Sir, – May I add a few details to the interesting article on the Polish logician Jan Lukasiewicz (An Irishman’s Diary, October 12th)?
In his curriculum vitae (dated Dublin, April 18th, 1953) Lukasiewicz wrote: “When in February 1946, a Polish speaking Irishman in the uniform of a Polish officer proposed to me to go to Ireland, as the Irish government was ready to give a position to some Polish scholars, I accepted this proposal with joy and gratitude”.
This “Polish speaking officer” was introduced as Lieut Herbert, and he organised all for Lukasiewicz and his wife; he helped with the Irish visas for them and accompanied them during their travel to England and from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire.
They arrived to Ireland on March 4th, 1946.
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However, Lukasiewicz was mistaken, perhaps misinformed.
Lieut Herbert was not Irish. He was a Pole and his name was Janusz Meissner. He was a writer and a pilot of the Polish Air Force.
When the second World War started, he served for a short time during the September Campaign, but escaped Poland after the Soviet Red Army invasion on September 17th, 1939.
He took refuge in Romania, then in France, and later in England.
At the time of his meeting with Lukasiewicz, he was working on behalf of the British Relief Fund and Care of Polish Detainees and Soldiers. “Herbert” was probably his nom de guerre, the pseudonym used during war. He returned to Poland in 1946. He wrote some 40 popular books on airplanes, pilots, war, sea, pirates, sport, hunting, and three volumes of memoirs.
A Polish publication, Jan Lukasiewicz, Logic and Metaphysics, Miscellanea, published in 1998, bears a dedication to Eamon de Valera written in Irish.
Lukasiewicz lived for 10 years in Dublin, at 57 Fitzwilliam Square.
A plaque in his memory was unveiled there in April 2001. The unveiling was officiated by the then-lord mayor of Dublin, Maurice Ahern; the Polish ambassador to Ireland, Janusz Skolimowski; the president of Warsaw, Pawel Piskorski; and attended by the Irish Polish Society members. The plaque was sponsored by Dublin Tourism. The inscription is in two languages – Polish and English – but unfortunately, there is a spelling mistake in the Polish version. Philosopher – in Polish “filozof” – is spelled “filozop”. It would be most desirable if this error could be corrected. – Yours, etc,
HANNA DANGEL DOWLING,
Irish Polish Society
Honorary Secretary,
Dublin 14.