News 2024 The Orchard Spitfire restoration. 10 December 2024 Read More Polish Air Force Exhibition Northolt tour dates 2025 19 September 2024 Read More Plumetot D-Day ceremony 17 September 2024 Read More Battle of Britain locomotive renamed 303 SQUADRON 4 September 2024 Read More Annual Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen 2 September 2024 Read More PAF Cadets visit Northwood Graves 30 August 2024 Read More RAF Woodvale celebrations 29 August 2024 Read More Suffolk Spitfire joins Polish Heritage Flight 28 August 2024 Read More Hurricane to fly to Poland Copy 20 August 2024 Read More Hurricane to fly to Poland 20 August 2024 Read More Facebook live stream for Commemoration of Fallen Polish Airmen 18 August 2024 Read More PAFMC undertakes major grave restoration. 16 May 2024 Read More

6862c057-caaa-49a8-adb2-76be363b7929 Annual Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen The ceremony, organised by the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, was hosted by chairman Krzysztof de Berg. Wreaths were laid by dignitaries and descendants of the Polish squadrons and units commemorated on the Polish Air Force Memorial. A wreath was jointly laid by the Ambassador for the Republic of Poland Piotr Wilczek and the Defence Attaché Brigadier General Michał Sprengel. The Duxford based Suffolk Spitfire RW382, now part of the Polish Heritage Flight with a commemorative 302 Polish Squadron ‘Operation Overlord’ D-Day colour scheme, flew in and parked close to the Officers’ Mess for close inspection by the Cadets. The ceremony, organised by the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, was hosted by chairman Krzysztof de Berg. Wreaths were laid by dignitaries and descendants of the Polish squadrons and units commemorated on the Polish Air Force Memorial. 1/9 2 September 2024 Annual Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen The annual and 63rd Commemoration of Homage for Fallen Polish Airmen was held on Saturday, 31 August 2024, at the Polish Air Force Memorial, South Ruislip. The ceremony, which has been organised by the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee (PAFMC) since 2011, opened with a trumpeter sounding the Assembly for the parading of the King’s Colour of the Royal Air Force, the replica Polish Air Force Standard by Officer cadets of the Polish Air Force University, Dęblin and the Standards of Polish Scouts, Guides, Schools and other bodies. PAFMC Chairman Krzysztof de Berg followed with his opening address, welcoming dignitaries, guests and the public. The speech is available in full at the link below. His address was followed by the Polish Roll-Call of the Fallen - Apel Poległych, led by Captain Wojciech Kozioł and Officer Cadets of the Polish Air Force University, Dęblin. Prayers for the Fallen in Polish were then led by Rev Canon Bogdan Kołodziej, Rector of the Polish Catholic Mission in England and Wales and were followed by the Polish Last Post ‘Śpij Kolego’ and dipping of Standards and Banners. Dignitaries, which included the Ambassador for the Republic of Poland Piotr Wilczek and the Defence Attaché Brigadier General Michał Sprengel, were then invited by Polish scout Marysia Suchcitz to lay wreaths on the Memorial. These were followed by descendants of the Polish squadrons and units commemorated on the Memorial that flew alongside the RAF from 1940 to 1945 and PAFMC partners. The final wreath was laid by 99 year old AC1 Marian Słomka, believed to be the last surviving member of the Polish Air Force in the United Kingdom. Concluding Prayers were led by the Rev S/Ldr David Skillen, Station Chaplin, RAF Northolt, followed by the Last Post, the dipping of Standards and Banners and a minute’s silence ending with Reveille. The ceremony ended with the national anthems of Poland and the United Kingdom and marching off of the Standards followed by the playing of ‘White Roses’. Personal wreaths were laid after the ceremony ended. Music was provided by musicians of the RAF Central Band with the kind permission of the Air Force Board of the Defence Council. Invited guests then transferred to RAF Northolt for a reception and lunch in the Officers’ Mess, and were welcomed by Station Commander Gp/Capt Jon Hough. Guests were also addressed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, The Chief of the Air Staff and Col Pilot Wojciech Wróblewski, Deputy