Poland in the UK

General Władysław Anders, Commander of the Polish II Corps during the Second World War and a prominent member of the Polish Government-in-Exile, was honoured twice on Friday: a bust of the general was unveiled at the National Army Museum, while a plaque was unveiled on his former home in Willesden.

The bust of the general is the first sculpture of a Polish commander to stand in the main museum of the British Army. It is an initiative of the daughter of Gen Anders and Poland's Ambassador to Italy, Anna Maria Anders, the Polish Ambassador to the UK, Arkady Rzegocki, the British Poles website, the General Władysław Anders Institute and the John Paul II Treasury Foundation, and it has been created thanks to donations from the public.

The monument, authored by sculptor Andrzej Pityński, was unveiled by Ambassador Anders in the presence of, among others, Ambassador Rzegocki, National Army Museum Director Justin Maciejewski, UK Minister of State for Trade Policy and MP for Chelsea and Fulham Greg Hands, historians Roger Moorhouse and Andrew Roberts as well as war veterans. The ceremony was accompanied by a panel discussion on Gen Anders, the Polish II Corps and their legacy.

"I am really happy and touched. Yesterday – a plaque at Ognisko Polskie, today – a bust of my father at the museum, this afternoon – a plaque on the house where I used to live. My dreams are coming true," said Ambassador Anders.

"As the Director of the National Army Museum in London, I am honoured to be able to receive this magnificent bust by Andrzej Pityński of General Władysław Anders into the National Collection of the United Kingdom. The fact that this bust was funded and gifted by the Polish Community and friends of Poland makes it especially powerful. It is a vivid symbol of the deep friendship between our two countries and our shared history in the cause of freedom. As the son of a Polish soldier who served in Italy under General Anders, this object touches me more deeply than I can say," said Justin Maciejewski.

"We are proud that another important place will appear on the map of Polish London – the bust of General Anders at the National Army Museum. It is thanks to the social initiative of Britain's Polish community and hundreds of people who supported the fundraising campaign that it was possible to find a worthy place commemorating one of the most important and distinguished generals in Polish history. Poles in the UK will have a good reason to take their children to the army museum and tell the story of the II Corps and Polish-British cooperation. The display of the bust of General Anders at a permanent exhibition at this extremely prestigious London museum will also be a powerful symbol of the close friendship between Poland and the United Kingdom," said George Byczynski from British Poles.

Also on Friday, a memorial plaque dedicated to the general was unveiled on the building in 78 Brondesbury Park, which General Anders had bought shortly after the end of the war and where he lived until his death in 1970. The plaque, an initiative of the Polish Heritage Society and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, commemorates the role of the general in liberating 120,000 Poles from the USSR and capturing Monte Cassino. It also marks his role as Commander of the Polish II Corps and mentions that he was a member of the Polish Government-in-Exile.

"General Anders was a brilliant battlefield commander, a remarkable man, and a Polish national hero," said Dr Marek Stella-Sawicki, Chairman of the Polish Heritage Society. "The Polish Heritage Society is delighted to have played its part in commemorating his extraordinary life and his contribution both to Poland and to the country that became his home after the war."

"I am extremely proud that General Władysław Anders was honoured twice in London today. The bust of this legendary Polish commander and national hero at the National Army Museum in London is a wonderful tribute to one of the most outstanding figures in Polish history, whose courage, strength and leadership contributed to the Allied victory during the Second World War. I am happy that the general is considered important not only by Poles, but also by the British, and I am grateful to Director Justin Maciejewski for accepting the bust into the museum. I would also like to thank Ambassador Anna Maria Anders, British Poles, the General Władysław Anders Institute, the John Paul II Treasury Foundation, the late Andrzej Pityński and all Poles and friends of Poland thanks to whom this monument was created and placed in the National Army Museum," said Ambassador Rzegocki.

"The plaque in Brondesbury Park dedicated to the general wonderfully reminds us of the place where the general lived for many years. I am very grateful to the Polish Heritage Society for another fruitful initiative to commemorate a great Polish figure in the United Kingdom and I hope that in the future there will be even more such plaques, so that Polish memorials can be found in every corner of the United Kingdom," added Ambassador Rzegocki.

The bust of General Anders' is available to view for free at the National Army Museum in London.

Polish Embassy UK Press Office