An Isle of Wight resident, who was a member of the resistance in the Second World War, a former prisoner of war and later, a leading light in the Polish community, on the Island and along the south coast, is marking his 101st birthday this month (January).

Born on January 2, 1922, in Lwów, Poland, Otton Hulacki was aged just 17 when he joined the Polish resistance, following the outbreak of war.

He was later captured by troops from the Soviet Union and was deported to Kazakhstan.

A wartime agreement saw the release of tens of thousands of Poles from Soviet camps, including Otton.

Once free, he joined the Polish army and took part in the battles of Monte Cassino, Ancona and Bologna, reaching the rank of Colonel.

Unable to return to Poland when the war ended, because it had fallen under the Iron Curtain, Otton settled in the UK and married.

He continues to be play an active role in the community.

He was instrumental in organising a memorial in Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth, for the UK's very first wave of Polish migrants and helped establish a Saturday school in the city.

He co-founded the Friends of the ORP Błyskawica Society, which commemorates the role of a Polish warship in helping to protect Cowes and East Cowes during the Blitz and he is a member of the Friends of Polish Veterans Association, Southampton.

Polish Ambassador to the UK, Piotr Wilczek, said: "Col Otton Hulacki is an outstanding Polish patriot.

"One of the last living veterans of Gen Władysław Anders’ famous Polish 2nd Corps, Col Hulacki has been instrumental in campaigning to keep alive Polish heritage and values in the UK post-war and is an integral part of our community.

"I wish him much health, strength and that he forever remains a spritely, cheerful person. As we jokingly say in Polish: may he live 200 years!"