Rector Commandant of the Polish Air Force University, Deblin. A PAFMC Commendation was awarded to WO Andy Harris for his exceptional contribution to preserving the memory of the Polish Air Force and nurturing Polish Air Force/Royal Air Force relations. These Commendations are given to people and organisations with no personal connections with Poland. Following the lunch guests were entertained in the Mess by dancers from the Orlęta Polish Folklore Ensemble. The Duxford based Suffolk Spitfire RW382, which has just joined the Polish Heritage Flight (PHF), flew down from Duxford for a flypast and parked near to the Officers’ Mess where the PAFU Cadets and other guests were be able to get up close to it. This was the Spitfire’s first public appearance with the PHF in its new commemorative 302 Polish Squadron ‘Operation Overlord’ D-Day colour scheme. The PAFMC has been organising the Annual Ceremony of Homage to fallen Polish airmen since 2011 after officially succeeding the Polish Air Force Association Charitable Trust (PAFACT), which dissolved at the end of 2010. The PAFMC is the designated successor of the wartime PAF and the organisations, which represented it after the war. Next year’s Commemoration will take place on Saturday 30 August 2025 at 11.00 and NOT 6 September at 12.00, as indicated in this year's programme. Other Polish Air Force heritage sites in Hillingdon can be found at: https://archive.hillingdon.gov.uk/polishtrail Photos in the slide show are courtesy of Marek Borzęcki. Please note there have been some amendments to the Order of Ceremony since the programme was printed. The ceremony was streamed live on the PAFMC Facebook page and can be viewed at this link: https://fb.watch/ulLmSvWBob/ Speech Krzysztof de Berg Chairman Polish Air Force Memorial Committee .pdf Download PDF • 47KB Speech Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton The Chief of The Air Staff .pdf Download PDF • 62KB Speech Wojciech Wróblewski Vice Rector Commandant PAF University Dęblin .pdf Download PDF • 42KB Programme .pdf Download PDF • 2.09MB Previous Next

News Archive 2025 2021 2020 2024 2023 2022 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Skrzydla We hope to index a number of back issues of Skrzydła (Wings) magazine. Coming soon.... Constitution Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its charity trustees (‘Foundation’ model constitution) Date of constitution (last amended): 9th December 2019 1. Name The name of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“the CIO”) is: THE POLISH AIR FORCE MEMORIAL COMMITTEE 2. National location of principal office The principal office of the CIO is in England: 15 Kings Avenue Ealing London W5 2SJ 3. Objectives The objectives of the CIO are: To commemorate for the public benefit the achievements of the Polish Air Force in the Second World War and to honour fallen Polish Airmen by the creation and maintenance of public memorials; To educate and inform the public about the Polish Air Force and its history including by operating the Polish Air Force Museum; Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the CIO for purposes which are not charitable. The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee Constitution is available in full DOWNLOAD Trustees LINK

< Back Polish Air Force University Commandant thanks PAFMC 1/1 22 Oct 2022 Polish Air Force University Commandant thanks PAFMC The Commandant Brig. Gen Krzysztof Cur of the Polish Air Force University in Dęblin, together with a delegation of Cadets, some of whom cycled from Poland, attended the Annual Ceremony of Homage to Polish Air Force personnel at the Polish Air Force Memorial, South Ruislip, during a recent visit to the UK. His letter of thanks, addressed to PAFMC Chairman Richard Kornicki is attached below: Previous Next

