People of Wollaston
From Bomber Squadron
to Wollaston Motors
The Remarkable Story of Ted Trembecki
Many residents of Wollaston will remember Wollaston Motors and its proprietor, Tadeusz "Ted" Trembecki. For decades Ted was a familiar face in the village. What many people may not realise is that before becoming a businessman in Northamptonshire, Ted had already lived an extraordinary life.
Photograph Wanted
Do you have a photograph of Tadeusz "Ted" Trembecki — or of Wollaston Motors on the High Street?
Ted served with No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron RAF and later ran Wollaston Motors for decades. We would love to show his face on this page. Family members, former customers, and anyone with archive material are warmly encouraged to get in touch.
Share a photograph"To most villagers he was simply Ted from Wollaston Motors. Few knew that before arriving in Wollaston he had flown as an air gunner with a Polish bomber squadron during the Second World War."
Born
2 July 1926, Krześniówka
Birthplace
Krześniówka — now Ukraine (formerly eastern Poland)
RAF rank
Sergeant (RAF) · Plutonowy (Polish)
RAF service no.
707352
Unit
No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron, RAF
Aircraft
Vickers Wellington
Decoration
ML — Medal Lotniczy (Polish Air Medal)
Naturalised
15 September 1959
Business
Wollaston Motors Ltd (inc. 1961) → Wollaston BMW, Northampton
Died
20 June 2002, Northampton
A Life in Full
Born on 2 July 1926 in Krześniówka — a village in the eastern borderlands of Poland, in a region that is now part of Ukraine — Tadeusz Trembecki came of age in one of the most contested corners of Europe. The Kresy borderlands were seized by the Soviet Union in September 1939 following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, just weeks after Germany invaded from the west. Ted was thirteen years old when his world was torn apart.
During the Second World War Ted joined the Polish Air Force and was assigned to No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron, a unit operating within the Royal Air Force. His RAF service number was 707352. He served as an air gunner, holding the rank of Sergeant in the RAF and Plutonowy in the Polish Air Force. Flying aboard Vickers Wellington bombers, he and his fellow aircrew undertook dangerous wartime operations at a time when bomber crews faced some of the highest casualty rates of the war.
No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 304 Squadron was one of several Polish squadrons formed within the RAF after the fall of Poland and France. Initially flying Wellington bombers on anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay, the squadron later transferred to Transport Command. Polish aircrew who served in the RAF were fighting not only for Allied victory but for the freedom of a homeland they could not return to.
For his service, Ted was awarded the Polish Air Medal (Medal Lotniczy), recognising his contribution to the Allied war effort. Like many Polish servicemen who fought alongside British forces, he helped secure victory while being unable to return to the country he had left behind.
Following the war, Ted built a new life in Britain. He married his wife Maria, and on 15 September 1959 they both became naturalised British subjects.
The couple settled in Northamptonshire, where Ted became known not as a wartime airman but as the owner of Wollaston Motors. The business was formally incorporated as a private limited company on 17 November 1961 — just two years after Ted and Maria received their British citizenship. It was a remarkable act of confidence: a Polish refugee, newly British, founding a limited company in a Northamptonshire village within two years of naturalisation.
For many local residents, the garage on the High Street was a familiar landmark and Ted a respected member of the community. Former employee Bill Almquest recalls working at Wollaston Motors for a short period in 1975 and remembers both Ted and Maria as kind and welcoming people. Like many village businesses of the period, the garage was more than simply a place to repair cars — it was part of the social fabric of Wollaston.
A business dynasty
The business Ted founded did not end with him. Companies House records show that the Trembecki family continued as directors of Wollaston Motors long after Ted's death in 2002. The company eventually outgrew its village origins and relocated to Northampton, where it became Wollaston BMW — a prestige BMW franchise that continues to trade today. From a Texaco pump on the High Street in Wollaston to one of Northamptonshire's leading motor dealerships: a journey that began when a Polish airman decided to make this county his home.
Visit Wollaston BMWTed passed away on 20 June 2002. Maria died on 5 January 2021. Today they rest together in Doddington Road Cemetery, not far from Ted's parents.
The story of Ted Trembecki reminds us that behind many familiar village names and businesses lie remarkable personal histories. To most villagers he was simply "Ted from Wollaston Motors." Yet before becoming a local businessman, he had served as a Polish airman flying Wellington bombers in defence of freedom during the Second World War — and the company he founded in 1961 is still trading today.
The Kresy — Poland's lost east
Krześniówka, where Ted was born, lay in the Kresy — the vast eastern borderlands of pre-war Poland, now part of Ukraine. In September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded from the east under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, occupying these territories. After the war they were permanently incorporated into the Soviet Union. The people of the Kresy — Poles, Ukrainians, Jews, Belarusians — were scattered across Europe. For Ted, as for hundreds of thousands of others, there was simply no homeland to return to.
The Vickers Wellington
The Wellington was the RAF's principal heavy bomber in the early years of the war. Built using Barnes Wallis's geodetic airframe construction, it was remarkably resilient and could absorb considerable battle damage. By the time Ted flew, Wellingtons were also widely used for maritime patrol and anti-submarine work — the role of No. 304 Squadron.
