SHE survived the horrors of Auschwitz and a wartime labour camp.

And Mrs Irena Borzyskowska went on to have a leading role in the Polish community in Huddersfield.

She has died at the age of 87.

Born in 1923, her formative years were spent in Warsaw and as the Second World War broke out, she became, actively involved in the Polish resistance and Warsaw Uprising “AK, Armia Krajowa” in 1944.

She was captured by the Nazis and transported to Auschwitz for a short spell, before being taken to Germany, where she was made to work as forced labour in a displaced persons camp.

It was there that she met members of the 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade and she met her future husband Bronislaw (Bruno).

They ended up in England in a Polish resettlement camp in Lincolnshire, arriving in Huddersfield where her husband became employed in a textile mill in 1949.

From her arrival, she was deeply committed and involved in the development of the Polish immigrant Catholic community in Huddersfield which was also part of the UK network of Polish associations.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s Irena’s family were host to visiting Polish dignitaries of the then Polish government in exile.

She and her husband were actively involved with other Polish parish members in the acquisition and building up of the Polish community’s own Polish church, community centre and eventually the Polish school.

She was active in the Polish ex-combatant, ex-resistant associations, the Polish Catholic Marian association and the Polish Women’s Institute for many years.

She taught at the community-run Saturday Polish school, eventually being its headmistress for many years until her retirement after almost 50 years of teaching in 2000. She was also on the board of examiners for the Polish language examinations that was then the GCSE “O” and “A” levels.

Mrs Borzyskowska wrote and produced plays for children based on Polish history, with costumes and sets she often made and funded herself, and also taught Polish folk dancing to children who would perform at multicultural events and charity events.

From 1961 for almost 40 years a great love of hers was her active involvement in organising the regular gatherings in the Huddersfield Polish Parish for Polish Cubs and Brownies. She would spend her summer holidays involved in and eventually running the summer camps for the children of Polish descent in Penhros, Wales and Laxton Hall, Lincolnshire.

In her work for a GP surgery she would often translate and was much loved by patients of other nationalities because she could so empathise with what it was to be a foreigner in a foreign land.

When she retired from the Polish school, she was awarded “Krzyz Kawalerski Orderu Zaslugi Rzeczypospolitej Polski” – ODM of Poland (The Polish Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland) by the President of Poland.

She was also a wife, mother to four children who with her encouragement all went on to become professionals. She also had the joy of eventually being a grandmother to six grandchildren.

A funeral service takes place on Monday, March 28, at 11am at the Polish Catholic Church in Fitzwilliam Street.