Zbigniew Kabata Zbigniew ' Bob ' Kabata , CM ( born 17 March 1924 ) is a highly respected parasitologist , veteran of the Polish Armia Krajowa during World War II , poet , fisherman , translator and scientific administrator . Early life . Kabata was born into a military family in Jeremicze , Poland on 17 March 1924 . He entered the Marshal Józef Piłsudski Military Academy in Lwów as a cadet in 1937 . World War II . After the invasion of Poland by Nazi forces in 1939 , Kabata joined the Armia Krajowa and fought against the occupying forces . His unit became famous after assaults on two Gestapo jails , which resulted in the liberation of about 200 prisoners . Kabata was cited several times for bravery . During his time in the resistance , Kabata wrote several patriotic poems honouring the Polish armed forces . His most famous work , " The Underground Army " , became the unofficial anthem of the Polish combatant community and is inscribed on numerous Polish war memorials . Following the defeat of Nazi forces in Poland , Kabata made a daring escape across Soviet lines to join up with the Polish 2nd Army Corps in Italy and commanded a rifle platoon in the 3rd Company , 1st Carpathian Rifles ( the famous " Tobruk Rats " ) . After the war . After demobilisation , he was transferred to Great Britain when Italy signed a peace treaty with the Allies and found work as a deck - hand on North Sea trawlers . Kabata became fascinated with marine life and registered for a zoology degree . After graduation , he began work at the Fisheries Laboratory in Aberdeen as a specialist in fish parasitology , while at the same time following postgraduate courses that gained him a Ph . D . ( 1959 ) and D . Sc . ( 1966 ) from the University of Aberdeen . It was in this time that Kabata developed the notion that separate populations of fish can be identified by study of the prevalence of various parasites and diseases . The identification of populations is an integral part of fisheries science . In September 1953 , Kabata , then still an undergraduate student , married an Irish physician , Mary Ann Montgomery . The couple had a daughter , Marta , in 1954 and a son , Andrzej , in 1956 . During the 1960s , Dr Kabata translated a number of Russian texts on fish biology and parasitology . It was during this time that he began work on his main work , " The Parasitic Copepoda of British Fishes " , published in 1979 by the Ray Society , ISBN 0 - 903874 - 05 - 9 . A seminal work in taxonomy , this book features over 2 , 000 original hand - drawn illustrations of the complex morphology of copepod parasite s . In 1967 , Kabata moved to the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo , British Columbia , where he became head of the Marine Fisheries Section . Awards and recognition . His outstanding contribution to the field of parasitology has been rewarded with patronym y of 22 taxa , including most notably , the imaginatively named copepod , " Bobkabata kabatabobus " . He served for 15 years on the editorial board of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature . Kabata holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Polish army , and has been awarded one of Poland ' s highest decorations , the Grand Commander Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta . For exceptional heroism during the war , he was awarded a Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari , twice the Cross of Valour , War Medal ( three bars ) , Underground Army Cross , Partisan Cross and Gold Medal for Contributions to the Defensiveness of the Country . For his contribution to world science , he has received the A . Wardle Medal from the Canadian Society of Zoologists , K . Janicki Medal from the Polish Parasitological Society and K . Demel Medal from the Sea Fisheries Institute in Gdynia , Poland . Other honours include honorary membership in four scientific societies , an honorary D . Sc from the Agricultural University of Szczecin , Poland ( 1993 ) , an honorary D . Litt from Malaspina University College , Nanaimo , B . C . Canada ( 2002 ) and an Eminent Parasitologist Award from the American Society of Parasitologists ( 2004 ) . He was also made an honorary citizen by the Polish city of Sandomierz in the year 2000 . The Law Society of Canada , Immigration Branch , granted him a newly established Immigrant Achievement Award in April 2002 . In 2007 , he became a Member of the Order of Canada .