Notification of deaths Lieutenant Jan Stangryciuk-Black Air Gunner 18.04.1922 – 22.10.2023 Jan Stangryciuk was born on 18 April 1922 in Chełm, Poland south east of Lublin near the border with Ukraine. At the age of 12 he emigrated to Argentina with his family. When war broke out in 1939 and the subsequent fall of France, he volunteered to come to Britain and joined the Polish Air Force and trained as an air gunner. During a nighttime training flight his Wellington bomber suffered an engine failure shortly after take off and crashed and burst into flames. He valiantly tried to save his crewmates but in vain and was the only survivor. He suffered severe burns to his face and hands and spent many years of treatment under the care of the renowned and innovative plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe. He subsequently joined 300 Squadron and flew on four operations before undergoing further treatment. Jan was believed to be the last survivor of 300 Squadron and the last survivor of the Guinea Pig Club, which was formed by recovering airmen to support aircrew undergoing reconstructive plastic surgery. He was also the only Polish serviceman to take part in the Victory parade of 1946 where he laid a wreath on behalf of the Guinea Pig Club. Jan left the Polish Air Force in 1948 and married Evelyn Black and took on her surname. His last public appearance was on 2 September 2023 at the ceremony of Homage to fallen Polish Airmen at the Polish Air Force Memorial at Northolt. Although visibly frail he laid a wreath on behalf of his former 300 Squadron and received a standing ovation from the attending congregation. Jan is survived by his second wife Jadwiga who, with her family, kept him company in his last years. LAC Eugeniusz Borysiuk Instrument Repairer 03.11.1927 – 30.03.2023 Eugeniusz Borysiuk was born on 3rd November 1927 and was 11 when the war broke out. He was deported to Siberia by the Soviets and worked as slave labour in a logging camp in desperate winter cold. In 1941, when Poles were released by the Soviets, he made his way via Tehran to Palestine, and was one of those who volunteered for training as engineering apprentices. Travelling via the Cape, he reached RAF Halton in Aug 1943 and completed his training in 1947. He then served for 5 yrs in the RAF before joining Marconi and eventually becoming Company Quality Manager. He was the last Chairman of the Polish Air Force Association before its dissolution at the end of 2011 when the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee was established to continue the commemorative work, with Eugeniusz among its founding members. He was among the few surviving veterans who was presented to HRH the Duke of Kent at the Polish Air Force Memorial in 2018 and to the Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło and to Teresa May when they visited the Memorial in 2016, joining them for a reception at 10 Downing Street. In 2020, accompanied by his wife Mira, he was guest of honour at RAF Halton staying in the Officers' Mess for their Battle of Britain Dinner - a long journey from his days as a Polish Air Force apprentice on the Station during the war. Eugeniusz was among that breed of modest and dignified Polish Air Force veterans who worked quietly for the memory of all they had served with and spoke little about themselves. He is remembered with admiration and affection in equal measure. W/O Jan Tadeusz Baxter (Zabłocki) 300Sqn Pilot 03.04.1920 - 12.03.2021 Jan Tadeusz Baxter, one of the last surviving pilots of the wartime Polish Air Force, died on 12th of March, just short of his 101st birthday. Born in 1920 with the surname Zabłocki, he was selected for pilot training in Poland but did not complete his training before the outbreak of war. He escaped through central Europe to France, and from there to Britain where he was initially stationed at RAF Swinderby on ground duties with 300 Squadron of the Polish Air Force. After pilot training in Britain and Canada, in 1943 he was posted back to 300 Squadron, now at RAF Ingham, flying Wellingtons mainly on mine-laying duties. He converted to the Halifax and then served in 1586 Special Duties Flight at Brindisi. Between March and May 1944 he flew 27 operational night sorties, 11 of which were to Poland, dropping supplies for the Home Army. He described how "Flying low over the DZ [Drop Zone] during the Drop, I opened the side window and felt a rush of clear Polish air ... The flights to Poland were exhilarating and, if the missions were accomplished, they gave a lot of satisfaction to myself and the crew. More than once I had the moving experience of seeing the lights of my home town, Kraków, in the distance." After his tour at Brindisi, he returned to England to serve as an instructor. He stayed in Britain after the war, flying commercially, including making 242 flights during the Berlin Airlift. In 1951 he joined the RAF and served in flying roles in Aden and Malaysia as