Chester Kerr

By Stanley Kerr, edited by Kay McMeekin

Czeslaw Sobiesniewski was born on 29th May 1915 in Waplewo Wielkie (Gross Waplitz) which at that time was on the East Prussian border of Poland, north of Lubicz. Although the population was Polish, it belonged to Germany until the end of the Great War. So his birth certificate states he was born in Germany.

He served with the Polish Navy from 1938. 

His first ship was the motor torpedo boat ORP Masur, then the destroyer ORP Grom. At the outbreak of World War Two the Grom was seconded to the Royal Navy, based in Rosyth, and it was used as a convoy escort in the North Sea. Czeslaw was promoted to Able Seaman in April 1940. On 19th April ORP Grom was sent to Narvik and became part of the Norwegian campaign. The ship's duty was to patrol the fjords and harass the German shore batteries around Narvik. It was so successful and accurate with the guns that the Germans came to hate the Polish ship and made an all-out effort to destroy it. They finally succeeded in May 1940. It sank with the loss of 59 lives. 

Czeslaw was transferred to ORP Gydnia which was based at Plymouth and later the ORP Ouragan . 

In 1940 he was transferred to ORP Piorun which was built in Clydebank in 1940 as the RN destroyer HMS Nerissa. It was loaned to the Polish Navy and renamed Piorun. It served in the western approaches as a convoy escort. In March 1941 it was in Clydebank for repair at the time of the Clydebank Blitz. The crew of the Piorun used their anti-aircraft guns in a continuous and deadly barrage too deter the bombers. They had to throw buckets of seater onto the gun barrels to keep them cool. A memorial dedicated to the crew of the Piorun was erected in Clydebank  in Solidarity Plaza in Clydebank. Czeslaw earned his first Cross of Valour that night.

During the course of the war Czeslaw  was awarded the Cross of Valour twice, the Sea Medal four times, the 19439-45 star the Atlantic Star, the France and Germany Clasp, the Italy Star, the War Medal 1939-45 and the Arctic Pin.

When the Second World War, ended the Russians were given control over Poland as a communist state. This meant that the majority of Poles were concerned they could not return to their native land for fear of reprisals. Their fears were justified and word started filtering back during the following months that Poles who had returned were inprisoned and some had been shot.

Czeslaw decided to stay in Britain and remain in the Navy as an instructor until 20th February 1947 when he transferred to the newly formed Polish Resettlement Corps which was set up by the British Government to help integrate the thousands of Polish servicemen into jobs and houses in Britain.  

He met his future wife Pearl Campbell Kerr from Cardonald during the war. They moved to Hut no 9 Crookston Camp in Glasgow where they were married on 22 January 1944. By now he was known as Chester Kerr.

Hut no 9 was just a bare wooden building with a corrugated iron roof. Czeslaw a practical man set about erecting partitions  to create rooms  and made all the furntiure himself.  Tom and Bill were born and the family moved to another camp Hangingshaws in Prospecthill Road Glasgow where Allan was born in 1949.

When Chester came off the reserve list he became a civilian and had to find a job. His qualifications were left behind in Poland so he had to find work as a labourer. He got a job with William Arrol and Company and worked on the Loch Sloy dam at Loch Lomond.

The family moved to Bellshill in 1951 and in 1952  a new estate Netherthird in Cumnock, was built to house miners and the Kerrs were one of the first families to move in with their first four children Tom, Bill, Stan and Allan to Holmburn Road. Daughters Audrey and Isabella were born in Cumnock. Chester was now a miner first at Knockshinnoch and at the Barony and finally at Killoch. He studied at night school to qualify as a colliery deputy. He retired in 1976. He didn't get a long retirement, though, as he was struck with cancer of the colon and died in 1980 aged 65.

gardening in Netherthird