Air gunners occupied the most exposed positions on the aircraft — the nose and tail turrets — and faced the greatest danger from enemy fighters and flak.
A Wellington GR Mk XIV of No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron, 1945 — battle-damaged after sinking a German U-boat. Ted flew this aircraft type as an air gunner with this squadron. Source: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe, public domain
The Polish Airmen in Britain
Over 17,000 Polish airmen served with the RAF during the Second World War. After the war, the vast majority were unable to return to a Poland now under Soviet control. Many settled permanently in Britain, building new lives in communities across the country — including, in Ted's case, in Wollaston.
Wollaston BMW today
The company Ted incorporated in 1961 continues to trade as Wollaston BMW — a prestige BMW franchise in Northampton. The Trembecki family remained directors for decades after Ted's death, before the business passed to new ownership. It is a lasting monument to what Ted built from nothing in his adopted country.
wollastonbmw.co.ukDo you remember Ted?
If you have memories of Ted or Maria Trembecki, or of Wollaston Motors, we would love to hear from you. Photographs, recollections and any further details about Ted's service history are particularly welcome.
Share your memoriesA Life in Dates
2 July 1926
Born in Krześniówka
Tadeusz Trembecki was born on 2 July 1926 in Krześniówka — a village in the eastern borderlands of Poland, in a region that is now part of Ukraine. Known as the Kresy, these territories were seized by the Soviet Union in September 1939 following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Ted came of age in a land that would be fought over, occupied and ultimately lost to Poland forever.
Second World War
Joins the Polish Air Force
Ted joined the Polish Air Force and was assigned to No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron, a unit operating within the Royal Air Force. RAF service number: 707352. He served as an air gunner, holding the rank of Sergeant (RAF) and Plutonowy (Polish), and flew aboard Vickers Wellington bombers.
Wartime service
Operations with No. 304 Squadron
No. 304 Squadron flew anti-submarine patrols and bombing operations as part of the RAF. Bomber crews faced some of the highest casualty rates of the war. For his service Ted was awarded the Polish Air Medal (Medal Lotniczy), recognising his contribution to the Allied war effort.
Post-war
Builds a new life in Britain
Like many Polish servicemen who fought alongside British forces, Ted was unable to return to the country he had left behind. He remained in Britain and began building a new life. He married his wife Maria.
15 September 1959
British naturalisation
Ted and Maria both became naturalised British subjects on 15 September 1959, formally making Britain their home.
17 November 1961
Wollaston Motors incorporated
Just two years after receiving British citizenship, Ted formally incorporated Wollaston Motors as a private limited company — a remarkable act of ambition from a Polish refugee who had arrived in Britain with nothing but his service record and his determination.
1960s–1990s
Wollaston Motors, Wollaston
Ted became the proprietor of Wollaston Motors on the High Street in Wollaston, a garage that served generations of local motorists. To most villagers he was simply "Ted from Wollaston Motors" — a familiar and respected face. Former employee Bill Almquest recalls working there in 1975 and remembers both Ted and Maria as kind and welcoming people.
Later years
The business moves to Northampton
The Wollaston Motors business grew beyond the village, eventually relocating to Northampton. Companies House records show the Trembecki family continued as directors of the business for many years after Ted's death — a testament to the enterprise he had built from scratch in his adopted country.
20 June 2002
Ted passes away
Tadeusz "Ted" Trembecki died on 20 June 2002. He is buried at Doddington Road Cemetery, Northampton.
5 January 2021
Maria passes away
Maria Trembecki died on 5 January 2021. She rests alongside Ted at Doddington Road Cemetery.
Today
Wollaston BMW — a lasting legacy
The business Ted founded in a Wollaston garage lives on as Wollaston BMW, a successful BMW franchise in Northampton. From a village petrol station to a prestige motor dealership — a remarkable journey that began with a Polish airman settling in Northamptonshire after the Second World War.
Can you help?
Do you have a photograph of Wollaston Motors?
We don't yet have a photograph of the original Wollaston Motors garage on the High Street in Wollaston — the Texaco site that Ted ran for so many years. If you have a photo, a postcard, a newspaper cutting, or simply a clear memory of where it stood and what it looked like, we would love to hear from you. The same goes for any photographs of Ted or Maria Trembecki, or memories of working there or using the garage.
Research note
The details on this page are drawn from community research, local memory and public records including Companies House. If you have additional information about Ted Trembecki's service record, his time at Wollaston Motors, or any photographs, please get in touch. We are particularly keen to locate a photograph of the original Wollaston garage and to confirm further details of Ted's wartime service with No. 304 Squadron.
Sources
- Service record details (name, rank, unit, decoration, birthplace, burial): Krzystek's List — Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940–1947. listakrzystka.pl/en/trembecki-tadeusz
- Company incorporation and directors: Companies House, company no. 00708410.
- Wellington photograph: Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe (Polish National Digital Archive), record no. 10647, 1945. Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.
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