well as home postings. He is survived by his widow and two sons by his first wife. Col Mieczysław J Stachiewicz 301Sqn Pilot 21.05.1917 - 30.04.2020 W/O Jerzy E Główczewski 308Sqn Pilot 19.11.1922 - 13.04.2020 Following the German and Soviet invasions he was forced to head south to Romania. A year later he had to flee again and made his way to Haifa in Palestine. Here he initially joined the Independent Carpathian Brigade but then volunteered for pilot training in the Polish Air Force and arrived in Britain in 1942. In late 1944 he joined 308 City of Krakow Squadron. After the war he returned to Poland and worked on the rebuilding of Warsaw followed by lecturing in the US and the modernisation and reconstruction of the ancient city of Aswan in Egypt. He settled in New York as an architect and lectured at the Pratt Institute and was the author of several books. W/O Roman M Golicz 300Sqn Air Gunner 06.12.1925 - 06.04.2020 W/O Julian Michalski 304Sqn Navigator 05.02.1919 - 03.04.2020 He joined the Polish army in 1937 and on the Russian invasion his unit moved into Hungary. Disarmed, they were permitted to travel through Yugoslavia and Italy to France. When France collapsed they moved to Spain and then to Algiers. As all transport to Britain was reserved for airmen, they drove across the Sahara to Nigeria. The British High Commission in Kano sent them by sea to Egypt where they joined the Polish contingent in Alexandria. He fought at Tobruk and was then sent to Britain by sea escorting enemy prisoners. On arrival in Liverpool he volunteered for the Polish Air Force and was sent to Canada for training as a Navigator. Returning to Britain at the end of 1943 he was allocated to 304 Sqn, Coastal Command, on convoy protection and anti-submarine missions from RAF Benbecula. After the war, he returned to his studies, became a lecturer and eventually professor at Birmingham University. Lt Wanda Szuwalska-Gaweł 300Sqn Clerk 18.01.1923 - 26.03.2020 Deported to Siberia as a teenager in 1940, she arrived with her family after a 3-week rail journey. She was put to work clearing forests alongside her father. After the 1941 Polish/Soviet agreement, she got out through Uzbekistan to join Anders’ army in Persia. Volunteering for the Polish WAAFs, she travelled from Alexandria on a warship through the Mediterranean to Britain, arriving at the end of 1943. As a WAAF she served in 300, Land of Mazovia, Squadron and then from 1944 at Fighter Command HQ , Bentley Priory. W/O Marian Jankiewicz 315Sqn Pilot 18.01.1923 - 02.09.2019 He was arrested by the Red Army in 1939 aged 16 and sentenced to 16 years hard labour in Siberia. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, under a Polish/Soviet agreement Poles were released and allowed to make their own way to join Polish forces. Making his way via Persia and India, he reached the UK and joined the Polish Air Force. On completion of flying training he was posted to 315, City of Dęblin, Squadron flying Mustangs as bomber escorts. Post-war he served in the RAF until 1968 and then until 1987 with the Air Force of the United Arab Emirates 'May they rest in peace'

Plumetot Memorial

f4849e6e-2ca6-4d5a-b2bc-ff01243434b9 Hawker Hurricane in Polish 302 Squadron colours. < Back The port side of the Hurricane is painted in 302 Squadron code and markings of W/Cdr Julian Kowalski P3935 WX-D. Photo courtesy Darren Harbar. The starboard side of the Hurricane is painted in 302 Squadron code and markings of F/Lt Tadeusz Chlopik P2954 WX-E. Photo courtesy Darren Harbar. The Polish Heritage Flight team. Photo courtesy Darren Harbar. The port side of the Hurricane is painted in 302 Squadron code and markings of W/Cdr Julian Kowalski P3935 WX-D. Photo courtesy Darren Harbar. 1/4 2 June 2023 Hawker Hurricane in Polish 302 Squadron colours The Duxford based Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hurricane G-HURI, which is part of the Polish Heritage Flight, will pay tribute to Polish 302 ‘City of Poznan’ Squadron pilots F/Lt Tadeusz Chlopik and W/Cdr Julian Kowalski, with a dual colour scheme for the 2023 Season. 