Meeting by the November Insurgents Monument at Kingston Cemetery, Fratton, a crowd yesterday paid their respects to those involved in the November Uprising of 1830, as well as all loved ones who have been lost over the years.
The memorial was installed in the cemetery in 2004 specifically to honour Polish soldiers who took refuge in Portsmouth on their way to the USA in 1834. However, the majority of soldiers decided to stay in England with many starting families in the city.
Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Frank Jonas, said: ‘I think Portsmouth, as well as the surrounding areas, has a history of welcoming people in. We have been a refuge for different religions and nationalities.
‘We have such a great Polish community in the city as a result.’
Agnieszka Michalska, the headteacher of the city’s Polish community school, was joined by some of her students at the service to lay handmade poppy wreaths.
The 42-year-old who has lived in Portsmouth for 17 years said: ‘We made these wreaths especially to remember the heroes of the uprising but also everyone who has fallen in wars and everyone who has left us.
Polish Second World War veteran Otton Hulacki, 99, who now lives on the Isle of Wight, played a part in getting the memorial installed.
The whole article is available here.
Author: Fiona Callingham
Pictures: Grzegorz Choszcz, Paulina Majewska
The article has been firstly published on portsmouth.co.uk
