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POLISH NAVY MEMORIAL

The Polish Navy Memorial is in the Memorial Garden beneath the Belvedere on Plymouth Hoe.  It is the only such memorial in the UK.

It is inscribed: ~ In memory of the Officers and Men of the Polish Navy who gave their lives fighting alongside their British comrades 1939 - 1945.  This tablet has been erected by voluntary subscription opposite the site occupied by Polish Navy Barracks during the War ~

The memorial was designed and created by Mr M Lubelski. 

In memory of the officers and men of the Polish Navy who gave their lives fighting alongside their British comrades 1939-1945

It was unveiled in 1950 and was at that time affixed to the wall of the Royal Dockyard outside Fore Street Gate, Devonport.  It was facing the site of huts that formed the Polish Navy Barracks.

The vessels are listed as:

ORP. DRAGON
ORP. CONRAD
ORP. GROM
ORP. BLYSKAWICA
ORP. BURZA
ORP. GARLAND
ORP. PIORUN
ORP. ORKAN
ORP. KRAKOWIAK
ORP. KUJAWIAK
ORP. SLAZAK		 FS. OURAGAN
FS. MEDOC
FS. POMEROI
ORP. ORZEL
ORP. WILK
ORP. SOKOL
ORP. JASTRZAB
ORP. DZIK
MGBs: S.1-10
P. 1-12
CH.11
CH. 15

ORP Garland was a Royal Navy vessel that was leased in 1940 to the Polish Navy.  The FS Ouragan, Medoc and Pomeroi were former French ships.

When the Admiralty took over much of the Fore Street area of Devonport, the memorial ended up inside the Dockyard, out of view to any visitors.  Even so, an annual remembrance service was still in front of the memorial.  However, this was very inconvenient and so the memorial was moved to the exterior wall by the Dockyard Gate at Albert Road, where it was unveiled on November 23rd 1969 by the Admiral-Superintendent of the Dockyard, Rear-Admiral D B H Wildish.

Also present were the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, Alderman & Mrs Graham Jinks; the Flag-Officer, Plymouth, Vice-Admiral Anthony Griffin; and representatives from the Polish Navy, Army and Air Force Associations, the Polish Eagle Club, the British Legion and the Round Table. 

 

Copyright: Brian Moseley, Plymouth, UK

Page created: 15 July 2006

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