Poland in the UK

On 6 November, in Newark-on-Trent, as part of the ceremonies of farewell to the Presidents of the Republic of Poland in Exile, a Holy Mass will take place at the St Mary Magdalene Church (NG24 1JS).   Due to safety regulations, participation in the Holy Mass will be limited to people who have received an invitation. However, all those who would like to pay tribute to the Presidents will be able to do so in front of the church immediately after the end of the Holy Mass, which is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm.

 

The remains of Władysław Raczkiewicz, August Zaleski and Stanisław Ostrowski, which are buried in Newark Cemetery, will be returned to their homeland as part of an initiative to establish a mausoleum of the Polish presidents-in-exile in Warsaw.

The three were among six Polish presidents who led the exiled governments during and after the Second World War when Poland was invaded and subsequently occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

The ceremonies will begin with a wreath-laying in the cemetery followed by a memorial mass at the St Mary Magdalene Church and an event at Newark Town Hall before the bodies of the presidents will depart for Poland.

Among those attending will be Newark Town Mayor Cllr Laurence Goff, Jan Dziedziczak, the Polish Government’s Plenipotentiary for Poles Abroad, Wojciech Labuda, the Polish Prime Minister’s Plenipotentiary for Memorial Site Protection, representatives of Poland’s defence ministry, Polish Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, families of Polish presidents-in-exile, and the last surviving member of the Polish government-in-exile, Tadeusz Musioł.

The presidents will rest in the Polish capital’s Temple of Divine Providence, which houses the remains of some of the greatest Poles in history and is a national and religious symbol for Poland. The mausoleum will also host the remains of Poland’s last president-in-exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, who is already buried in the temple’s Pantheon of Great Poles, and next to them will be the symbolic graves of the two other presidents-in-exile: Kazimierz Sabbat, who is buried in London’s Gunnersbury Cemetery, and Edward Raczyński, who rests in the family mausoleum in Rogalin, western Poland.

Alongside the mausoleum, a chamber dedicated to the presidents-in-exile will be established.

The burial will be preceded by funeral ceremonies on 12 November featuring the highest state representatives of Poland.

The "Mission: Free Poland" educational and informational project is an initiative of the "Aid to Poles in the East" Foundation, the Polish prime minister’s office, Poland’s foreign and defence ministries, the Institute of National Remembrance, and the Temple of Divine Providence. It has the patronage of Poland’s president Andrzej Duda and is organised as part of the commemorations of the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, which was in 2018. Newark Town Council is assisting in the process of exhumation and repatriation.

Speaking about the initiative, Ambassador Wilczek said: “Władysław Raczkiewicz, August Zaleski and Stanisław Ostrowski were remarkable figures in Poland’s resistance movement. Together with their governments and the émigré community, they were the key to keeping alive the Polish spirit, activity and identity during some of the darkest years in Polish history. They fought so hard for Poland’s independence, yet none lived to see the country become a free nation in 1989. To see them return home after so many years will be deeply moving.”

The Mayor of Newark added: “As Mayor of Newark, I am especially proud of Newark’s strong connections with Poland. It will be a real honour and privilege to be representing Newark throughout the various events planned to mark the repatriation of these 3 presidents in exile. The Polish war graves area of Newark cemetery is immaculately maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and every effort is made to ensure the final resting places of a large number of Polish servicemen are looked after in testament and tribute to them. On behalf of Newark, I extend my very warmest regards to the people of Poland as they mark the return of the 3 Presidents to their homeland. I also look forward to continuing to celebrate Newark’s respect and appreciation for our Polish links as we plan for the creation and installation of a statue of General Sikorski in Newark Cemetery which is expected to be officially unveiled next year.”

The Polish government-in-exile was the legitimate state representation of Poland from the authorities’ evacuation in 1939 until 1990. Reconstructed first in ‪Paris, and from 1940 residing in ‪‎London, it led the Polish ‪war effort throughout ‪the Second World War.

Following the war, its existence gave hope that Poland might one day topple the communist occupier and regain freedom. It represented the preservation of the Republic’s sovereignty and constitutional continuity. In 1990, president Kaczorowski handed over the presidential insignia to the first democratically elected president of post-war Poland – Lech Wałęsa.

Together with a 500,000-strong community of Polish exiles in all corners of the free world who could not return to ‪Poland after 1945, the government-in-exile recreated the Poland they knew from before the war, with all her political institutions, school system, and even cultural life. They created the Republic in Exile – Poland outside Poland.

The office of president was held by: Władysław Raczkiewicz (1939-1947), August Zaleski (1947-1972), Stanisław Ostrowski (1972-1979), Edward Raczyński (1979-1986), Kazimierz Sabbat (1986-1989), and Ryszard Kaczorowski (1989-1990).

Newark and Poland enjoy long-standing and much-celebrated relations.

The Polish War Graves Section of Newark Cemetery is the largest Polish plot of any cemetery in the UK. Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister Gen Władysław Sikorski, who opened it in 1941 and was laid to rest there, was also exhumed and repatriated home. Meanwhile, a statue of Polish Righteous Among the Nations Irena Sendler, who saved hundreds of Jewish children during the war, stands in Newark's Fountain Gardens.

Polish Embassy UK Press Office / Newark and Sherwood District Council