Heroic Scots Auschwitz survivor and former Stirling Albion star celebrates 101st birthday

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An Auschwitz survivor, who played in the promotion-winning Stirling Albion team in the late 1940s, celebrated his 101st birthday with friends and family at the weekend.Jan Szpula of St Ninians - who now lives at Randolph Hill Nursing Home in Dunblane – played in Scotland’s top division during part of the season 1949-50.He had moved to Scotland in 1946 and was stationed at Recovery Barracks in Causewayhead.His granddaughter Isla McLennan, said this week: “He had a brilliant day surrounded by family to celebrate and even enjoyed a wee vodka!“It was a very special day for a very special man.”Jan was born and raised in the village of Lasiska Górne, a mining town in the south of Poland, close to the Czech border.He grew up in a family of five, with father Augustyn and mother Maria as well as older sister and older brother – also named Maria and Augustyn.

Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. Jan’s mother sadly died when he was a youngster and his step mother helped to raise him in Katarzyna – a village in eastern Poland.At the age of just 16, he joined the Army when the Second World War broke out – walking with his brother and father more than 125 miles over three days.He spent time during the war in forced labour in Germany and Auschwitz whilst also spending time with the Polish Army in Poland, Russia, Belgium and France.During his spell with Albion from September 1948 to May 1950 – he played 38 games and scored eight goals.A testimonial match to raise funds for Jan after he was forced into early retirement took place in September 1952, an Albion side losing 5-1 to a Stirlingshire Select side.After leaving the Binos Jan worked at Rossleigh’s Garage in Stirling, completing over 25 years’ service.During