On Sunday, March 20, 2022, a meeting was held to commemorate Lieutenant Marzenna Schejbal – a participant of the Warsaw Uprising and a distinguished activist of the Polish diaspora.  Even today, a tear in the eye rolls when we recall her recent passing on 24th December 2021, at the age of ninety-seven. 

Polonia loved Marzenna, just as she loved Poland, that is, strongly and immeasurably. No wonder that this meeting arose spontaneously and from the need of the heart of the Polish diaspora, which Marzenna orphaned, and who had the honour to know her.

„The unexpected departure of Ms Marzenna Schejbal, a participant of the Warsaw Uprising and long-time President of the Home Army, greatly moved the Polish community in London. Mrs Marzenna was a very important figure in the life of the Polish emigrants, which is why we recognized the need to organize a meeting dedicated to her memory… It will be an event for the Polish diaspora and friends who would like to say goodbye and remember their wonderful person together… In our opinion, the initiative of the solemn remembrance of Mrs Marzenna Schejbal is very important for both young and older Polonia for the sake of her memory and merits during the war and involvement in the life of Polish emigration” – said Mariola Świetlicka – a representative of Poland Street, vocalist of the Retro Singers group and one of the main organizers, and privately a friend of Marzenna.  

To begin a tribute to this wonderful Polish soldier and patriot with dignity, the guests first gathered for the Holy Mass for Marzenna in the Church of St. Andrew Bobola in the Shepherd’s Bush district of London, which began at 12:00.

It should be remembered what role this Church played in the life of Marzenna and the entire patriotic Polonia, to which she also belonged.  It was in this church that she often visited – whether at state ceremonies or at the Holy Mass. It is the second church of the Polish community in London and the most important – because from the beginning it served primarily former “Siberians”, as well as soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces settled in London and for this reason it gained the informal name of a garrison church.  The fourth parish priest, from 2003 to 2010 was Rev. Bronisław Gostomski, who died in the crash of the Polish Tu-154 in Smolensk on April 10, 2010.   The interior of the church is embellished with stained glass windows that commemorate the fights of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, and in the church, there is a chapel of Our Lady of Kozielsk and an original painting of Our Lady of Kozielsk.  This church is considered an architectural monument and for patriotic London, it is a place of important religious and patriotic celebrations.  

After the Holy Mass, a delegation of organizers went to the grave of Marzenna at London’s Gunnersbury cemetery, where our heroine is buried, near the Katyn Monument.  Here, a delegation of Poland Street and representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland laid flowers on her grave on behalf of the Polish diaspora.  Candles of memory were burned.

The main meeting of the Polish diaspora began in the Raspberry Hall of POSK and was entirely dedicated to Marzenna, who died on December 24, 2021, and whose spirit still lives among London’s Polonia and compatriots in the country. 

Marzenna Schejbal, a participant of the Warsaw Uprising, was mentioned by the youngest Polish community, who organized this intergenerational meeting.   Organizers included: Poland Street, Polska YMCA in Great Britain and Polish Klan.  The co-organizers of the event were: the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, the Association of Polish Writers Abroad, the Polish Heritage Society and POSK.

The media partners of the meeting were TVP Polonia and the British Poles portal. 

The event was attended by many distinguished guests, including the representation of the Polish Embassy in London, the military attaché and many Polish diaspora organizations.  Among them were the Consul General of the Republic of Poland: Mateusz Stąsiek, Consul of the Republic of Poland: Radosław Gromski, Military, Naval and Air Defense Attaché Colonel Mieczysław Malec, Deputy Attaché of Military, Maritime and Air Defense – Colonel Tomasz Ferfecki, Deputy Attaché of Military, Maritime and Air Defense – Colonel Robert Pawlicki and Senior Staff Ensign Maj. Paul Ilnicki.

The meeting was also visited by Friends of Marzenna Schejbal, including the most important figures of emigration such as Mrs Irena Delmar – a legend of the emigration stage of the theatre in London, doctor Honoris Causa and a distinguished activist of ZASP.  Also present was Dr Andrzej Suchcitz – historian and head of the archive of the Underground Polish Study, and an associate of the commission for the study of the history of the Polish Central Authorities in Exile and the author of many studies on the London Polonia and the President of POSK Dr Marek Laskiewicz.

There is no need to explain to anyone who Marzenna was – everyone knew her, she was very direct and always willing to talk, always involved in collecting donations for other living (often in poor conditions) soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising.  

During the meeting, the Consul General of the Republic of Poland, Mateusz Stąsiek, read a letter from the President of the Republic of Poland addressed to the family of the deceased Mrs Marzenna Schejbal and recalled several cards from her heroic and rich life.