302 Squadron was based at Duxford for a short period during the Battle of Britain. On the 15 September 1940 the squadron, including F/Lt Chlopik and W/Cdr Kowalski, was scrambled to intercept German Bombers over RAF North Weald. F/Lt Chlopik flying Hurricane P2954 WX-E, shared the destruction of a Dornier 17 before being shot down over North Weald. Despite bailing out he was killed. He was 32 years old. F/Lt Chlopik is buried in Sutton Road Cemetery, Southend on Sea. W/Cdr Kowalski flying Hurricane P3935 WX-D destroyed a Dornier 17 and damaged another. He went on to Command 302 Squadron and in April 1944 Commanded No.1 Polish Wing from RAF Northolt. He was released from the Polish Air Force in 1947 retaining the rank of Wing Commander. At the end of the Second World War, with Poland under Soviet Communist occupation, like many it was felt unsafe to return home so Julian Kowalski remained in England. He started a career designing agricultural equipment for Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ltd. He lived in Ipswich until his death in December 1986. Hawker Hurricane G-HURI will wear 302 Squadron code for the 2023 Season with the markings of F/Lt Tadeusz Chlopik (P2954 WX-E) on the Starboard side and W/Cdr Julian Kowalski (P3935 WX-D) on the Port side. The 302 Squadron markings have been kindly sponsored by Vintage Fabrics at Audley End. www.vintagefabrics.co.uk The Polish Heritage Flight is a volunteer project endorsed by the Historic Aircraft Collection. www.historicaircraftcollection.ltd.uk www.polishheritageflight.com Previous Next

bad99d02-ea4c-4449-a786-0be8a807ac14 Polish pilot’s exhibition in Kraków < Back A full size cut out photograph of Col Władysław Gnyś taken in 1938 forms part of the exhibition in front of the only PZL P. 11c in existence. A full size cut out photograph of Col Władysław Gnyś taken in 1938 forms part of the exhibition in front of the only PZL P. 11c in existence. Col Władysław Gnyś on the right with his sons Stefan and Ashley in 1996. A full size cut out photograph of Col Władysław Gnyś taken in 1938 forms part of the exhibition in front of the only PZL P. 11c in existence. 1/7 5 April 2023 Polish pilot’s exhibition in Kraków An exhibition in memory of Polish pilot Col Władysław Gnyś has opened in the Aviation Museum in Kraków. The exhibition includes a display of his medals, decorations and other artefacts, a full size cut out photograph of him taken in 1938 and an information board in Polish and English. These are all appropriately in front of a PZL P. 11c, believed to be the only one in existence. Władysław Gnyś is considered to be the first Allied pilot to have achieved an aerial victory in the Second World War. When Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939 he chased a formation of Dornier Do17s and two of these collided and crashed. It is officially assumed they we lost due to his action. Previous Next

The initial idea to erect a monument in memory of Polish airmen killed in action was first mooted in 1943 by Polish airmen based at RAF Northolt. The suggestion was for a small tablet to be placed within the aerodrome boundary with the names of the 31 Polish Air Force fighter pilots, including the Czech pilot Josef František, killed during the Battle of Britain. However, as the war progressed with increasing casualties, this concept was abandoned in favour of exploring a suitable alternative to honour all Polish airmen killed in action while under the command of the Royal Air Force during the war. Shortly after the war in Europe ended, some senior Polish Air Force officers formed a committee in the early summer of 1945 to co-ordinate the project to erect a Memorial. Chairman of this ‘Committee for the Erection of the Polish Air Force Memorial’ and the last Commander of the Polish Air Force in the West, was Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki. He was joined and supported by secretary Wing Commander Stefan Łaszkiewicz, treasurer Flight Lieutenant Włodzimierz Osiatyński and members Group Captain Jerzy Bajan and Group Captain Aleksander Gabszewicz. The Committee invited RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Roderic Hill to become its Honorary Chairman and also co-opted RAF Northolt Station Commander Group Captain Richard Ford onto the Committee. Coincidentally the famous Polish sculptor Mieczysław Lubelski was in London at the time, having recently been liberated from a German forced labour camp. Mieczysław Lubelski had previously created several monuments in Poland and was also active in Poland’s Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The Committee engaged Mieczysław Lubelski to design and plan the