gebethner, this noble man who saved my life and that of my husband. Who else has shown so much heart, such deep humanity, so much good will and selflessness? 

Who deserves eternal gratitude and a tree on the Avenue of the Righteous in Jerusalem more than he?” – asked survivor Ludwika Abrahamer („The Story of Tadeusz Gebethner”)

The first president of the Warsaw Polonia Tadeusz was born on November 18, 1897 in Warsaw. His family came from Germany and settled in Poland in the early 18th century. Like many German families, the Gebethners have undergone a metamorphosis over the decades. Polishness became an important element of their identity, and the Republic of Poland became their chosen homeland.

The team’s composition at that time reflected the social cross-section of the capital – there was NO discrimination – as even Australian newspapers write …, the team included players of various denominations and nationalities: Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Russians and Czechs. This elegant and athletic intellectual loved Poland. After demobilization, together with other players from the Warsaw Polonia, he played propaganda matches in Upper Silesia, the aim of which was to strengthen the spirit of Polishness before the plebiscites

World War II: > Until 1939, he successfully developed the family bookselling business. After the outbreak of the war, he joined the 102nd Uhlan Regiment. He supported the defenders of Grodno on September 20-22. On the orders of the commander, he withdrew with the regiment and ended up in an internment camp, from which he escaped to Vilnius and began… underground work in the Union of Armed Struggle. In 1941 he returned to Warsaw. He continued to cooperate with the Polish underground and opened the doors of his home to those in need. He risked his life more than once. This was the case when he gave part of his apartment to a certain Jewish woman and her daughter. He kept them safe for two years. „Make yourself at home,, – said Tadeusz –  Then he helped them get to Hungary, thanks to which they survived the war.

Warsaw Uprising: > During the Warsaw Uprising, he fought near the Warsaw University of Technology in the 3rd Armored Battalion „Golski”. He lost an arm and a leg during the fighting. After the capitulation of the Uprising, he was evacuated to the Stalag XI A Altengrabow POW camp, where he died of his wounds. It rests there to this day. Commemorated on the Memorial Wall of the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Column 190, position 13.

For bravery in battle, he was posthumously promoted to captain. The silent hero of the free Republic of Poland. In times of freedom, he was an athlete, a diligent student and an excellent entrepreneur. During the greatest trial, a brave soldier and a Righteous man.

In 1936, he wrote a few verses of the „Sad waltz”, as the song was popularly called.  Today, its text can be considered a grim prediction of the future fate of the Gebethner family:

(…) It must come This sad day

When what unites us today

Fate will tear it apart, or maybe time will […]

In a day, in two or three

They will already fly away somewhere

Our childhood dreams

[…] Wind outside the windows

He’s already giving a sign

That happiness is short

They will fly away like night mists […]

^^ The tomb of the Herse and Gebethner family at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. Source: public domain

In 2022, his story was used in educational materials prepared by the British Holocaust Educational Trust  for the Premier League youth

DEVELOPED BY ANTONI J. JASINSKI

Sources: Lukasz Chmielewski in the article „The Story of Tadeusz Gebethner/Wiki/Aleteia/ Arch. NP

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