Poland in South Africa

In connection with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction by the South African government of restrictive rules regarding the organization of mass events and participation of the public in cultural events, exceptionally this year, the celebrations were held in the Catholic church of St. Joseph the Worker in Norwood, and not at the Katyn Monument and the Military History Museum in Johannesburg, as traditionally for many years.

The ceremony was attended by representatives 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, and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria.

The event was led by Martin Urry, chairman of the Warsaw Flights Organizing Committee. The occasional speech was delivered by the Polish Ambassador Andrzej Kanthak. In his speech, the Ambassador paid tribute to the South African pilots who without hesitation sacrificed their young lives to bring hope and liberation to the beleaguered Warsaw. He also stressed that the memory of the heroic pilots and their contribution to the liberation of Poland would remain alive in the hearts of Poles forever. The Ambassador also drew attention to the problems and threats of the modern world, the reviving nationalism, totalitarianism, hate speech and the disappearance of traditional values.

The ceremonial laying of wreaths closed the celebrations.

The event was webcast. The recording is available on the Committee's website at http://www.facebook.com/WarsawFlightsCommemoration2020.

More information on the history of the "Warsaw Flights" and the South African airmen can be found on the South African Air Force Museum website: https://saafmuseum.org.za/398/.

 

Photos: Grażyna Koornhof / Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria