Commemoration of the 78th anniversary of "Warsaw Flights"
03.09.2022
The Organizing Committee of "Warsaw Flights" in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria commemorated the heroism of the South African Air Force and Allied airmen who participated in the military missions to support the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
The celebrations of the 78th anniversary of "Warsaw Flights" took place on September 3, 2022 at the Katyń Monument in Johannesburg. The ceremony was attended by numerous representatives (around 200 participants) of the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Air Force, South African and Polish combatants with their families, Polish associations of Polish diaspora in South Africa, the diplomatic corps, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. The head of the Political and Economic Department, Jarosław Spyra, gave an occasional speech in which he paid tribute to the fallen airmen who without hesitation sacrificed their young lives to bring hope and aid to the beleaguered Warsaw. The memory of the heroic pilots and their contribution to the liberation of Poland will remain alive in the hearts of Poles forever.
The celebrations were moderated by Martin Urry, chairman of the Organizing Committee of the "Warsaw Flights" event. The national anthems of South Africa and Poland were played during the ceremony. The gathered participants honoured the memory of the fallen airmen with a minute's silence. The ceremonial laying of wreaths at the Katyń Memorial in Johannesburg and the flight of the SAAF plane concluded the first part of this memorable event.
The commemoration event continued at the South African National War Museum in Johannesburg. The invited guests took part in the occasional party, and could also see the exhibition "Trails of Hope. Odyssey of Freedom ” - the flagship project of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, which aims to commemorate the combat route of the Polish Armed Forces during World War II and the fate of the civilian population evacuated from the USSR together with the army of General Anders. Thanks to the efforts of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, the exhibition is now part of the permanent exhibition of the South African National War Museum in Johannesburg.
Photos: Michał Gierwatowski/Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria
