Scout pennant

In the history of the Polish army, military banners had a special significance. To protect them, soldiers were ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. During the German occupation, they were hidden so that they would not fall into the enemy hands. It was not possible to create banners in the conspiracy, only a few partisan units of the Home Army prided themselves on having pennants. It was similar during the Warsaw Uprising.

The scout banner of the Home Army Division of the Gray Ranks, taking part in the Warsaw Uprising, was found by the body of fallen Włodzimierz Kadura.

Włodzimierz Józef Kadura was born on June 18, 1921 in Lublin. In 1939 he graduated from the 1st State Secondary School of Stanisław Staszic. Like many of his peers, he was involved in scouting activities, and during the war in the conspiracy. He was nicknamed Penguin.

He came to Warsaw in May 1943 with his wife, Grażyna, and a one-year-old daughter. They moved to 1/3 Widok Street. He worked as a salesman in Julius Meinl’s Viennese delicatessen. When the uprising broke out, he was a soldier of one of the tactical units of the ‘Południe’ Group fighting in Mokotów. Włodzimierz Kadura was killed in Puławska Street or Unii Lubelskiej Square in the first hours of the uprising. He was hit while his unit was retreating. The rest of his group were probably shot at the corner of Puławska and Rakowiecka Streets. Apart of the pennant, with his body, his Kennkarte and a picture of Saint Andrzej Bobola were found. The picture still bears his blood.

Relatives of Włodzimierz Kadura found out about his death only in September 1945 thanks to information provided by the Polish Red Cross. He was most probably buried in the prison at 37 Rakowiecka Street. His body was exhumed on April 18th, 1945 and buried in a grave on Niepodległości Avenue. In December 1945, he was exhumed again and buried at the Insurgents’ Cemetery in Wola, Wolska Street. Włodzimierz Kadura is listed on the Warsaw Uprising Memorial Wall, in column 65, in twentieth place.

Wlodzimierz’s widow, Grażyna Kadura, died in 1947 at the age of twenty-three.