UK UK - Father Henryk Borynski (priest), 42, Bradford, July 13, 1953

Henryk Borynski




Case File 1324DMUK

Missing since July 13, 1953 from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics
Age at Time of Disappearance: 42 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 6'0"; 200 lbs.
AKA: Henry Borynski and Henrik Borynski

Circumstances of Disappearance
Father Borynski was a Roman Catholic priest and chaplain to a 1,500 member community of mostly Polish exiles in the City of Bradford. He was a well known anticommunist who routinely gave speeches and sermons rallying against the communism, particularly the communist controlled government in Poland.
Shortly before 19.00 on July 13, 1953, he received a telephone call at his rectory in Little Horton Lane where he lived. His housekeeper who answered the phone, described the caller as having a Polish accent. Father Borynski spoke briefly to the caller in hushed tones, then picked up his hat and coat and left. He was last seen standing on a street corner as if waiting for someone. That was the last confirmed sighting of him. He left behind all his belongings.
Father Borynski was declared dead in 1959.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

West Yorkshire Police Department
0845 6060606
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases-int/1324dmuk.html

29 Jul 2013 The strange case of the Polish cleric who vanished

Irena Beck, affectionately known to my mother as Ciocia – “auntie” in Polish – was one of the last people to see Fr Borynski on the day of his disappearance. The priest had arrived in England with the Polish Second Corps in 1946. He was discharged three years later and appointed as chaplain to Bradford’s Polish community in October 1952.

Polish priests were not housed inside their local Catholic church at the time, so Fr Borynski led a peaceful existence, lodging with Ciocia and her husband, Colonel Beck, at 82 Little Horton Lane.

When the telephone rang on the evening of July 13 1953, Fr Borynski beat her to it. He cupped his hand over the receiver, replying in a strange, clipped style.

Ciocia sensed the call was private and left the room. Leaving the door ajar, she heard Fr Borynski say in Polish “OK, I’ll go”, before replacing the handset.
...
Although he did not spend so much as a year as Bradford’s Polish chaplain, the Fr Borynski era was known as a Golden Age for the city’s Poles. The 42-year-old was renowned for voicing his strong opposition to Communism from the pulpit, his vivacity and strong build. It is easy to appreciate why, for weary congregants battered by the brutality of Nazism and Communism, this patriotic Pole soon became a mountain of hope. Because this mountain crumbled in mere moments the impact was devastating.
...
Both Ciocia and her husband were haunted by this question. Ciocia was displaced by the Soviet occupation of Poland during World War II and her husband, Colonel Beck, was a Polish officer who had endured a Nazi prisoner of war camp.
...
Ciocia and her husband soon fled 82 Little Horton Lane in an effort to avoid painful memories.
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In 1962, nine years after Fr Borynski’s disappearance, a rumour circulated that a Soviet spy had confessed to murdering their priest and the Polish community wasted no time in responding. The Yorkshire Post reported: “Over 3,000 Poles and Ukrainians in Bradford will help police search Ilkley Moors, for the body of Polish Priest, Fr Borynski, if reports that he is secretly buried there are confirmed.”
...
Canon Henryk Czorny, senior Polish chaplain for West Yorkshire, told The Catholic Herald: “I was one of the last people to see Fr Borynski alive. I have always believed that he might have stumbled on a Soviet secret service ring in Bradford. Russian agents were known to be working in Bradford at the time
...
Police records indicate that the Polish community had not warmed to Canon Bolesław Martynellis. Their discontent eventually resulted in Fr Borynski taking over his role, to the satisfaction of most but to the anger of others. Relations became bitter and strained as Martynellis refused to leave Bradford.

the media spotlight fell on Canon Martynellis approximately three weeks after Borynski’s disappearance. The canon made headlines because he was found collapsed in his study and on the desk beside him, using matchsticks to form the letters, his attackers had spelt Milcz Klecho, Polish words meaning “stay silent, priest.”
...
Fifty years after the disappearance, former Det Chief Supt Bob Taylor, who worked on the Fr Borynski case, told the BBC that he believed Canon Martynellis was used by Communist agents in Bradford to set a trap for the beloved Fr Borynski.

