The “Polish Wings” exhibition is currently on display at the Ulster Aviation Society in Lisburn. The exhibition is curated by For Your Freedom and Ours, a social enterprise that facilitates shared history projects commemorating the legacy of the Polish Airmen who served in Northern Ireland during the Second World War and played a vital role in the UK’s victory in the Battle of Britain, as well as commemorating prominent Poles throughout Irish history.

The Polish Airmen circumvented the Nazi-occupation of Poland in 1939, escaping to the UK and eventually creating an independent Air Force and joining the RAF. They then formed the most successful squadrons during the Battle of Britain, shooting down more enemy aircraft than any other RAF squadron.

Polish No. 303 and 315 Squadrons were based in Ballyhalbert, County Down between 1943 and 1944, and their legacy is prominent throughout Northern Ireland. In total, 18 Polish Airmen are laid to rest in locations here.

The exhibit contains a timeline of all events related to the Polish Air Force during the war and memorabilia, bringing important parts of Northern Ireland’s history to life.

Launching the exhibition, the Consul General of Poland, Pawel Majewski acknowledged the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Northern Ireland.

Mr Majewski sees it as our collective duty to remember the sacrifice of the Polish Airmen who gave their lives to defend freedom.

“This exhibition helps to remember these Polish pilots and tell the story of the Polish Air-Force in Ireland, whose history has been left largely untold in recent years,” he said.

“The heroism of Polish Airmen fighting in British Planes while training on Northern Irish soil is a testament to the long-standing co-operation between Polish and local communities.”

Prior to the launch of the exhibition, For Your Freedom and Ours unveiled its memorial restoration of Warrant Officer Stanisław Grondowski’s new stone memorial, commemorating the No. 315 Polish Pilot that fatally crashed near Lisburn’s Plantation Road in 1943.

Maciek Bator, Project Manager of For Your Freedom and Ours, expressed his gratitude to the partners, supporters and volunteers who made the project possible.

“It is very motivating to see more and more people paying genuine interest in the shared history between Poland, Ireland and the UK.” He added: “This is definitely having a positive and tangible impact on relationship building and helps to keep the Polish Airmen stories from being forgotten.”

For Your Freedom and Ours, in coordination with the Ulster Aviation Society, Queen’s University Belfast and Aviation Historian, Jonny McNee, will also be conducting an investigation of Warrant Officer Grondowski’s crash site location in Lisburn at the end of October to see if more materials can be uncovered.

No doubt, it is necessary to showcase the history of locals in the war. It is also important to remember who our friends are and who we share our histories with.

The “Polish Wings” exhibition is now permanently on display at the Ulster Aviation Society for all to enjoy. The Poles sacrificed so much to defend Northern Ireland during the war and the new exhibition now gives people the opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge their efforts in a shared space.

Their sacrifices are not forgotten.

 

Michael Avila is Project Co-ordinator at For Your Freedom and Ours.