Polish Air Force Memorial

The memorial was erected in 1948 to commemorate the contribution of airmen from Poland who aided the allies in the Second World War. It records the names of the 1,241 Polish people who died in operational sorties during the course of the war.

Made partly of Portland stone and polished granite, it has bronze lettering and a bronze eagle - the symbol of the Polish Air Force.

The remembrance garden was created in the field adjacent to the memorial in 2015.

• Hillingdon reference: HWM003 
• Imperial war museum number: 2276
• War commemorated: WW2
• Ward: South Ruislip
• Description: Bronze eagle surmounts tall square column placed in centre of screen facing a pond. York stone paved. Low curved wall behind column bears names. Gates in front bear historical inscription panels. Flanked by Polish and RAF flags, Polish and RAF air force eagles on gate posts. Significant restoration and alterations in 1996 and 2020. Inscription:

1940/ 1945/ POLISH AIR FORCE/ FIGHTER SQDNS/ (LIST OF SQDNS)/ BATTLE OF BRITAIN/ BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC/ DIEPPE/ WESTERN DESERT/ ITALY/ FRANCE/ BELGIUM/ HOLLAND/ GERMANY/ TO THE MEMORY OF/ FALLEN POLISH AIRMEN/ (Polish translation) 

 

Reverse
I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED MY COURSE/ I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH/ II TIM IV 2  

 

Plaque, right
THIS MEMORIAL/ COMMEMORATES THE 2165 POLISH AIRMEN/ WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN WORLD WAR II/ FIGHTING ALONGSIDE THE WESTERN ALLIES THE POLISH AIR FORCE IN GREAT BRITAIN/ WAS FORMED IN 1940/ FROM AIRMEN WHO/ AFTER THE FALL OF POLAND IN 1939/ HAD ESCAPED TO FRANCE WHERE THEY FOUGHT/ UNTIL ITS COLLAPSE, AND FROM POLES LIVING IN/ THE USA, CANADA, ARGENTINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES/ THEIR RANKS WERE INCREASED BY POLES RELEASED/ FROM THE SOVIET LABOUR CAMPS AND SIBERIAN EXILE./ IN ALL, SOME 17,000 MEN AND WOMEN SERVED/ IN THE POLISH AIR FORCE, WHICH COMPRISED 16/ OPERATIONAL FLYING SQUADRONS THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED IN 1948 AND/ SUBSTANTIALLY RESTORED IN 1996/ FROM PUBLIC DONATIONS./ IT IS ADJACENT TO THE ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION/ NORTHOLT, WHICH WAS THE MAIN BASE FOR THE/ POLISH FIGHTER SQUADRONS DURING THE/ BATTLE OF BRITAIN ON LEFT GATE POST: (Polish translation) 

• Level of protection: Listed Grade 2
• Condition: Good
• Maintenance ownership: Hillingdon Council
• Architect/designer: Mieczyslaw Lubelski 1948, Tadeusz Dziewulski 1996
• Date first unveiled: 2 November 1948 
• Information provided by: Hillingdon Council / UKNIWM
• Date of photograph: To be confirmed
• Access: No appointment needed