A VALUABLE stamp collection that charts the turbulent history of Poland has been handed to the British Library by a York collector.

Polish-born Janusz Kaluski, 80, a decorated soldier who took part in the D-Day landings, amassed the £125,000 collection over a 50-year period.

He said he wanted to donate it to the British public as a thank you for welcoming him.

Mr Kaluski, who no longer keeps valuable stamps at his home in Upper Poppleton, said the collection opens a window into Poland's often turbulent past, marking many of the defining moments in the nation's history.

Included in the 46-volume collection are stamps issued in the 19th century when Poland was a Russian province, stamps from the end of the First World War announcing to the world the existence of an Independent Polish state and stamps issued during the German occupation in the Second World War.

Mr Kaluski said: "My collecting days are at an end but I can relax knowing that the collection is in safe hands at the British Library and available to future generations. It is history and fifty years of my life.

"I never wanted to sell the collection. I am 80 now so I don't need the money, and my son and daughter-in-law were happy for me to donate it. I just hope that philatelists can now enjoy the collection, especially the rare stamps."

Updated: 11:03 Friday, September 05, 2003