War hero, 100, who was forced to dig Hitler's bunker meets family of soldier he saved 80 years ago

A 100-year-old Second World War hero who was forced to help build Hitler's bunker has finally discovered what happened to a fellow soldier whose life he saved under enemy fire more than 80 years ago.

Czeslaw Blachucki, known as Ches Black, risked his life crossing a deadly minefield to rescue his badly wounded commanding officer during fighting in Italy in 1944.

But after carrying Lieutenant Wladyslaw Matulewicz to safety, the Polish war veteran never saw him again and had no idea whether he had survived.

Now, in an emotional Remembrance weekend reunion, the centenarian has met the soldier's daughter and granddaughter for the first time.

The extraordinary meeting took place in Checkendon, Oxfordshire, after researchers finally tracked down the two families, who had no idea of their connection.

Irene Matulewicz and her daughter Beverley Woodward travelled from Cornwall to personally thank the man who saved their family member.

Embracing Mr Black, Irene told him: "You saved his life at the Monte Cassino and we are really grateful for what you have done for us. Thank you very much."

The dramatic rescue happened during the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Second World War.

Mr Black, then just 19, was fighting near the Italian village of San Sofia when his commanding officer was blown up by a landmine, suffering devastating head injuries.

With German snipers targeting the area and gunfire raging around them, other soldiers were reluctant to enter the minefield in darkness.

But Mr Black refused to leave the wounded officer behind.

He recalled: "He was wounded. I couldn't see very well but could see his head slightly.

"I was not sure how bad he was. All I know is he was asking for help and me and a medic carried him on a stretcher and put them in a jeep.

"I haven't heard from him since."

The officer was rushed to a British field hospital, but the two men lost contact.

The reunion was arranged by Graham Drucker, coordinator of the Friends of Checkendon, Nettlebed and Kingwood camps, as part of commemorations honouring Polish soldiers who fought alongside British forces.

He said: "To bring Czeslaw together with the daughter and granddaughter of the man he saved over eight decades ago, especially during Remembrance weekend, is an unforgettable privilege."

Forced to dig Hitler's bunker

Mr Black's remarkable wartime story also includes being forced into labour for the Nazis on the construction of Adolf Hitler's underground bunker in Berlin.

Born in Poland in December 1925, he was captured by German forces as a teenager and transported to Berlin in a crowded cattle wagon.

He was put to work alongside hundreds of other labourers digging a huge hole near the Reich Chancellery, unaware of its sinister purpose.

He later discovered he had been helping construct the bunker where Hitler would spend his final months.

Mr Black said: "We were just digging a hole and didn't know we were protecting Hitler."

He eventually escaped German control while in Italy and joined resistance fighters before serving with the Polish Army alongside British forces.

After the war, with Poland under Soviet influence, he was unable to return home and eventually settled in Britain, changing his name to Ches Black.

Now living in Oxfordshire, he has finally learned more about the fate of the officer he helped rescue more than eight decades ago.

The meeting brought together two families linked by a single act of courage on a battlefield thousands of miles from home.