Standing in the grounds of The Plough Inn at Plumpton Green, the impressive Polish memorial was once more the focal point for the annual gathering on Sunday afternoon.
Joining the Chailey Memorial trustees Richard Wells, Richard Whittle, Mary Whittle and Daniel Kington, flags of British and Polish veterans’ groups mingled in the fresh summer breeze, in an echo of the wartime spirit of comradeship over eighty years ago, when the skies above Sussex were patrolled by Polish fighter pilots, two of whom were killed in action.
Led by the Polish Embassy in London’s senior Defence Attaché Colonel Rafal Nowak, numerous wreaths and floral tributes were laid at the base of the memorial in remembrance of all Poles who fought and died protecting the freedom of a nation not their own.
A taste of living history was added to the occasion by some preserved wartime vehicles of the period and an exhibition on the Poles in British service by Sussex historians Marek and Beata Wierzbicki.
The annual commemoration forms an important bridge between the wartime Poles, who were left stateless at war’s end, their descendants and the new generation of Poles who have settled in the UK and may only have a limited awareness of the epic struggle their countrymen undertook for freedom in a country far from home.
The Chailey Polish Memorial is well worth a visit and the welcoming interior of The Plough contains many artefacts from the wartime airfield.
https://www.theploughatplumpton.co.uk
