Ryszard Danilo RIP

Kyt · Jan 21, 2009

RAF war hero dies, aged 91 - Lancashire Evening Post

Tributes have been paid to a decorated pilot from Poland who joined the RAF to fight the Nazis during the Second World War – and was still taking to the air on his 90th birthday.
Warrant officer Ryszard Danilo died on January 2 at the age of 91 in a Preston nursing home.

The father-of-two, from Conway Drive, Fulwood, was born in Galicia, Poland, in 1917.

He joined the Polish army and served with the country's air force at the start of the war, before escaping when Russia invaded.

Mr Danilo, who was known as Richard, travelled to France but was forced to flee when it fell to the Germans in 1940.

He then headed for Liverpool and volunteered to join the RAF, serving with 307 and 304 Squadron and No 10 Air Gunnery School at Walney Island, Barrow, where he married Eliza.

Mr Danilo's son, also called Ryszard, who now lives in Shropshire, said: "He had a colourful history. He achieved so much."

He said his father remained a keen pilot and was still taking to the air in his 80s. Ryszard added: "He took the controls of an aircraft when he was 89."

Grandfather-of-two Mr Danilo had a number of lucky escapes in his flying career.

On one occasion he was coming in to land at a Polish airfield in the first few days of the war when three bombs from an overhead bomber landed across his path.

He felt the ground shake as each hit the ground. Miraculously, none of them exploded.

He flew a variety of aircraft and types of missions including Bomber command, night fighters and Coastal command.

He had a nasty crash at Christmas 1941 when he had to crash land his Beaufighter due to engine failure while returning from patrol over the Solent.

His injuries kept him invalided for a year. He eventually returned to service and was stationed as an instructor pilot at at Walney Island near Barrow.

WO Danilo was awarded several medals including the Atlantic Star and the Defence Medal by the British government.

He was awarded the Polish Order of Merit by the Polish government in exile.

At the end of the war Mr Danilo settled in Preston and found work as an engineer at Leyland Motors, designing a large extension to the Spurrier Works building at Farington Moss and supervising the construction.

He also designed many church buildings around Lancashire on a voluntary basis.

Ryszard added: "He was writing a book of his memoirs. I'm hoping they can be put together and archived. It will be a lovely legacy for my father."

Richard, who has another son, Jan from his second marriage to Halina, was also an active member of the RAF Association, the Polish Air Force Association and the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team.

In 1998 he was part of a team which recovered the wreck of an American fighter plane near Walker Lane, Fulwood.

The aircraft had crashed while on a test flight from Warton in June 1944.

A tribute on the Aviation Forum website said: "He worked tirelessly to keep the memory of his fallen comrades alive, among other projects he was involved in, and he was working as much as possible at the end.

"Richard was a real gentleman and will be missed dearly by all that knew him."

Mr Danilo's funeral will take place at St Ignatius Catholic Church, Meadow Street, Deepdale on Thursday at 11.30am.

He will be buried in the Polish section of Carleton Cemetery, Blackpool, at 2pm.
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Antipodean Andy · Jan 21, 2009

RIP to a tireless man.

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Ryszard Danilo RIP

Kyt Άρης

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