News 2023 Polish Air Force Exhibition Northolt tour dates 2024 6 October 2023 Read More Annual Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen 10 September 2023 Read More The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee represented at the Polish Aviation Day 30 August 2023 Read More Annual Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen 6 August 2023 Read More Polish Air Force Exhibition Northolt tour dates 2023 5 July 2023 Read More Bomber Command Memorial Ceremony 30 June 2023 Read More The Polish D-Day Story 15 June 2023 Read More Hawker Hurricane in Polish 302 Squadron colours. 2 June 2023 Read More PAFMC opens online eBay shop. 21 May 2023 Read More Katyń Commemoration Ceremony 3 May 2023 Read More Polish Air Force Museum donations 28 April 2023 Read More Polish pilots’ remembrance service 20 April 2023 Read More

< Back PAFMC Trustee and other opportunities 1/1 20 May 2022 PAFMC Trustee and other opportunities The registered charity Polish Air Force Memorial Committee (PAFMC) is always interested to hear of people who might be willing to serve as Trustees or in other capacities. We would be delighted to hear from anyone with the relevant interests, skills and experience who would like to discuss the possible opportunities. While Trustees and others involved would be expected to have a strong interest in the Polish Air Force in the west during the war years – either through descent or otherwise – we would be particularly glad to hear from people with any of the following skills or experience: · Investment / finance · Administration /law · Social media / digital engagement · Project management · Retail (principally on-line) · Community involvement / engagement Trustee meetings take place three or four times a year at the Battle of Britain Bunker, Uxbridge, by courtesy of the London Borough of Hillingdon, currently on Friday afternoons, with other business conducted by e-mail or smaller groupings. Trustees do not receive any remuneration and incidental day to day expenses (such as travel) are not reimbursed. Expressions of interest should set out the nature of your connection to the Polish Air Force, the particular skills you could offer, and be accompanied by a CV. An informal discussion will then be arranged to explore the contribution that could be made and the best way of fitting that into the structure of the Committee, whether as Trustee or by support in a different capacity. Please send any expressions of interest to the Chairman: richardkornicki@gmail.com The PAFMC is the designated formal successor of the Polish Air Force active in Britain during WWII, and the organisations which represented it here after the war. The PAFMC was set up by the Polish Air Force Association Charitable Trust (PAFACT) in 2010 to continue their work in the longer term. It was formed with the explicit agreement of the Commander in Chief of the Polish Air Force, Lt Gen Lech Majewski and of the Chief of the Air Staff for the Royal Air Force Sir Stephen Dalton. More information is available on the PAFMC website: www.polishairforcememorialcommittee.org Previous Next

d05f5384-c46d-44eb-84b5-82d142d68897 PAF film and talk Bentley Priory Museum < Back 1/1 20 January 2023 PAF film and talk – Bentley Priory Museum The Bentley Priory Museum is hosting one of its regular ‘Friday Morning Talks’ screening the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee’s 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain Commemorative Film with PAFMC chairman Richard Kornicki. The film and talk are on Friday 3 February at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Bentley Priory Museum , Mansion House Drive, Stanmore, HA7 3FB. All are welcome but advanced seat booking is required and is free for visitors with the museum's membership or if purchasing admission on the day. Bentley Priory was the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command and played a vital role in one of the most pivotal moments in modern world history, the Battle of Britain . Details of the film, talk and seat reservation are available at this link: https://bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/friday-morning-talks-pafmc-80th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-britain-commemorative-film-with-richard-kornicki/ Museum opening hours and admission charges are available at this link: https://bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk/visit-us/opening-hours-admission/ Previous Next

50008255-3993-42f2-b260-6654bdaa2bb2 RAF Woodvale celebrations 317Sqn at RAF Woodvale 1942. 317Sqn at RAF Woodvale 1942. 1/1 29 August 2024 RAF Woodvale celebrations Second World War celebrations, honouring the bravery and sacrifice of Polish pilots, the Polish Armed Forces and Allied Armed Forces personnel, will be held from 10.00 on 7 September at RAF Woodvale, Formby Bypass, Liverpool L37 7AD. The day of celebrations will include talks, displays and food to remember and honour those who once served. If you have connections to anybody once part of the Polish Forces or anybody who served at RAF Woodvale during the Second World War and would like to join us in these celebrations, please get in touch with Joanne Chamberlain via mail at Joanne.Chamberlain@sefton.gov.uk Previous Next

