Poland in the UK

“Still on Patrol - the story of ORP Orzeł” is a 12-minute documentary presenting the story of the legendary Polish submarine which during World War II docked in Rosyth. The port of Rosyth is the current headquarters of Babcock International Group, the company responsible for the construction of Polish Navy frigates as part of the “Miecznik” programme for the Polish government. ORP Orzeł became famous fleeing from internment in Estonia and sailing without either navigation or maps to Scotland. One of the most notable successes of ORP Orzeł was sinking the transporter "Rio de Janeiro" carrying German troops within the Weserübung operation to Norway. The information provided by "Orzel" was crucial in indicating the German invasion of Norway.

The short film includes commentaries from Roger Pickering – a historian, one of the initiators of the ORP Orzeł Memorial in Scotland, Patrick Carnie – a strategist from Babcock International Group in Rosyth and Ric Dekkers, a retired captain of the Dutch Navy, currently adviser to the Damen Naval Shipbuilding Group, which originally built ORP just before World War II. Subsequently, Consul General Łukasz Lutostański provides a commentary on the unwavering cooperation between the Polish and British Navy. The film uses numerous archival photos from the collections of Damen Naval, the Naval Museum in Gdynia, the Sikorski Institute in London, as well as some archival recordings from the Polish Radio, i.e. statements of one of the sailors from December 1939, who talks about the circumstances of a dramatic escape from Tallinn to Rosyth. The film also features many contemporary shots of the Firth of Forth, which was used by ORP Orzeł when going on patrols in the North Sea.

Numerous guests were present at the premiere of the film, including our main partners of the ORP Orzeł Memorial Project, Babcock International Group and Fife County representatives as well as the Regional Commander of the Royal Navy. Also present that evening were representatives of Polish Saturday schools and other organizations, such as the Historical Club in Glasgow, the Veterans Memorial Group, the Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, the Polish Club in Kirkcaldy, the Polish Association in Aberdeen, the Scottish Polish Cultural Association, MAPA Trust as well as Polish Ex-Servicemen’s Club (SPK) in Edinburgh.

Following the screening and a historical talk by the Consul General Łukasz Lutostański on the contribution of the Polish Navy in the fight against the Third Reich alongside the Royal Navy, Hubert Jando from the Research Centre of Naval Techniques, presented his trials and chances of finding the ORP Orzeł at the bottom of the North Sea. 

The event ended with an official presentation of the trailer of “Orzeł. The last patrol”, the latest Polish film by Aura Films on the story of the submarine which, upon the initiative of the Consulate General in Edinburgh, will be shown in Scotland later this year.