Memorial, which was budgeted to cost around £3,000. The Committee needed to raise funds and a public appeal was launched in July 1946 by the British newspaper publisher William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose. This was supported by Marshals of the RAF 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford and 1st Viscount Trenchard of Wolfeton. They wrote separate letters of support, published in the newspaper The DailyTelegraph, appealing to the British people to show their gratitude to the Polish airmen who flew in the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Europe. The fund raising was a huge success and by the end of 1946 the Committee had collected over £8,172, which included contributions from Polish and RAF veterans. At the same time the Committee was faced with some unexpected issues. Northolt aerodrome was being redeveloped and transferring to civilian control and the original site for the Memorial on the airfield lost its importance. The Committee had difficulty finding an alternative site in London and eventually reverted to seeking a location close to Northolt aerodrome. Middlesex County Council came to the rescue and donated a site on a peppercorn rent for 999 years where the Memorial now stands. The Ministry of Civil Aviation insisted the planned height of the Memorial be reduced by 4 feet. Also the Committee adopted a suggestion to include the names of the Polish airmen killed in action during the war under British command. Mieczysław Lubelski adapted his original simple design to accommodate the required reduction in height and the additional names, to be engraved on a stonewall directly behind the monument. By the end of 1947 the Committee had received all the necessary approvals and permissions from Middlesex County Council, and the local Ruislip and Northwood Urban District Council generously agreed to take on the future care of the monument. The casting of Mieczysław Lubelski’s sculptured bronze eagle and all lettering on the Memorial, was assigned to Morris Singer Company Ltd, recognised as the oldest fine art foundry in the world. The Memorial foundations and the associated stonework were entrusted to the specialist horticultural, estate and garden contractor William Wood & Son Ltd. The supply of stone and construction of the main Obelisk was contracted to Bath and Portland Stone Firms Ltd. Further unexpected issues arose, as the construction cost had considerably increased beyond the original estimate. To compensate for the rise it was agreed to substitute the Portland stone in the base of the Memorial with York stone. Also at the end of 1947 the Committee chairman Air Vice Marshal Mateusz Iżycki retired from active service and left the country. His role temporarily passed to Group Captain Jerzy Bajan, who a few months later had to relinquish the post for health reasons. The chairmanship was then taken on by Air Commodore Stanisław Karpiński in June 1948. Construction of the Memorial started in May 1948 and the foundation stone was laid in the presence of the Committee and other former Polish Air Force dignitaries. It was blessed by the Polish Air Force Chaplain Reverend Rafał Gogoliński-Elston. He had originally suggested the inscription on the rear of the Memorial, while Group Captain Aleksander Gabszewicz suggested the prominent Polish and English inscriptions on the front. Three and a half years after the war ended the Polish Air Force Memorial was unveiled on 2 November 1948, All Soul’s Day. The unveiling was performed by RAF Chief of the Air Staff Sir Arthur Tedder in the presence of Marshal of the RAF Lord Portal, the President of the Polish Republic in Exile August Zaleski and various dignitaries from the British Government and Polish, British and American Armed Forces and around 3,000 guests. The Polish Air Force Chaplain Reverend Rafał Gogoliński-Elston led the prayers after which wreaths were laid. The Committee for the Erection of the Polish Air Force Memorial, having achieved its objective, was subsequently disbanded. The responsibility for the Memorial, and the organisation of the annual ceremony of homage to the fallen Polish airmen, passed to the Polish Air Force Association (Initially Samopomoc Lotnicza, later known as Stowarzyszenie Lotników Polskich). The Polish Air Force Association was also formed in the summer of 1945, separate from the Memorial