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/07/29/the-strange-case-of-the-cleric-who-vanished/

January, 2003 FRESH CLAIMS IN UNSOLVED BRADFORD MURDER

A former top detective has named a Catholic priest as the prime suspect in an unsolved Bradford murder case.
But now, talking to BBC’s Inside Out, former Det Chief Supt Bob Taylor claims that church officials covered up the role of Canon Boleslaw Martynellis in the murder of a fellow priest.
...
Father Henryk Borynski vanished after leaving his lodgings in Little Horton Lane on the evening of July 13, 1953.
He had ten shillings in his pocket when he disappeared. He left behind £250 in savings and all his possessions, including his prayer books.
No trace of him has ever been found.
...
The priest made no secret of his anti-Communist views. But he was preaching to a divided community.
...
Father Borynski had been in Bradford only ten months before his disappearance.
He had been sent to replace a colleague named Canon Martynellis.
But Canon Martynellis was settled in Bradford and had refused to leave.
...
After re-examining the evidence, Mr Taylor believes that Canon Martynellis was used by communist agents in Bradford’s Eastern European community to set a trap for Father Borynski - and that the motive was professional jealousy.
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Witnesses said Canon Martynellis made a mysterious phone call to Father Borynski on the day of his disappearance, but Canon Martynellis denied this.

A month after Father Borynski vanished, Canon Martynellis was found collapsed at his home.
He died of a heart attack two years later without shedding any more light on Father Borynski’s disappearance.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series2/catholic_church_religion_priest.shtml


It was 7.30pm on a summer's night in July 1953 when Fr Henryk Borynski took a mysterious phone call at his Victorian lodgings in Little Horton Lane, Bradford.
...
Soon after Fr Borynski put on his hat and coat and went out. He was seen to turn right into Little Horton Lane and head in the direction of St Luke's Hospital.
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"Most of the first-hand evidence has gone but I'm sure Borynski was lured to a secret meeting place, kidnapped and then murdered," said Mr Taylor.
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Former choirboy Zed Sinicki, said Canon Martynellis had a "dour" personality while Fr Borynski was outgoing and a good organiser. He added: "When Fr Borynski came everyone seemed fired by enthusiasm and we were told that this was the new parish priest. Some were supporters of Canon Martynellis, some of them were supporters of Fr Borynski, and there were rumours of clandestine societies." The search for Fr Borynski was huge. It involved MI5 and Interpol and spread across Europe and into the United States.
...
In 1962, newspapers carried a story that Interpol was investigating claims by a Russian assassin, who had defected to West Germany, that he had murdered the priest. He allegedly told Bonn Police that he had poisoned Fr Borynski with cyanide and buried the body on Ilkley Moor.
...
"I'm convinced senior church officials knew more than they told police at the time," said Mr Taylor. "I believe Martynellis helped Communist agents lure Fr Borynski into a trap. He wanted rid of his rival and he was exploited by Communists with a political motive. "When the plot ended in murder, the reasons for Borynski's disappearance stayed secret."

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/church-under-suspicion-in-mystery-of-missing-priest-1-2448015

Disappearance of Henry Borynski
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Henry_Borynski

The story of the Polish Parish
http://parafiabradford.co.uk/index.php?p=1_24

News archive

21 July 1953 San Bernardino Sun (California) - Outspoken Pole feared kidnapped https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19530721.1.21
11 August 1953 Adelaide (Australia) - New turn in Mystery of Missing Polish Priest http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48260962
10 Sep 1953 Sydney (Australia) - Commons may hear missing priest riddle https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10450-33326362/catholic-weekly-sydney-nsw

16 November 1962 Miami (Florida) - Red agent says he shot priest with cyanide gun
library.stu.edu/ulma/va/3005/1962/11-16-1962.pdf
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...62.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEVkO4jPIHPnglFVnV7h88F7ChDAA

Al Ka said:

A former top detective has named a Catholic priest as the prime suspect in an unsolved Bradford murder case.
But now, talking to BBC’s Inside Out, former Det Chief Supt Bob Taylor claims that church officials covered up the role of Canon Boleslaw Martynellis in the murder of a fellow priest.

Click to expand...

The Catholic Church seems to have form in covering up misdeeds by its priests.

Al Ka said:

News archive

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting all this information. I've not seen anything like as much detail about this case previously.

I am overwhelmed how big this case was yet Father Henryk did not make it to UK missing database or not yet.

Curiously 1962 news article about his possible assassin has quite a few information including his name. While in other articles assassin was portrait to be Ukrainian, it is clear here he was Polish, the same as Father Henryk.

Lots of deserters from East were high professionals, doctors, scientist, artists etc but all of them had to trade some information to be accepted and protected by West once they eloped. It was literally life or death for them ( even though some of them were still traced years after and assassinated). Their information to secret services were invaluable and mostly proved correct.

