POLICE VAULT

D KRAWIECKI had a typical English upbringing. Born and raised in Warrington, his first rugby experiences were with the Lymm club just east of the Cheshire town. There was nothing English about his surname, however. And as he grew up, the mementoes and medals he’d seen in the house began to make more sense.

His great-grandfathers had proud war records. Boles Kozubowski fought in the defence of Poland in 1939. He was active in the Polish Underground Army, became a head of counterintelligence, was arrested by the Gestapo. Sent to a concentration camp in 1944, he was eventually liberated and came to Britain as a refugee. He became president of the Polish Association in Manchester and it was there that Ed’s grandparents met.

Jurek Krawiecki had fought the Russians in 1920 and ended up fighting them again in World War Two. He was imprisoned, powerless to prevent his wife and son being deported to labour camps in Siberia. When Russia switched sides