Andrzej Grocholski was born in the family home in Strzyżawka near Vinnytsia on September 26, 1913. He was the son of Tadeusz and Zofia née Russanowska.
During the October Revolution, the palace in Strzyżawka was completely destroyed. Tadeusz – Andrzej’s father, managed Red Cross operations in the region, helping refugees escape to western territories and save them from the Bolsheviks, by whom he was murdered in 1920 while defending a train. The widowed Zofia made her way to Poland with her four children – Andrzej, Ewa, Jan, and Cecylia. For several years, they were warmly hosted by the Sanguszkos in Gumniska near Tarnów. Later, Zofia moved with her children to Warsaw.
Andrzej graduated from the gymnasium run by the Marian Fathers in Bielany, Warsaw, and the Officer Cadet School. After its completion, he joined the 9th Mounted Artillery Division (D.A.K.), which was stationed in Baranowicze. The 9th D.A.K. was part of the Nowogródek Cavalry Brigade under General Anders’s command and distinguished itself in its battles during the September Campaign. After the defeat in 1939, Andrzej managed to escape through Hungary and Italy to France, where he participated in the training of the Polish army being formed there. He then took part in the battles of the 1940 campaign, in which Polish units particularly distinguished themselves. He was then interned in Switzerland, from where he escaped, making his way through France and Spain to Gibraltar – from there to Great Britain, to join the Polish Armed Forces.
While escaping from Switzerland, Andrzej received help from the Polish Red Cross, which unofficially assisted escapees. Help was provided by Wanda Śliwczyńska, who organized his escape from Switzerland to Vichy France. After the war, they found each other in Scotland. In 1947, they married in London.
In France, Andrzej organized an escape route through the Pyrenees, which he eventually used himself to reach Great Britain with a stopover in Gibraltar. Arrested in Barcelona by the Guardia Civil, he was imprisoned for six months in Cárcel Modelo. After his release, he reached Gibraltar and Great Britain. There, he was sworn in as a Cichociemny under the pseudonym “Hubcza”. However, he was not dropped into Poland and completed the final operations of the war with the Polish Parachute Brigade. Although he was twice airborne to jump on Arnhem, the jumps were canceled due to very thick fog.
During the war, many members of Andrzej’s family perished. He himself returned to Poland for his mother through the green border to leave with her for Great Britain. His two sisters decided to stay in the country.
After returning to Great Britain, Andrzej began civilian life. He started working as an engineer, married Wanda, and settled with her in Redhill. Their first son, Michał Tadeusz, was born in 1949. In 1950, Andrzej and his family left for Morocco, where Andrzej was setting up branches of his father-in-law’s company. In Casablanca, their second son, Jan, was born in 1953.
After the death of his father-in-law in 1956, Andrzej took over his company, and the Grocholski family moved to Geneva and then to Paris. In France, Andrzej and Wanda spent the rest of their lives. Their homes were always open to family and compatriots, but not only. They longed for their homeland and suffered thinking about its cruel fate. They discreetly helped many people and supported Polish institutions, including the House of Saint Casimir, in whose foundation and development Andrzej’s great-grandmother, Ksawera (Xawera) Grocholska, played a significant role in the 19th century.
Andrzej and Wanda spent their last years peacefully in the south of France and in Touraine, where they always enjoyed family visits and delightful correspondence with Ignacy.
