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The National Memorial Arboretum contains 130 major war tributes, and this was the first one ever dedicated to the Poles killed in the Second World War.

It was unveiled by the Duke of Kent on 19 Sept 2009 - a date to co-incide with the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War 2.

Polish RAF pilots

Poles in Staffordshire

Over 120,000 Polish veterans settled in Britain after the war, unable to return home for threat of imprisonment or death at the hands of the Russians now occupying their country.Ìý

Many came to live and work in Staffordshire & South Cheshire where 'White Eagle' clubs were set up in local towns as community centres for the new immigrants.

Among them was Felix Kendrick, who served in the Polish Army and Navy, and now lives in Lichfield. Click here to see what he thinks about the new Polish memorial:-

To learn more of the history of the Polish community in this area, please click the link on the right-hand side of this page.

Polish War veteran Feliks Keidrowski

However, the Poles' contribution to Britain’s freedom has often been overlooked. On one 'day of shame' for the Allies, Poles were excluded from the great 1946 Victory Parade in London (when over 130 other Allied nations were represented) - in order to appease Stalin's Russia, which may have been offended at their inclusion.

It is to right this impression that the Polish Armed Forces Memorial project was created.

The Memorial

The statue stands in the grounds of the National Memorial Arboretum and was designed and sculpted by Polish artist Robert Sobocinski.Ìý It's the biggest on the site after the main, central national memorial.

The idea is based around the concept of four bronze soldiers, who represent typical members of the different branches of the Polish Armed Forces: the Air Force, the Army, the Navy and the Polish Underground Home Army.

HRH The Duke of Kent admires the statue

The Airman is a Polish pilot from RAF 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain; the Underground figure is a woman courier wearing civilian clothes.Ìý The Army is represented by a typical Polish soldier from the battle of Monte-Cassino and the sailor is a crew member of the Polish destroyer BÅ‚yskawica.

Above the four figures stands the symbol of the Polish Eagle (the Polish State emblem), uniting all four sculptures under its outspread wings.

Around it a number of curved walls are placed. On each is inscribed histories of the Polish war effort, including accounts of the Katyn massacres and the Warsaw Uprising.

The memorial was wholly constructed in Poland and shipped over to Staffordshire.

Poland at War

World War 2 began after Britain and France declared war on Germany following the Nazis' attack on Poland on the 1st September 1939.

Poland put up a brave fight against the German forces in the West but their resistance finally fell on Sept 17th 1939, when the Soviet Union invaded from the East. Poland was to remain under occupation - partly by the Germans, partly by the Russians - for the rest of the war.

Polish serviceman retreated to France where they formed a new 80 thousand strong army to fight alongside the French, when the Germans breached French defensive lines in May 1940.

Polish Armed Forces memorial

Poland fielded the fourth largest allied army fighting the Nazis across Europe. They served with the Allies from the first day of the conflict until the last.

After France was taken, thousands of Poles escaped to Britain. They included many Polish airmen and pilots who went on to take down enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain. Some 500,000 members of the Polish forces fought in WW2 under British command.

More Poles died as a percentage of its population than any other country, but at the end of the War they saw their country lose its freedom to the Soviet Union. The Poles remained under Soviet domination until the 1980s.

Memorial - and education

The Memorial is designed to act not only as a tribute to those Poles who fought and lost their lives, but also as an educational tool for visitors to learn about the history of the allied Polish Forces. It will have a series of plaques mounted on it, describing the Polish contribution to the Second World War.

A book ‘First to Fight’Ìý was produced to accompany the dedication of the memorial. It recounts Poland’s six year struggle, and includes personal stories from the Poles who fought.

A second edition of the book is being produced already and local Poles are invited toÌý contribute their own personal stories and recollections of the Poles in the War.
EmailÌý andrew.baud@talapr.co.ukÌý for more details.