Franciszek Wawro was born in Brzeszcze in 1876 and lived in its municipality until the outbreak of World War II.
From the spring of 1941, in Franciszek Wawro’s home in Brzeszcze-Nazieleńce, as in the homes of other nearby residents, hot meals were prepared for the inmates of the nearby KL Auschwitz concentration camp. Their preparation was made possible thanks to the fact that many people of good will were involved in collecting the necessary supplies. These meals were delivered to the prisoners working in the vicinity. Not infrequently, in order to achieve this goal, was it necessary to bribe the SS men guarding them.
Franciszek’s entire family was involved in this relief effort – his wife Rozalia, sons Jan and Mieczysław, and daughter Stefania. Not only did they feed the prisoners, but also supplied them with medicine obtained from pharmacist Maria Bobrzecka, among others. Illegal correspondence (secret messages) between prisoners and their relatives was also distributed, and they even organized meetings with their families.
Such activities often had tragic consequences, from which the Wawro family were not immune. For his underground activities in the Union of Armed Struggle / Home Army, Franciszek’s son, Jan, was imprisoned in Mauthausen concentration camp where he died.
Franciszek Wawro and his loved ones were involved in helping the prisoners practically until the very end of the camp’s operation. As late as January 1945, they hid five people who had escaped from the Auschwitz evacuation (“death march”) in their home.
Franciszek Wawro died in 1964 and was laid to rest in the cemetery in Brzeszcze.
Fot. Zdjecie – zbiory MPMZO / archiwum prywatne Zofii Wawro