POLONICA IN SCOTLAND

A Register of Polonica of the physical manifestations of the Polish presence in Scotland

WORLD WAR TWO

POLISH NAVY MEMORIAL AT PRESTWICK

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The origins of the Polish memorial at Prestwick can be traced back to the monument said to be erected by Polish airmen at Monkton in Ayrshire.

Discovered there in a dilapidated and vandalised condition the memorial was moved by Kyle and Carrick District Council in 1986 to its new site in the garden of the RAFA Club in Prestwick which fittingly overlooks the sea.

On the memorial there was a plaque

inscribed by Polish airmen:

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The memorial was repaired and placed on a new plinth. On the 2nd May 1987 the memorial was unveiled with a commemorative plaque inscribed by the Polish Naval, Air Force and Ex-Combatants' Associations.

On the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the ORP Orkan, (Hurricane) 8th October 1988, another commemorative plaque was fitted in memory of the Polish Navy, Merchant Navy and Coastal Command airmen who died in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Polish Navy – An Outline – click here

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For many years, on Polish Navy Day (10th February), at the memorial, in a ceremony that both Polish and Scottish ex-servicemen participate in, the memories of those that perished are remembered in a spirit of friendship and comradeship between Polish and Scottish ex-servicemen.

"FOR OUR FREEDOM

AND YOURS"

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Background information courtesy of the late Mr M Zawada, Stowarzyszenie Marynarki Wojennej - Chairman, Polish Naval Association in Glasgow.

PolonicaPrestwick.htm

Last modified 24 Mar 2013

© Copyright R M Ostrycharz 1998-2013