On 14 January 1919, thirteen-year-old Antoni Petrykiewicz, one of the youngest defenders of Lwów, died from wounds received in battle. He was one of 1,421 Lwów defenders under the age of 18, called the Lwów Eaglets (Orlęta Lwowskie). As many as 114 of these young soldiers were killed in November 1918.

Antoni Petrykiewicz was born in 1905. He lived in the Lwów suburb district of Zniesienie. He was a second-year student at the 5th gymnasium in Lwów. He joined the fighting against the Ukranians at the beginning of November 1918. He served in the unit of Góra Stracenia, commanded by Roman Abraham, later a General in the Polish Army.

The defence of Lwów is mostly known for its November battles, the result of which Ukrainian soldiers abandoned the siege. However, the defence of besieged Lwów continued until April 1919.

Antoś Petrykiewicz was seriously wounded on 28 December 1918 in the fighting for Persenówka. According to historians he fought with great bravery matching his much older colleagues. 

The boy was taken to a field hospital in the building of the Lwów Polytechnic. He died there on 14 January 1919. He was laid to rest in the Lviv Cemetery of the Eaglets. 

His father, five brothers and uncle all fought in the defence of Lwów. All but his uncle Michał who was killed on 28 April 1919, less than a month before the end of the fighting, witnessed the liberation of Lwów. 

Source: Polskie Radio, British Poles, IPN

Photo: IPN

Tomasz Modrzejewski