The Diplomat
Veterans and Polish civil servants participated yesterday in the events organized by the Government of Gibraltar to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the death in a plane crash of the former Prime Minister of Poland in exile during World War II, General Wladyslaw Sikorski.
On July 4, 1943, the Liberator bomber, carrying General Sikorski, crashed into the sea immediately after takeoff from Gibraltar, killing five crew members and eleven passengers, the pilot being the only survivor.
Every year, Gibraltar pays tribute, at Punta Europa, to General Sikorski, considered one of the most prominent figures in Polish life, and, on this occasion, he wanted to give it greater prominence on the 80th anniversary of the accident. Joining the Gibraltarian authorities were the British Governor, David Steel, and a group of Polish veterans and civil servants.
As reported by the Government of the Rock, among the Polish attendees were Karol Nawrocki, president of the Polish Institute of National Memory; Jan Józef Kasprzyk, Head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression; Piotr Pisiorek, Consul General of Poland in the United Kingdom; Polish military and veterans and various cadet corps.
In the absence of Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, Gibraltarian Deputy Minister Joseph Garcia attended a special mass at the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned and subsequently delivered a speech at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Sikorski monument at Punta Europa.
In his speech, Garcia reflected on the commonalities between Poland and Gibraltar in “our sense of duty, our shared principles and values, our determination to stand up for what is right, our proud history and our expertise in navigating the geopolitics of the moment”.
He added: “Eighty years later, Gibraltar joins Poland and our European allies in supporting the fight against tyranny elsewhere, standing up for the same values in 2023 that we stood up for in 1943, standing together with the people of Ukraine. I am proud that this enduring partnership between Poland and the UK has the full support of the Government and people of Gibraltar”.
The Minister of Heritage, John Cortés, attended the evening dinner offered by the Office for Veterans of War and Victims of Polish Oppression at the Rock Hotel. Then, at the exact time of General Sikorski’s plane crash, 11:06 p.m., the entourage laid flowers on Eastern Beach, where the plane crashed.