PAF Cadets visit Northwood Graves Previous Next The Cadets placed a wreath on the restored grave of Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki. He was the wartime General Inspector of the Polish Air Force. The Cadets placed a wreath on the restored grave of Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki. He was the wartime General Inspector of the Polish Air Force. A wreath was placed on the recently restored gravestone of Gp/Cpt Jerzy Bajan. During the war he was the Senior Polish Liaison Officer RAF Fighter Command and post war the President of the Polish Air Force Association in the UK. The Cadets placed a wreath on the restored grave of Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki. He was the wartime General Inspector of the Polish Air Force. 1/8 Wednesday, 10 September 2025 PAF Cadets visit Northwood Graves A delegation of Officer Cadets from the Polish Air Force University Deblin, led by Vice Rector Commandant Col pilot Col Pilot Andrzej Truskowski, made a recent visit to Northwood cemetery. They placed wreaths on the graves of Polish Air Force pilots killed during the Second World War in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of the cemetery. This was followed with placing a wreath on the restored grave of Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki. He was the wartime General Inspector of the PAF and also the first Chairman of the Committee, which designed and built the PAF Memorial at South Ruislip. A wreath was also placed on the recently restored gravestone of Gp/Cpt Jerzy Bajan. During the war he was Senior Polish Liaison Officer RAF Fighter Command and post war the President of the Polish Air Force Association in the UK. He was also a temporary Chairman of the committee, which designed and built the PAF Memorial, after Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki retired. The restoration of both graves was a £3,000 commission from the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee (PAFMC) for stonemason Francis Sancisi. Details of the grave restorations can be found at these links: https://www.polishairforcememorialcommittee.org/news-2024-1/pafmc-undertakes-major-grave-restoration . https://www.polishairforcememorialcommittee.org/news-2025/-polish-airmen%E2%80%99s-grave-restoration-completed- The funding for the restoration of the two headstones was secured from very generous donations raised in Poland, kindly co-ordinated and gathered by Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Lotniska Wojskowego Świdwin (Association of Friends of Military Air Base in Świdwin). They conducted a fund-raising campaign and collected funds from various donors for the renovation. Previous Next

edf30e8d-6197-4adc-9b81-3845e8338447 Katyń Commemoration Ceremony Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, with support from the Polish Scouts from the London District, addressed the congregation at the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery to commemorate the victims of the Katyń genocide in April 1940. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki A large congregation gathered at the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery to commemorate the victims of the Katyń genocide in April 1940. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee wreath was placed by Marek Borzęcki. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, with support from the Polish Scouts from the London District, addressed the congregation at the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery to commemorate the victims of the Katyń genocide in April 1940. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki 1/6 30 April 2024 Katyń Commemoration Ceremony The annual Ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Katyń genocide in April 1940 was held on 28 April at the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery, Ealing, West London. The ceremony, organised by The Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain Trust Fund and assisted by the Polish Scouts, followed Holy Mass at Saint Andrew Bobola’s church, Hammersmith. The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee was represented by Marek Borzecki who laid a wreath on its behalf and aloe provided photographs of the ceremony. On 1 September 1939, Germany attacked Poland, the Polish army fought valiantly but then on 17th September, Germany’s ally, the Soviet Union, attacked from the East. The Polish Army had no chance of defending attacks from two fronts and Poland was divided effectively in half between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviets immediately started a programme of Sovietisation, through organised ethnic cleansing and social genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens were forcibly deported to the depths of the Soviet Empire, many to their deaths in appalling conditions. Thousands of Polish Officer Prisoners of War, Border Guards, Police, professors, teachers, priests, rabbis, community leaders etc were sent to special camps in Kozielsk, Starobielsk and Ostaszkow and Miednoje plus many other places. In April 1940 at the request of the Head of Stalin’s secret police Beria, Stalin ordered the NKVD to carry out mass executions of these prisoners. 4,500 corpses were later found in mass graves in the Katyń forest, others being executed at other sites. All together approximately 22,000 people were executed. What came to be known as the Katyń Massacre was commemorated by the Polish Community living in exile immediately after the end of World War II. The Polish Community wanted to create a lasting memorial to their murdered brothers, but as a result of Soviet pressure, the British authorities refused permission. The victims of the Katyń genocide had to wait until 1978 when permission was finally granted to erect the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery. Krzysztof de Berg Previous Next