Erection Committee, primarily to look after the interests of the former Polish Air Force personnel in Exile. The Polish Air Force Association worked closely with Ruislip and Northwood Urban District Council, who generously maintained the Memorial for the next 17 years. In 1965, after the reformation of local government in London, the ownership and care and maintenance of the Memorial transferred to the newly formed London Borough of Hillingdon, an amalgamation of local areas, which included the Ruislip and Northwood Urban District Council. In the 1970s the Memorial faced an uncertain future, as plans emerged for it to be dismantled and rebuilt in an unspecified location. The area occupied by the Memorial was required as part of a major road improvement scheme at the junction of the A40 and A4180. Public meetings were held and local residents strongly objected to removing the Memorial. The protests were eventually successful and the junction improvement scheme was redesigned, leaving the Memorial intact and in its present format. In 1994 the Polish Air Force Association formed a ‘Memorial Renovation Committee’ to oversee necessary repairs, improvements and the restoration of the Memorial under the chairmanship of Tadeusz Dziewulski. An appeal was made to the public to help fund the renovation. This included a drainage system, the replacement of crumbling sandstone walls with granite and the addition of the names of Polish airmen killed in non-operational flights, bringing the total to 1877. An inscription was also added on the outer wall with the names of the 23 Polish airmen killed during the French campaign of 1940. The restored Memorial was rededicated on 6 September 1996 at the annual ceremony of homage to the fallen Polish airmen. This was in the presence of HRH the Duke of Gloucester and numerous British and Polish civilian and military dignitaries. These included Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy, Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier, who was Northolt Station Commander between September 1943 and March 1944, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Air Force, Divisional General Kazimierz Dziok, Air Vice Marshal Alexander Meisner, the Polish Ambassador in London, Ryszard Stemplowski and the last President of Poland in Exile Ryszard Kaczorowski. The Memorial was again refurbished in 2010 in time for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the annual ceremony to commemorate the fallen Polish airmen. The Polish Air Force Association Charitable Trust was disbanded in 2010 having fulfilled its obligation to look after the interests of former Polish Air Force personnel in Exile. The London Borough of Hillingdon retained ownership of the Memorial, while the responsibility for arranging the annual September ceremony passed to the new Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, which was formed by the Polish Air Force Association Charitable Trust as its designated and sole successor in this and other key remaining functions. In 2020 the London Borough of Hillingdon carried out further extensive refurbishment to the Memorial. This work included replacing the paved area around the ornamental pond with Yorkstone, major improvements to the drainage system and the restoration of many of the names of the fallen airmen engraved on the two granite walls. Also in 2020 Historic England amended and upgraded The Polish Air Force Memorial on the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest from Grade II to Grade II* status. Photos and relevant extracts from the magazine Skrzydła (Wings) in the slide show below, can be viewed and enlarged by double clicking the image then the arrows. If anyone has photographs of the Memorial under construction or early ceremonies they would like to share and be included in the album, please contact the PAFMC via email on the Contacts page. This post has been compiled from references to the two books Destiny Can Wait and The Polish Air Force At War - The Official History. The Polish Air Force Memorial Committee also acknowledges with thanks the considerable help of the London Borough of Hillingdon, Piotr Sikora, Wojtek Matusiak, Wojciech Zmyślony, Richard Kornicki, Nina Britton Boyle, RAF Northolt and Peter Devitt and Ewan Burnet at the RAF Museum, Hendon. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, but if anyone identifies any errors please advise the PAFMC via the email on the Contacts page. The front of the Polish Air Force Memorial prior to its major renovation in 1996. (Piotr Sikora archive) Skrzydła (Wings) no 479 (1 Apr 1946) page 8. Group Captain Aleksander Gabszewicz’s son Stefan Gabszewicz laid the wreath for 316 Squadron at the 59th Ceremony of Homage to Fallen Polish Airmen on 5 September 2019. Crown copyright. The front of the Polish Air Force Memorial prior to its major renovation in 1996. (Piotr Sikora archive) 1/44 The History of the Memorial

