Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended our father's Service of Thanksgiving and who continue to support us during this sad time. We were especially touched that so many made the journey to London from near and far, just a few days before Christmas. It was much appreciated and a reminder of how well-loved and well-travelled our father was.

For those who were unable to attend, here is the eulogy as written and delivered by Witold's son Alex Szczepanski.

With all good wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Alex, Chris, Sue and Sam

WITOLD JAN SZCZEPANSKI 

Firstly, thank you all for coming today to celebrate the life of my father Witold Szczepanski, especially our dear friends and family who have travelled from and to be here. Dad would have liked that.

For those of you who don’t know, Dad was born on in .

He shared the house with his mother Marianna and father Francis, he had two brothers, Alfons and Henryk (Henio) and an older sister Apolonia, or Jadsia, as many of us knew her by.

Shortly afterwards the family moved to Kowalewo, there, Dad’s father started a soft drinks business, Dad was certainly very popular with his school friends after they discovered he had access to an endless supply of lemonade and other fizzy drinks. Possibly, this is the reason why, as children, we were not allowed fizzy drinks, only on special occasions.

At the age of 12, Dad passed the entrance exam to Brodnica grammar school, besides the obligatory Latin, Dad chose French as a modern language. He already spoke fairly good German which he’d learned from his father’s step-father who had lived with the family for several years.

During the German invasion of Poland Dad’s grasp of German would prove invaluable and would allow him to wriggle out of some very serious situations. Ultimately it saved his skin on many occasions, notably when, as a teenager, he joined the Polish underground, which would culminate in his participation in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and his eventual capture.

By October 1944 the Uprising was over and Dad, along with many others from his platoon, were rounded up and transported to a PoW camp in .

He was later moved - by his reckoning to - from where he managed to escape to , and from there to a newly-liberated .

As a Prisoner of war, his linguistic skills had stood him in good stead, enabling him to bargain with the guards for better rations and improved living conditions for himself and for his comrades. 

In August 1945 the War in finally ended and Dad set his sights on coming to , this was achieved by quickly joining the Polish navy and he would soon find himself stationed in .

In the Navy he reached the rank of Second Lieutenant.  

In 1947 Dad would relinquish his commission in the navy and head for to study mechanical engineering at . Whilst there, Dad moved into student digs in Barnes. I’ll always remember him telling us a story, offering to cook dinner for his flatmates, which he duly did, however he used the entire week’s rations for the one meal! Whilst very enjoyable, it wasn’t forgotten in a hurry.

In 1949 Dad married our mother Ivy, their marriage lasted over 30 years during which time they had five children: the twins, Mark and Alex, followed by Christine, Susan and Samantha. Our dear mother passed away in 1988 and our brother Mark in 2013.

Dad’s engineering degree secured him some excellent employment opportunities. He was soon managing major construction projects across post-War - as the nation rebuilt itself.

Later, Dad’s engineering expertise and strong personality would soon bring him important projects overseas. He was now spending extended lengths of time away from home – which was not much fun for our dear mother but, as children we were always very excited to receive his postcards from far-flung places including , , , and elsewhere. Often on his return, Dad would be laden with trinkets and souvenirs for us all. 

In 1968 Dad was asked to project manage the building of a factory in the . This would entail most of the family – Mummy, Chris, Sue and baby Sam – relocating to Novopoltsk in , whilst my brother and I opted to stay behind in swinging and hold the fort at . Soon they were on their way with trunk loads of essential items to see them through an almost year-long stay.

The stories that unfolded about their experiences in could fill a book. It was a fascinating period for them all, even more so as this was during the height of the Cold War and a very different to that of today. 

In the 1970s, Dad started his own company, SEMPRO, and offer his services as a consultant. He managed to secure a long-term contract with a large Norwegian engineering company, Dyno Industries.

Later in the 1980s Dad’s contract with Dyno would necessitate a permanent move to , and where he married his second wife Heather, he remained in until the late 1990s. By now Dad was involved in projects across the globe, including; , and in his home country .  

Dad’s energy, fitness and love for his work enabled him to continue working into his 70s. After finally retiring and relocating to Poland for a couple of years and now divorced, he moved back to London at the age of 80, to reconnect with his children and to enjoy his new-found leisure time. 

Four years ago, Dad’s contribution during the historic Warsaw Uprising was officially recognised by the Polish government and he received a special medal of commendation in at the age of 91. 

Dad was an avid reader and had a diverse knowledge of many subjects, especially history and travel. He was a natural wordsmith, at one stage he spoke eight languages and never lost his enthusiasm for practising them whenever the opportunity arose.

He was very independent and loved his daily outings to the shops, often stopping for a cup of tea and a pastry in a local café but, primarily to exchange banter with the young waitresses, many of whom would often be Polish.

Dad was a keen nature lover, he enjoyed his lengthy walks around Wandsworth Common, admiring the trees and chatting with the dog-walkers, Dad had a huge respect for all animals.

In fact, part of his daily routine included preparing toasted peanut butter sandwiches for the local squirrel population and tossing HobNobs from his bedroom window to waiting garden birds. His pantry was well-stocked with biscuits but none of them for human consumption

Dad had a wonderful sense of humour but it was often wasted on his children. Word play and puns were his speciality. 

Dad loved entertaining at his flat and was always welcoming visitors from near and far, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed good food and conversation; in fact his catchphrase in quieter moments was “ right, somebody entertain me with brilliant conversation!” Not always easy after a boring day at work.  

From the moment our father arrived in he was determined to create a good life for himself and later for his family. He endeavoured to provide the very best for us all, always setting the bar that little bit higher and his achievements were many.

Occasionally aloof – as he’d be the first to admit – Dad was a free-thinker and not afraid to be controversial in his opinions or his outlook.

Dad was clever, successful, generous, charitable, warm-hearted, compassionate and friendly, he was well-mannered and, like our mother, was always impeccably turned out for every occasion.

Dad certainly packed a lot into a busy, fulfilled 94 years, quite an achievement.

We shall all miss him dearly.

Alex Szczepanski,