Henry Philibert Panowski was born in Lublin (in what is now Poland) in about 
1838.

As a youth he was at College when the Crimea war was raging (Britain and 
Russia). The Polish were angry at that time, being very oppressed by the 
Russians, so Henry with 3 or 4 other students decided to try and get to 
Constantinople (Istanbul) Turkey to join the British Forces, which after much 
endeavour they did - Henry was wounded and while in hospital, came into contact 
with Florence Nightingale.

He came back to England with the British troops and stayed as a Naturalised 
Englishman.