Polish Air Force Memorial
Polish Air Force Memorial | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
For casualties of the Polish Air Force in the Second World War | |
Unveiled | 1948 |
Location | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Official name | Polish Air Force Memorial |
Designated | 30 August 2002 (Grade II) 8 September 2020 (Grade II*) |
Reference no. | 1088113 |
The Polish Air Force Memorial
Junction and landmark status
The memorial is partly next to the lesser road interfacing roundabout above the
The term "Polish War Memorial" commonly extends to the arterial underpass and roundabout. The precise coordinates of the eagle finial are given, to six decimal places.History
Officers from the
The monument was designed by the celebrated Polish
The main elements of the memorial are made from
The pool and column are surrounded by a
The completed memorial was unveiled on 2 November 1948 by one Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, after a speech from a second, Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford: they were respectively the current and former Chief of the Air Staff. In his speech, Lord Portal said that it was a sad blow that many Polish veterans were unable to return home, as their country had been occupied by the Soviet Union. He added that it would be to the mutual advantage of Britons and Poles that the latter were to make their home in Britain.[4] The unveiling was attended by August Zaleski, president of the Polish Republic in Exile, and further 3,000 dignitaries and guests. Prayers were led by the Polish Air Force Chaplain, Reverend Rafał Gogoliński-Elston.
Refurbishment and extension
Originally the names of 1,243 Polish airmen who died during the war were inscribed on the monument, all killed on active service. Subsequently, another 659 Poles were identified whose names should be on the monument. By the 1990s the monument needed refurbishment, so in 1994 an appeal was launched to fund the work. At the same time the opportunity was taken to extend the monument to add the 659 missing names, and adding 23 Polish airmen killed in the Battle of France in 1940. Deteriorating sandstone panels which listed the names of the war dead were replaced with granite, and new dedicatory panels in English and Polish were added. In 1996 the work was completed and the Duke of Gloucester rededicated the enlarged, refurbished monument.[4]
Opening and upgrade ceremonies
The monument was unveiled in 1948. It became a Grade II listed building in 2002 and was upgraded to Grade II* in September 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.[6]
Presidential visits
Three Presidents of Poland have laid a wreath the monument: Lech Wałęsa in 1991, Aleksander Kwaśniewski in 2004 and Andrzej Duda in 2015.[7][8] The monument was refurbished in 2010 in time for the 70th anniversary of the
Garden
On 5 September 2015, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a Polish War Memorial Garden was opened behind the monument by the leader of Hillingdon Borough Council, Ray Puddifoot, and the Polish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Witold Sobków. It includes a separate plaque in both English and Polish.[10]
Other Polish war memorials
Twenty-one other memorials to Polish World War II contributions exist in the UK – many near major war cemeteries – and some other cemeteries have more than one such memorial.
Gallery
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Some of the names at the rear of the monument
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Rear sunken walkway and curved memorial walls
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Memorial after 2010 refurbishment
See also
- Grade II* listed war memorials in England
- List of public art in Hillingdon
- Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain
References
- ^ "Polish Air Force Memorial. Part of the Polish Air Force Heritage Trail". London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- ^ "Polish Air Force Memorial". London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Polish Air Force Memorial upgraded to Grade* listed status". gov.pl. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "Polish War Memorial". War memorials. London Borough of Ealing. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ "Polish War Memorial". Parks and open spaces. London Borough of Hillingdon. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England, "The Polish Air Force Memorial, at the Junction with Western Avenue (1088113)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 14 July 2016
- ^ "Polish president welcomed to UK". BBC News. 5 May 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Battle of Britain Day: Polish president pays respect at Polish war memorial in Ruislip". MyLondon News. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ Clementine, Katherine (11 September 2015). "Polish war memorial remembrance garden opened to mark 75 years since Battle of Britain". Uxbridge Gazette. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- Polish Air Force Memorial, War Memorials Register, Imperial War Museums
- Polish Air Force Memorial, Hillingdon Council
- Polish Air Force Memorial, War Memorials Online
External links
- "The Polish War Memorial, Northolt". Places of Interest. Battle of Britain London Monument.
- Polish War Memorial At Ruislip Online (Inc. many images)
- Polish Air Force Memorial Committee
- Polish Air Force Memorial Unveiling on 2nd November 1948, video on YouTube, the RAF Museum, Hendon