British Poles has launched a fundraiser to work together with the Polish community in the UK to fund the first “Heart for Inka” (“Serce dla Inki”) in the West and place it in the Church of Christ the King in Balham, London.

“Serce dla Inki” is a nationwide initiative commemorating Danuta Siedzikówna “Inka”, a 17-year-old medic of the 5th Vilnius Brigade of the Home Army, murdered by the communists on 28 August 1946 in the basement of the Gdańsk prison on Kurkowa Street. Before her execution, she was brutally tortured.

Until the very end, Inka remained unbroken. Her final words — “Long live Poland!” — have become one of the most moving testimonies of love for our homeland.

The national “Heart for Inka” campaign was launched by Fr Jarosław Wąsowicz SDB, historian and author of books about Inka.

“Inka has become an icon of the entire generation that refused to lay down arms after 1945 and fought the communist occupation. When her grave was discovered, I took a handful of earth to commemorate her in a Salesian work. That’s how it all began,”
the priest told British Poles.

So far, 27 memorial plaques with silver hearts have been unveiled (including two in Vilnius), but none in the West — until now.

For decades, Inka had no known grave. Her remains were discovered in 2014 at Gdańsk Garrison Cemetery by the IPN (Institute of the National Remembrance) team led by Prof. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk. She received a state funeral with full military honours on 28 August 2016, attended by the President of Poland.

Each silver heart contains a small amount of earth from Inka’s grave.

All funds raised will go towards the silver heart itself, the marble plaque, engraving, and transport from Poland.

Join our campaign! Let us pay tribute to our national heroine and show that Poles in the UK remember their roots, cherish historical memory, and honour our shared heritage with pride.

Link to the fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/serce-dla-inki-polonia-brytyjska-uhonoruje-inke-w-londynie

Facebook event here.