I am not into conspiracy theories but I really wonder if there might be something true in the story of this assassin and Ilkley Moor (who eloped and was trading his information too).

By the way famous case in 70s murder by umbrella in London (how appropriate), was another cold war assassination of deserter from communist east. I am sure there are few more UIDs around the world from 40s to as late as late 80s assassinated by East.

Al Ka said:

I am overwhelmed how big this case was yet Father Henryk did not make it to UK missing database or not yet.

Click to expand...

Yes, this one does seem to have fallen off the radar. I'm not sure why, unless there were other things going on at the time that drew all the attention.

By the way famous case in 70s murder by umbrella in London (how appropriate), was another cold war assassination of deserter from communist east.

Click to expand...

Georgi Markov - Bulgarian. 1978 IIRC.

Polish priest Henryk Borynski
Missing since 13 July 1953

July will mark 70 years since Fr. Borynski disappeared...



Henryk Borynski, age 42, missing since 13 July 1953

LINK:

Richard said:

July will mark 70 years since Fr. Borynski disappeared...

Henryk Borynski, age 42, missing since 13 July 1953

LINK:

Disappearance of Henry Borynski - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Henry Borynski: A Priest Vanishing Without a Trace - Historic Mysteries

In July 1953, Father Henry Borynski received a call and was never seen again. Some say the Polish Secret Police played a role in his death.

www.historicmysteries.com

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting this interesting article and with 2 new photos of missing priest Henryk. Only now it is clearly visible how very tall and large he was (6'0"; 200 lbs). There is no way only one person was involved in his murder or disposing of his body. It is mind bogling where they could possibly hide him for so many decades.

Thank You @Al Ka for creating this thread. I just decided to check it out as I had NEVER heard of it until TODAY. It certainly seems to have been forgotten. Rest in peace Fr. Borynski

I am tagging the following members who might be interested:
@Jen Jarvie ; @OldCop ; @Jay Vo; @Angleterre ; @Kell1 . Have you heard of this case? I believe some of these are journalists and some are law enforcement, and might be able to help. JMO MOO
I hope you don't mind me tagging you.

Father Borynski in happier days amusing local children

Father Henryk Borynski vanished after leaving his lodgings in Little Horton Lane on the evening of July 13, 1953.

He had ten shillings in his pocket when he disappeared. He left behind £250 in savings and all his possessions, including his prayer books.

No trace of him has ever been found.

Father Borynski was chaplain to the 1,500-strong Polish community in Bradford and it was the height of the Cold War.

The priest made no secret of his anti-Communist views. But he was preaching to a divided community.

In those days, there were people prepared to take drastic steps to deal with their political enemies.

It was believed at the time that he might have been snatched from the streets of Bradford by the Polish secret police...

More at link:

Richard said:

Father Borynski in happier days amusing local children

Father Henryk Borynski vanished after leaving his lodgings in Little Horton Lane on the evening of July 13, 1953.

He had ten shillings in his pocket when he disappeared. He left behind £250 in savings and all his possessions, including his prayer books.

No trace of him has ever been found.

Father Borynski was chaplain to the 1,500-strong Polish community in Bradford and it was the height of the Cold War.

The priest made no secret of his anti-Communist views. But he was preaching to a divided community.

In those days, there were people prepared to take drastic steps to deal with their political enemies.

It was believed at the time that he might have been snatched from the streets of Bradford by the Polish secret police...

More at link:

BBC Inside Out - Fresh claims in unsolved Bradford murder

Click to expand...

[bbm]
how do they know what he had in his pockets if he's never been found?

The problem with significantly older cases primarily those in other countries where the system of law enforcement is usually different than those here in the states, is that theres so much disparity in technique, procedure etc..

You also have to add in there the annoying fact that people can , do and are allowed to simply disappear if they so choose

Theres not much to go on here, he took a call up and left, with not much more to go on and its all speculative , theres any one of a thousand possibilities that could explain why he left.

Then you investigate missing persons, you start with the individual themselves, (at least in the US). Usually the answer lies around that person.

He took the call and made sure to try to keep what was being said from being heard , why?

Was he in trouble ?, did he have enemies?, did he owe anyone? there was obviously something he didnt want anyone to hear, if it was a threat on his life , why not call attention to it ?

To me it sounds like he was involved in "something" we cant know what but whatever it was he certainly didnt want anyone to overhear ... here in the US priests, all over the country have been indicted for sexual misconduct with minors at almost epidemic levels .

Could it be something like that ?

A lot more leg work has to be done sadly