Poland in South Africa

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Air Force, Polish associations in South Africa, the diplomatic corps, the Polish Embassy in Pretoria, and South African citizens.

The ceremony was led by Martin Urry, chairman of the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Organizing Committee. The ecumenical service was celebrated jointly by Polish priest, Father Radosław Szymoniak and Pastor Robin Petersen, son-in-law of one of the participants of "Warsaw Flights", the late pastor Bryan Jones.

Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Adam Burakowski delivered a commemorative speech in which he paid tribute to the fallen pilots who sacrificed their young lives to bring hope and help to the besieged Warsaw. The memory of the heroic pilots and their contribution to the liberation of Poland will remain alive in the hearts of Poles forever. Mr Ambassador also recalled that 80 years ago, the government of the Union of South Africa welcomed a group of 500 Polish children and their guardians, survivors of deportation to Siberia, and gave them safe shelter in Oudtshoorn. Mr Ambassador also referred to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

Ambassador Victor Zazeraj, who served as the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Poland in 1995-1999, also delivered a speech. He referred to the support provided to fighting Warsaw by South African pilots during the Warsaw Uprising, support that was full of examples of superhuman heroism, but which was also of great importance for the insurgents and the besieged Warsaw. Ambassador Zazeraj also referred to contemporary challenges and threats related to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, an ongoing war that devastates Ukraine, just like World War II, which swept across almost all of Europe. He emphasized the enormous support and selfless help provided by the Polish society and the Polish government to the fighting Ukraine and millions of Ukrainian refugees who were forced to leave their country and look for a safe shelter.

During the ceremony, the anthems of Poland and South Africa were played. The gathered participants honoured the memory of the fallen pilots with a minute of silence. The ceremonial laying of wreaths at the Katyn Monument in Johannesburg and the flight of a SAAF aircraft closed the first part of this event.

The celebration continued at the South African Military History Museum in Johannesburg. Invited guests took part in a special reception and could also see the exhibition "Trails of Hope. "Odyssey of Freedom" - the flagship project of the Institute of National Remembrance, which aims to commemorate the battle route of the Polish Armed Forces during World War II and the fate of the civilian population evacuated from the USSR together with General Anders' army. Thanks to the efforts of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, the exhibition is part of the permanent display of the South African Military History Museum in Johannesburg.

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