< Back Memorial to Sgt Josef František VM KW & 3 Bars ČVK DFM & Bar. Sgt Josef František RAF Northolt September 1940. Photo courtesy Wojtek Matusiak. Sgt Josef František next to Hurricane V7289 with 303 Sqn Code RF-S at RAF Northolt September 1940. Photo courtesy Wojtek Matusiak. A colour illustration of 303Sqn Hurricane R4175 RF-R, courtesy of Robert Gretzyngier. Sgt Josef František RAF Northolt September 1940. Photo courtesy Wojtek Matusiak. 1/6 6 Jun 2022 Memorial to Sgt Josef František VM KW & 3 Bars ČVK DFM & Bar. The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, together with the Embassies of the Republic of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic are delighted to announce that a Memorial to the Czechoslovak pilot Sergeant Josef František, flying with 303 Polish Squadron during the Battle of Britain, will be unveiled later this year close to where he lost his life on the 8th October 1940. The crash site is now part of the Priest Hill Nature Reserve, Epsom, Surrey. It is one of the 6,500 hectares of nature reserves under the stewardship of the Surrey Wildlife Trust, which has kindly granted permission to place the Memorial. It will be located next to a public footpath and near to the crash site. The PAFMC is funding the entire cost of the Memorial. Sgt František was one of the most successful pilots in the Battle of Britain credited with destroying 17 enemy aircraft and one probably destroyed. He was decorated with the Polish Virtuti Militari and Krzyż Walecznych (Cross of Valour) and three bars, posthumously the Czechoslovak Československý válečný kříž 1939 (Czechoslovak War Cross 1939) and the British Distinguished Flying Medal and bar. Sgt František was returning to his base at RAF Northolt from an uneventful routine patrol with 11 other squadron colleagues led by its British commander Sq/Ldr Ronald Kellett. Approaching the area of the Staines Reservoirs Sgt František was seen to veer off to the east and did not respond to radio communication. His Hurricane R4175 Code RF-R crashed onto flat farmland and Sgt František was killed. This was the day after his 26th birthday. The circumstances surrounding this incident were a cause of great concern to the Squadron at the time and the reason for his leaving formation, and the subsequent ill-fated attempted landing, remain a complete mystery and unlikely ever to be solved. Sgt Josef František is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission area at Northwood Cemetery grave H 246. The Chairman of the PAFMC Richard Kornicki commented: “It is a privilege for us to be able to create a lasting Memorial to Sgt František at the spot where he lost his life. As a Czechoslovak pilot, flying in a Polish Squadron, under a British commander he is a powerful reminder of the international make-up of The Few. We hope that for generations to come, those who walk past the Memorial will pause and remember those to whom they owe their freedom. We are very grateful to the Surrey Wildlife Trust and to the Polish, Czech and Slovak Embassies for their support and co-operation”. The Memorial to Sgt Josef František has been made possible by the extensive detective work of aviation enthusiast Lewis Shelley and Polish Air Force historian and author Peter Sikora. They have spent many years researching and investigating the incident, which included an eyewitness account and are confident the crash site has finally been authoritatively located. More details will be released nearer the date of the Memorial unveiling. Previous Next