< Back Air Bridge Memorial Ceremony 1/8 2 Oct 2022 Air Bridge Memorial Ceremony 25 September by Jim Seymour I was honoured to represent the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee at the Air Bridge Remembrance Ceremony at the Commonwealth and Polish War Cemetery, Newark on Trent on Sunday 25 September. This service is held annually and commemorates the British, South African and Polish aircrews who flew missions in order to support the gallant Polish underground Home Army who had risen up against the Nazi occupying forces between August and October 1944. The exploits of Polish aircrews in fighter and bomber squadrons are rightly celebrated, however the Warsaw Air Bridge operation is perhaps not as well known and deserves to take it's place amongst some of the most heroic efforts of the Second World War. In order to maintain an essential flow of arms, ammunition, and medical supplies to the Polish Underground Home Army, 1568 Polish Special Duties Flight (later 301 Polish Bomber Squadron), based at Bari and Brindisi in Italy, commencing on 4 August flew missions using Halifax, Dakota and Liberator aircraft. These missions continued until 21 September and over 200 flights were made, with a terrible price being exacted. The aircraft had to fly round trips of 1,700 miles through areas strongly defended by enemy fighters. In order to drop accurately, the aircraft had to fly at low level, and at low speed, mainly at night thus presenting an easy target to enemy anti-aircraft gunners. Terrible losses were sustained, for example during the night of 4-5 August, 5 out of 7 aircraft were lost. The Uprising was fought for 63 days with very little external support, it was the single largest military effort undertaken by any European resistance movement during the Second World War. The gallant efforts of the Polish Home Army were doomed to failure with an estimated 15,200 Poles killed and missing in action with another 5,000 wounded. A total of 41 aircraft were destroyed and 250 airmen from the RAF, South African Air Force and Polish Air Force were lost. Pictured are the medals and decorations of Jim Auton, a sergeant navigator / bomb aimer with 178 Squadron RAF based in Italy in 1944. Jim participated in the Warsaw Air Bridge operation, most famously during the night of 13/14 August when he and the crew of Liberator KG873 spent over 45 minutes circling Warsaw in flames whilst coming under intense enemy fire - they would only turn for home when they were certain that their supplies could be dropped safely to the Polish resistance. Jim never forgot the sights he had witnessed and, after the war founded the Warsaw Air Bridge Charity and personally designed the monument to his fallen comrades, which was erected in Newark cemetery in 1989. For his work, he was described as a "true friend of Poland". Jim died, aged 95 in February 2020. He was awarded medals by six different countries and was one of the most highly decorated veterans of the Second World War. Lest we forget "Za Wolnosc" Jim Seymour RAF Liberator over the Eastern Front. Author Jim Auton MBE. ISBN 978 1 84415 729 7. Publisher Pen & Sword. https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAF-Liberator-Over-Eastern-Front/dp/1844157296 Previous Next

< Back PAF talk Pitzhanger Gallery Ealing 303Sqn Leconfield 303Sqn Leconfield 1/1 28 Dec 2022 PAF talk – Pitzhanger Gallery The Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery is hosting an evening talk ‘ For Your Freedom and Ours: Polish Air Force in the West’ by Polish Air Force Memorial Committee Chairman Richard Kornicki on Thursday 19 January at 18.00 at Ealing Green London W5 5EQ. All are welcome and more information and tickets can be found on the Pitzhanger website at this link https://www.pitzhanger.org.uk/whatson/polish-air-force-in-the-west/ Previous Next