Marzenna Schejbal, who participated in the Warsaw Uprising, was born in 1924 in Wrocław. In her childhood, however, she moved to Warsaw, where she attended school. During the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, she served in the „Łukasiński” battalion. She served as a liaison officer and nurse.

When Warsaw was falling, Schejbal fled the city through the canals. Together with her sister, she was taken prisoner. First to the transit camp in Ożarów, then to several more POW camps. Oberlangen was liberated from the last camp by the army of General Stanisław Maczek. 

 Marzenna’s life in exile began when she found her mother and together with her family went beyond the border of our country. From Italy she moved to Great Britain, travelling with the army of General Władysław Anders. In exile, she met her future husband Witold Schejbal – one of the actors of the Polish theatre in London. During her life in exile, Schejbal was involved in the activities of the Polish diaspora. Since 2001, she has been the president of the Circle of Former Home Army Soldiers in London. In 2012, she received the Order of Rebirth of the Polish from President Bronisław Komorowski. Until the end of her life, she actively participated in the life of the Polish emigrants in London.

The program of the meeting commemorating our heroine of the uprising included numerous memories and anecdotes about Marzenna Schejbal.  During these memories, the invited speakers in their own words described the achievements and figure of Marzenna.  There was also a filmed interview with her, in a documentary about Marzenna produced by TVP Polonia.   The most pleasing to the heart were the statements of the heroine herself –  who had a great sense of humour.  She talked both about the dangers she experienced during the Warsaw Uprising when she participated in the crossing of canals for over 24 hours, as well as about her adventures in later years – e.g., when she worked in the Polish Hearth Club (Ognisko Polskie) as a waitress.  There were also humorous accents from her career in the Ognisko Polskie, about which Mrs Marzenna herself talked with a peculiar sense of humour.

 Very personal memories were shared by Irena Delmar – a friend of Marzenna Schejbal for almost half a century, since her escape from Soviet Russia.  That memory moved us to tears.   She recalled the colourful times of the Hemar’s Cabaret at Ognisko Polskie, which was then a meeting place for the political, theatrical, and intellectual elite of the Polish emigration, in which Ms. Marzenna took an active part.  At that time, it was one big family, where everyone knew each other and treated each other with the greatest respect and the leitmotif of each of their meetings was a free Poland.

The culmination of the evening were the performances of the music group „RetroSingers” and the folklore dance group „Mazury”.   Patriotic music performed by „RetroSingers” provided us with beautiful impressions, just like the folk dances of „Mazury”.  A very personal accent was the fact that in „Mazury” danced Marzenna’s great-grandson, Romek Klimowski, was very proud of his great-grandmother. 

„RetroSingers” were composed of: Mariola Świetlicka – singing, Agnieszka Wasilewska-Korczakowska – singing, violin, Kris Louis Siemiński – singing, recitation and Marek Korczakowski – piano.  It must be said here that the inspiration for the creation of the band „RetroSingers” was Marzenna Schejbal herself – who was a great supporter of singing, music and theatre, and whose husband, Witold Schejbal, was a well-known actor and singer who often performed on London stages, and Mrs Marzenna was a regular visitor to the Polish Theatre and the Ref – Ren Cabaret, in her youth.

It is necessary to mention the sponsors of this illustrious meeting.  These included the SPK Foundation, Jacek Nowakowski – Funeral Directors, the well-known London lawyer Robert Demczuk, Jan Wuszt and Dariusz Augustyniak from Darqus Building Contractors.  Sponsors turned out to be very generous in supporting the initiative financially and offering several gifts for the lottery.  The event was professionally handled by TEMPO Entertainment and the whole meeting was hosted by Regina Wasiak-Taylor.

The official part of the meeting ended with a raffle, the income from which was allocated to the Study of the Underground Polish.

At the end of the meeting, the organizers invited you to a snack, where snacks bought in the Łowiczanka Restaurant were served.   The Polish Bakery, on the other hand, funded great sweets – sprinkling the event with tasty cakes and cakes.

On the occasion, the organizers also issued a special commemorative brochure with the program of the meeting and the biography of Marzenna.

As a heroine of the Warsaw Uprising and as an ordinary person, Marzenna Schejbal will always be in our memory. Honour to her and glory.  

Author: Iwona Golińska 

Iwona Golinska – President of Polish Sue, a Polish diaspora organization under the patronage of Lady Ryder of Warsaw, who had the honour to personally know and admire Marzenna Schejbal from 1989.  

Photos:  Iwona Golinska, Polish Sue, Marcin Libera, British Poles