A statue of General Władysław Sikorski will be unveiled at Newark’s cemetery on the 4th of July – the 80th anniversary of his tragic death.
The statue has been sculpted by Andrew Lilley, the artist who already designed the statue of Irena Sendler — the Polish social worker who saved 2,500 children during the second WWII — in the nearby Fountain Gardens.
You can learn more about the sculpture from our interview, “I loved sculpting General Sikorski”.
The previous Mayor of Newark, Laurence Goff, insisted on the importance of paying tribute to Poland’s great statesman.
„General Sikorski is a hugely important figure to the town, having been buried in our cemetery for 50 years” – he explained.
„Next year will mark 80 years since his death and a statue such as this is fitting, not just of the man, but of his lasting legacy, and I believe it is important to honour, not just him, but all of his fallen countrymen” he added with emotion.
Before his death, Sikorski himself officially opened the Polish War Graves Section at Newark. He would have expressed the wish to be buried in that very cemetery “amongst Polish blood on Polish soil until Poland is free again.„
Sikorski was duly buried in Newark after he died in a plane crash on the 4th of July 1943, when a Liberator taking the general back to England from the Middle East nose-dived into the sea less than 20 seconds after taking off from Gibraltar.
The unveiling will take place at Newark Cemetery on 4 July 2023 at 3pm in front of invited guests representing the Polish and British Governments, as well as local dignitaries.
A flypast has been planned over the cemetery by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Hurricane at 3:30pm to honour the late General and the contribution he and his forces made to the Allied war effort.
The Polish leader is now buried in the Hall of Kings in Wawel Cathedral, Krakow, alongside Polish kings and other national heroes.
Newark has a strong connection to Poland, as free Polish squadrons were stationed at several airfields around the town. The latter made vital contributions toward the Allied war effort.
Image: Andrew Lilley, British Poles
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
