Newsletter Friends of Congleton Museum

Story & Research by Mark Bennett
Congleton has its fair share of ghosts, but library
worker Sheila Dutton was at first taken aback by
the angry spirit of a WWII Polish Air Force pilot at
the library. Sheila says she had ―strong feelings of
a psychic nature‖ and ―sensed it, like when
you know someone‘s in the room or
right behind you‖. However, she
gradually realised the ghost was
mainly angry at not being noticed,
and she resolved to help.
After escaping from Poland
through Romania when the
Germans invaded his home
country, Flt./Sgt Zygmunt Kowalski
of the 316th squadron of the Polish Air
Force (P.A.F.) was eventually stationed at R.A.F.
Woodvale (near Southport). He was killed on
21 st March 1944 at 10.45am (one month short of
Curator’s
Corner
8
his 23 rd birthday) when his Spitfire crashed into a
stone wall on The Cloud in bad weather.
For a time, the scrapped Spitfire was stored at the
site where the library would one day be built and,
feeling it was his duty, the spirit of Flt./Sgt
Kowalski remained with his plane. When the
wreckage was dismantled and the parts
split up, Kowalski was left stranded
and confused and in due course
took up residence in the library.
After doing ―lots of research and
discussing it with various friends‖,
Sheila recited the Air Force
procedures for releasing a pilot from his
responsibilities and Kowalski‘s spirit was
finally released. He was last seen embracing
his younger sister, Valeska, on the Carpathian
Mountains, perhaps finding some peace in his
own version of heaven.
Museums are always looking for that all important item with which to
illustrate a local or national event, such as commemorative medals, mugs,
cups, bookmarks and tea towels, as well as that now forbidden item, the ashtray.
This one, made in 1938 to commemorate
the installation of a new 2,000 volt
transformer in the council‘s electricity
substation, reflects the growth in
importance of this new source of energy to
the town.
‘Watt’ a Novelty
Electricity is something we all take for
granted but it was not until 20th February
1931 that premises on the town‘s principal
streets were able to receive power from the
council‘s new substation in Bromley Road.
This was later than in most neighbouring
towns, and may have been because the Corporation owned the very profitable gas works, the
income from which was used to subsidise the town‘s rates.
Although originally discussed in 1919, it was not until 1929 that the Congleton Electricity Special
Order was approved and work began on building the substations and supply cables. This venture
involved the council purchasing power for the North West Midland Joint Electricity Authority and
then reselling it to both private and commercial consumers. It proved to be as successful as the gas
works, hence the need for an improved supply and the new transformer in 1938.
Preserving the past, recording the present, educating the future