Poles fly in for air rally Previous Next A service of commemoration was held at the Polish Air Force Memorial by a group of Polish civilian pilots from the Światowe Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich (World Association of Polish Airmen), who flew to the UK in several light aircraft, together with a delegation of around 40 who flew in to RAF Northolt from Poland. A service of commemoration was held at the Polish Air Force Memorial by a group of Polish civilian pilots from the Światowe Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich (World Association of Polish Airmen), who flew to the UK in several light aircraft, together with a delegation of around 40 who flew in to RAF Northolt from Poland. The Polish pilots and delegation from the Światowe Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich, led by its president Lt Gen (Ret) pilot Tadeusz Mikutel, 3rd from the right, were welcomed at the Polish Air Force Memorial by the PAFMC and Polish Embassy. A service of commemoration was held at the Polish Air Force Memorial by a group of Polish civilian pilots from the Światowe Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich (World Association of Polish Airmen), who flew to the UK in several light aircraft, together with a delegation of around 40 who flew in to RAF Northolt from Poland. 1/4 Saturday, 31 May 2025 Poles fly in for air rally. A group of Polish civilian pilots from the Światowe Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich (SSLP) (World Association of Polish Airmen) based in Warsaw, flew to the UK in several light aircraft as part of an air rally, which took place from 19 to 31 May. They departed from Warsaw’s Babice Airport and landed at several airfields where Polish Air Force pilots were based during the Second World War. On the 29 May they were joined by a delegation of around 40 who flew in to RAF Northolt from Poland. This was led by SSLP president Lt Gen (Ret) pilot Tadeusz Mikutel and were met on the apron and welcomed by Krzysztof de Berg, chairman of the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee (PAFMC), and Deputy Defence Attachés Robert Pawlicki and Mariusz Piotrowski from the Polish Embassy. The delegation transferred to the nearby Polish Air Force Memorial at South Ruislip for a short service of commemoration. Following a welcome address by Krzysztof de Berg and response from Lt Gen (Ret) pilot Tadeusz Mikutel, wreaths were laid at the Memorial prior to the delegation’s return to RAF Northolt and flight back to Poland. The group of civilian pilots returned to Poland in their light aircraft on Saturday 31 May. Previous Next

Tribute to Polish 303 Squadron in US Museum 1/2 23 February Tribute to Polish 303 Squadron in US Museum A group of Poles and Americans in the US state of Connecticut have teamed up to organize an exhibition in the New England Air Museum, one of the largest aviation museums in the US, to create a permanent display and multi-media exhibition paying tribute to the Polish 303 Kościuszko Squadron. The New England Air Museum and the Polish Studies Program at the Central Connecticut State University, have jointly launched a campaign to raise $125,000 to design and install the exhibition in the Museum, which will present the story of 303 Kościuszko Squadron in a modern, multi-media educational format. The project is scheduled to open in 2021. The organizing committee, led by historian Professor Mieczysław Biskupski, is collecting memorabilia for the exhibition and needs photographs and memoirs to portray the history of 303 Kościuszko Squadron to a wider American public. More details are available at this link: https://www.neam.org/shell.php?page=exhibit_kosciuszko Previous Article Next Article

The Polish D-Day Story 1/1 12 May The Polish D-Day Story The 307 Squadron Project is holding a special two-day event ‘The Polish D-Day Story’ at the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth on Saturday 19 June and Sunday 20 June 2021. The event will explain the important story of the Polish involvement on D-Day and during the Normandy Campaign. ‘The Polish D-Day Story’ will be open at the museum’s normal entry price from 11.00am - 3.30pm on Saturday 19 June, and from 11:00am - 3.00pm on Sunday 20 June. The official opening will take place at circa 11.10am on Saturday 19 June, hopefully by a representative from the Polish Embassy with invitations also to the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, the city's two MPs and lead councillors. The opening will include a short film plus a guided tour to VIPs of the exhibition. The Polish D-Day Story, promoting British-Polish friendship and cooperation, will include an exhibition in both English and Polish detailing the Polish D-Day Story, archive video material plus information on 307 Squadron. The D-Day Story museum is on the Clarence Esplanade, Portsmouth PO5 3NT and strictly adheres to current Government Covid guidelines and queue numbers will be managed. The venue has achieved the new Visit England national standard ‘We’re Good To Go’. More information can be found on the museum’s website: https://theddaystory.com/covid-19-faqs/ A saving of 10% off the admission price is available by booking tickets in advance at this link: https://ddaystory.merlintickets.co.uk/product/GENENTRY Previous Article Next Article

