WW2 Polish Air Force Plaque Unveiled
Just off a beautiful sunny weekend here as we enjoy the beginning of what we hope will be an “Indian Summer” – warm sunny days that linger through September and hopefully stretch well into October.
The 76th anniversary of the Battle of Britain was commemorated yesterday in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. This year then event included the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the pivotal contribution of the Polish Air Force. Here are some photos I took to share with the forum. First off, a glimpse of the program’s contents, and one of the flags handed out to Polish attendees. As always, click on the photos for a magnified view:
The 15th Light Artillery Regiment band entertained the crowd while awaiting the start of the ceremony:
The Polish Consul Marcin Trzcinski presenting a short speech that not only spoke of the Polish Air Force’s exemplary record during the Battle of Britain but also other crucial and often overlooked contributions by the Poles to the Allied victory in WW2:
Veteran pilot Zenon Przybylak who made over 30 flights from the Brindisi Allies Air Base in Italy to Warsaw during the Uprising in the autumn of 1944 to drop supplies to AK fighters. The courage these airmen displayed during these flights is almost beyond comprehension. On the left of the photo is current SPK Vancouver president Elżbieta Skrzymowska,and on the right wearing the beret is vice-president Leszek Buczyłko:
A visitor from Washington State in the US in flight sergeant BD:
Random photos:
The crowd awaits the flyby:
The plaque, situated in the Air Forces’ Garden of Remembrance:
Other plaques in the Air Forces’ Garden of Remembrance:
Cheers,
Tony
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