wolf
International Cricketer
Apart from anyone who lives or has lived in Wolverhampton (I only know 2 other people who do on this forum who do), I doubt anyone will have heard of Josef Stawinoga, who was known as Fred, and passed away at the weeked, aged 87. And I doubt if anyone alive knows the full tale of his life, and why he chose to live it the way he did.
It is common knowledge around these parts that Josef lived on the ring road which leads into the city centre, in a tent. But that is about the only fact about him we know is true. Josef originated from Poland, and it seems as if he might have been one of the Poles who got caught up in the torture of people from Poland by Russians in second world war. How or why he came to Wolverhampton it is not known, but came he did and he worked for a period of time in a steel factory. But then one day he did not turn up for work, and next it was known he had become a tramp who had set up base on the ring road! It is believed he might have chosen to live in a tent bcause of his fear of indoors, developed because of his torture at the hands of the Russians. Another explanation is he went there after becoming disillusioned with life and after is wife left him. He lived on the ring road for over 40 years, until he died in his tent last weekend.
He only last month he became an internet celebrity, with someone setting up a facebook account of him.
An article about him on the BBC
Too many of you I am just talking I am just talking crap, but to people around my parts he is an absolute legend.
R.I.P. Josef
It is common knowledge around these parts that Josef lived on the ring road which leads into the city centre, in a tent. But that is about the only fact about him we know is true. Josef originated from Poland, and it seems as if he might have been one of the Poles who got caught up in the torture of people from Poland by Russians in second world war. How or why he came to Wolverhampton it is not known, but came he did and he worked for a period of time in a steel factory. But then one day he did not turn up for work, and next it was known he had become a tramp who had set up base on the ring road! It is believed he might have chosen to live in a tent bcause of his fear of indoors, developed because of his torture at the hands of the Russians. Another explanation is he went there after becoming disillusioned with life and after is wife left him. He lived on the ring road for over 40 years, until he died in his tent last weekend.
He only last month he became an internet celebrity, with someone setting up a facebook account of him.
An article about him on the BBC
Too many of you I am just talking I am just talking crap, but to people around my parts he is an absolute legend.
R.I.P. Josef
