Poland in South Africa

The event was organised by the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Organising Committee in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. The event was attended by representatives of the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Air Force, Polish associations, Polish diaspora in South Africa, the diplomatic corps, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, as well as South African citizens.

The ceremonies were moderated by Martin Urry, chairman of the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Organising Committee. The ecumenical service was jointly celebrated by the Polish priest Radosław Szymoniak and pastor Robin Petersen. The gathered participants honoured the memory of the fallen pilots with a minute of silence. The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Adam Burakowski gave a speech in which he paid tribute to the fallen pilots and recalled that in 1943 the government of the Union of South Africa accepted a group of 500 Polish children and their guardians who had survived deportation to Siberia. He spoke about the two totalitarian systems that enslaved Poland and Poles and the crimes committed by the German and Soviet occupiers against Polish citizens during World War II. The director of the Warsaw Uprising Museum, Paweł Ukielski spoke about the heroism of South African pilots who helped the insurgents in very difficult times for Poles, as well as about commemorating their sacrifice in Poland. He emphasized that annual celebrations are held in Poland to commemorate their heroic military missions during the Warsaw Rising.

The Polish and South African anthems were played during the commemoration and 4 military aircrafts from the world war II era flew over the Katyn Monument and the gathered guests. The ceremonial laying of wreaths at the Katyn Monument in Johannesburg closed the first part of the event.

The celebrations continued at the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg. The guests took part in a special reception, watched performances by the Polish folklore group Orzeł Biały, and viewed the exhibition "Warsaw Uprising 1944". The event was attended by over 200 people.

Photos: Grażyna Koornhof/Polish Embassy in Pretoria