Katyń Memorial Service Previous Next The annual commemoration was attended by around 300 people, including the Polish Ambassador HE Piotr Wilczek, Vice-Consul Anna Tarnowska-Waszak and Defence Attaché Col. Rafał Nowak. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki. The annual commemoration was attended by around 300 people, including the Polish Ambassador HE Piotr Wilczek, Vice-Consul Anna Tarnowska-Waszak and Defence Attaché Col. Rafał Nowak. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki. PAFMC Chairman Krzysztof de Berg discussing the ceremony with the Defence Attaché Col. Rafał Nowak. The annual commemoration was attended by around 300 people, including the Polish Ambassador HE Piotr Wilczek, Vice-Consul Anna Tarnowska-Waszak and Defence Attaché Col. Rafał Nowak. Photo courtesy Marek Borzęcki. 1/6 Friday, 2 May 2025 Katyń Commemoration Ceremony The 85th Anniversary to commemorate the victims of the Katyń genocide in April 1940 was held on Sunday 27 April at the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery, West London. The ceremony, organised by The Polish Ex-Combatants Association in Great Britain Trust Fund and assisted by the Polish Scouts, was conducted by Ceremony Marshall Jacek Bernasinski. The annual commemoration was attended by around 300 people, including the Polish Ambassador HE Piotr Wilczek, Vice-Consul Anna Tarnowska-Waszak and Defence Attaché Col Rafał Nowak . The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee was represented by the Chairman Krzysztof de Berg, Julian Kowalski and Marek Borzecki who laid a wreath on its behalf. On 1 September 1939, Germany attacked Poland. The Polish army fought valiantly, but on 17 September, Germany’s ally, the Soviet Union, attacked from the East. The Polish Army had no chance of defending attacks from two fronts and Poland was divided effectively in half between Germany and the Soviet Union. The Soviets immediately started a programme of Sovietisation, through organised ethnic cleansing and social genocide. Hundreds of thousands of Polish citizens were forcibly deported to the depths of the Soviet Empire, many to their deaths in appalling conditions. Thousands of Polish officer prisoners of war, border guards, police, professors, teachers, priests, rabbis and community leaders were sent to special camps in Kozielsk, Starobielsk and Ostaszkow and Miednoje, plus many other places. In April 1940, at the request of the Head of Joseph Stalin’s secret police Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin ordered the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD), to carry out mass executions of these prisoners. Around 4,500 corpses were later found in mass graves in the Katyń forest, others being executed at other sites. In all approximately 22,000 people were executed. What came to be known as the Katyń Massacre was commemorated by the Polish Community living in exile immediately after the end of the Second World War. The Polish Community wanted to create a lasting memorial to their murdered comrades, but as a result of Soviet pressure, the British authorities firstly refused permission. The victims of the Katyń genocide had to wait until the 1970s when permission was finally granted to erect the Katyń Memorial in Gunnersbury Cemetery, which was unveiled on 18 September 1976. Previous Next

44dddb52-6729-4eb0-a8bb-1dd14e49baa3 Date change for annual Northolt ceremony. 1/1 23 January 2024 Date change for annual Northolt ceremony. The date of this year’s annual ceremony of homage, at the Polish Air Force Memorial at South Ruislip to commemorate fallen Polish airmen during the Second World War, has been changed. It is now scheduled for Saturday 31 August starting at 12.00 and NOT 7 September, as indicated on the last page of last year’s official programme. The change is due to operational requirements at RAF Northolt where the lunch is held after the ceremony for invited guests in the historic Officers’ Mess. Please make a note in your diaries and advise family and friends. Previous Next