Commemoration of the 82nd Anniversary of Warsaw Flight during the Uprising

05.09.2026

On September 5, the main event commemorating the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising and the Warsaw Flights took place at the Katyń Monument in Johannesburg.

Piotr Kruze, Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Poland in South Africa, lays a wreath at the Katyń Monument; a large crowd of guests is visible in the background.

The event was organized by the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Organizing Committee in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Air Force, Polish diaspora associations in South Africa, the diplomatic corps, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, and South African citizens.

The ceremony was led by Martin Urry, Chairman of the Warsaw Flights Commemoration Organizing Committee. An ecumenical service was jointly conducted by Father Marcin Kędzia and Pastor Robin Petersen. Speeches were delivered by Piotr Kruze, Head of the Political-Economic Section at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria, and Kristian Schmidt, the EU Ambassador-designate to Pretoria. The attendees honored the memory of the fallen airmen, insurgents, and residents of Warsaw with a minute of silence.

The national anthems of South Africa and Poland were played during the ceremony. The formal laying of wreaths at the Katyń Monument in Johannesburg concluded the first part of the event.

The commemorations continued at the National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg, where invited guests attended a reception. Approximately 200 people participated in the event.

Photos: Consul Robert Rusiecki / Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria

Photos (6)

A large crowd of participants attending the commemoration of the Warsaw Flights sits attentively on light-grey plastic chairs beneath old, spreading trees, listening to speeches; the ceremony is taking place outdoors in a Johannesburg park; parked cars are visible in the background.

Piotr Kruze, Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Poland in South Africa, addresses the gathered guests; he stands at a lectern; three South African scouts are visible in the background.

Kristian Schmidt, EU Ambassador-designate to Pretoria, lays a wreath at the Katyń Monument; a large crowd of guests is visible in the background.

A group of scouts lays a wreath at the Katyń Monument; event guests and parked cars are visible in the background.

Wreaths and flowers lying at the foot of the Katyń Monument; the Katyń Monument.