Józef Stawinoga

Infobox Person
name = Józef Stawinoga


caption =
birth_date = birth date|1920|12|15|df=yes
birth_place = Krążkowy, Poland
death_date = death date and age|2007|10|28|1920|12|15|df=yes
death_place = Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England
other_names = Fred
known_for = Lived in a public place for more than 40 years, gaining a local reputation as a hermit
occupation = Hermit

Józef Stawinoga (15 December 1920 – 28 October 2007), also known as Fred and incorrectly reported as Josef, was a homeless Pole who lived in a tent on the Wolverhampton Ring Road in the West Midlands, England for nearly 40 years.Citation | last = Wainwright | first = Daniel | author-link = | title = Tramp Fred dies in tent on ring road | newspaper = Express and Star | pages = Front page | year = 2007 | date = 29 October 2007 | url = .] Little is known about the recluse, but he is thought to have been involved in the Soviet invasion of Poland (1939), before emigrating to the UK in the 1940s.

Wolverhampton

After the war he remained in Wolverhampton, finding work and a place to live – and an Austrian wife who left him after a year, according to Juliusz Leonowicz, who identified himself as Stawinoga's friend. [cite news | last = Bawolek | first = Dorota | title = The ring road hermit | work = BBC Black Country | publisher = BBC | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/articles/2007/03/22/homeless_polish_feature.shtml] At a date given by different sources as 1954cite news | last = Wainwright | first = Daniel | title = Fred takes mystery to the grave | work = Express and Star | date = 30 October 2007 | url = http://www.expressandstar.com/2007/10/30/fred-takes-mystery-to-the-grave/] and 1967,cite news | last = Fryer | first = Jane | title = The ring-road tramp who's become a cult hero thanks to Facebook | work = Daily Mail | date = 4 October 2007 | url = http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=485729&in_page_id=1770] he opted out of society for unknown reasons, left his job, and became homeless. He was evicted from several lodging houses, and by the 1970s he had moved into a tent on the central grass reservation of the town's inner ring road. The council tolerated his presence, as he was claustrophobic, and he became something of a local character. A series of replacement tents was erected by the authorities over his original plastic sheeting; [cite news | last = Chrisafis | first = Angelique | title = Territorial Army provides home improvements for Wolverhampton's ring road hermit | work = The Guardian | date = 16 April 2003 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,937478,00.html] in April 2003 this involved "an operation involving the army, the police, social services and environmental health". [cite news | title = Hermit receives new home | work = BBC News | date = 8 April 2003 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/2929825.stm]

Fred was treated as a holy man by the Hindu and Sikh communities, with many people believing he lived a truly enlightened life. A group devoted to him on the social networking site Facebook had over 4,000 members in early October 2007.

Death

Józef Stawinoga died on 28 October, 2007, aged 86. Wolverhampton City Council announced that it would cover the cost of his funeral if none of his family came forward, and the possibility of a memorial to him has been discussed. His tent was removed by the council at the request of West Midlands Police, who were concerned that the area would become a tourist attraction.

After Stawinoga's death Leonowicz said that he had been told that the hermit had been a member of the SS during World War II. [Citation
last =
first =
author-link =
title = Ring road hermit 'was in the SS'
newspaper = BBC News
pages =
year = 2007
date = 29 October 2007
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7067625.stm.] If he indeed was member of SS, it is unknown whether he volunteered or was forcedly enlisted.

On March 6, 2008 it was reported that Stawinoga had thousands of pounds worth of pension money that had been untouched. [ [http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1308261,00.html Search For 'Wealthy' Tramp's Family] "Sky News", 6 March 2008. Retrieved on 6 March 2008.] Wolverhampton Council found the rightful heirs to Mr. Stawinoga's estate, two women and one man from Vienna, Austria. Their identities were not released..

A BBC1 programme Heir Hunters, broadcast on 21st July 2008, showed a search for heirs to his estate which had been listed on Bona Vacantia. They found the family in Germany but they were already making a claim themselves.

References

External links

* [http://www.expressandstar.com/2007/10/29/ring-road-tramp-fred-dies/ Ring road tramp Fred dies] (Express and Star)
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2201341,00.html Fans mourn Wolverhampton Ring Road tramp] (The Guardian)
* [http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_headline=wolverhampton-ring-road-tramp-dies&method=full&objectid=20027710&siteid=50002-name_page.html Wolverhampton Ring Road tramp dies] (Birmingham Post)