Polish officers’ bodies to be exhumed
9:00am Thu Dec 02, 2010
The bodies of three Polish Army officers who died in the plane crash that killed their country’s wartime leader, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, are to be exhumed from Newark Cemetery.
The Ministry of Defence has agreed that the bodies can be removed from the Polish war graves section.
A marquee was erected over the three graves on Tuesday to provide privacy and the bodies are likely to be exhumed either today or tomorrow.
A delegation from Poland visited the cemetery yesterday to discuss the arrangements.
The remains will be taken to London and on to Poland with full military honours for a post mortem examination.
The bodies are those of the Chief of the Polish General Staff, Major General Tadeusz Klimecki; the Chief of Operation Staff, Colonel Andrzej Marecki; and Lieutenant Jozef Ponikiwski.
They died with General Sikorski when his RAF Liberator plunged into the sea after taking off from Gibraltar in July, 1943.
General Sikorski’s remains were exhumed from Newark Cemetery in 1992 and taken back to Poland where he is now buried in the Hall of Kings in Wawel Cathedral.
Lieutenant Ponikiwski will be reburied in the Roman Catholic churchyard at Oporowo, Poland, and the two others will be reburied in the Powazki Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
A wartime inquiry ruled that the crash was an accident but there have long been rumours that there was more to it.
Conspiracy theories include suggestions that the accident was the work of Stalin’s assassins or British agents working under Churchill’s orders.
There was also a suggestion that the plane may have been carrying cases of smuggled brandy that interfered with the controls in some way.
A post mortem was carried out on General Sikorski’s body in November, 2008 following suggestions that he may have been poisoned before take-off.
It confirmed that the remains were those of the general and that he had died from injuries consistent with a plane crash.
Post mortems are planned to see if the other officers suffered similar injuries.
Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance is in charge of investigating crimes committed during the war and under Communist rule.
By laurencegoff
Ministry of Defence (MoD) has approved exhumation of three Polish officers remains that were killed with General Sikorski on 4th July 1941. All three were buried next to each other in Newark Cemetery, and will return home to Poland with full military honours and for a post mortem. It was decide to bring back the remains of Colonel Andrzej Marecki Chief of operation Staff, Major General Tadeusz Klimecki Chief of the Polish General Staff and Lieutenant Jozef Ponikiewski Naval ADC.
On July 4, 1943, a converted Liberator bomber from RAF Transport Command took off from Gibraltar for England. On board was General Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister of Poland’s London-based government in exile and Commander-in-Chief of her armed forces, returning from visiting Polish troops in the Middle East. After tours of Gibraltar and festivities, General Sikorski departs for London at 11:00pm. After reaching only 100 feet, the plane began a slow dive into the sea. Only the pilot survived. All others died or were presumed dead on impact at 11:06pm. B-24C Liberator AL523. A British inquiry deemed the crash an accident, General Sikorski's death has long been the subject of enduring conspiracy theories. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery, let's solve this once and for all.
Newark-on-Trent is important internationally, as it is home to the Commonwealth and Polish War Graves where there are over 400 graves of Polish airmen who died during the second world war. A special plot was set aside in Newark Cemetery for Polish burials and this is now the war graves for people to see across the UK and the World. Former Polish Airmen choosing to be buried since staying in England after the 2nd World War.
A Memorial cross to the Polish airmen buried here was erected in the plot and unveiled on 14th July 1941 by President Raczkiewicz, ex-President of the Polish Republic and head of the war-time Polish Government in London, supported by General Sikorski, Commander in Chief of the Polish Forces and war-time Prime Minister. When both men subsequently died, General Sikorski (aged 62) in 1943 and President Raczkiewicz in 1947, they were buried at the foot of the Polish Memorial. General Sikorski’s It contains a memorial to Poland’s exiled war leader, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, who died when the aeroplane he was travelling in crashed over Gibraltar on the 4th July 1943.
He was so impressed with the care of the War graves and requested that should he die while Poland was still occupied he would like to be buried in Newark Cemetery UK until Poland was once again a free Country.
On July 4, 1943, a converted Liberator bomber from RAF Transport Command took off from Gibraltar for England. On board was General Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister of Poland’s London-based government in exile and Commander-in-Chief of her armed forces, returning from visiting Polish troops in the Middle East.
After tours of Gibraltar and festivities, General Sikorski departs for London at 11:00pm. After reaching only 100 feet, the plane began a slow dive into the sea. Only the pilot survived. All others died or were presumed dead on impact at 11:06pm.
B-24C Liberator AL523.
Passengers 17 in total
1. General Wladyslaw Sikorski Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of Poland
2. Zofia Lesniowska Chief of the Polish Women’s Auxiliary
3. Major General Tadeusz Klimecki Chief of the Polish General Staff
4. Colonel Andrzej MareckiChief of Operations Staff
5. Lieutenant Jozef Ponikiewski Naval A.D.C.
6.Adam KulakowskiPersonal secretary to Sikorski
7. Colonel Victor CazaletM.P., British Liason Officer
8. Brigadier J.P. Whitely M.P.
9.Mr. W.H. Lock (Never found, presumed dead)
10. Mr. PinderHead of British Intelligence Service in the Middle East
(his position was never revealed to General Sikorski)
11. Bombardier Gralewski (Joined the party at Gibraltar)
Crew:
1. 1Lt Edward Maks PrchalCaptain/1st Pilot
2. Squadron Leader W.S. Herring 2nd Pilot (never found)
3. Warrant Officer L. Zalsberg Navigator
4. Sergeant F. Kelly Flight Engineer
5. Flight Sergeant C.B. Gerrie Radio Operator/Air Gunner
6. Flight Sergeant D. Hunder Radio Operator/Air Gunner
(never found)
General Wladyslaw Sikorski remains was exhumed from Newark Cemetery after 50 years on 13th September 1993.
During the Second World War there were a number of R.A.F. stations within a few miles of Newark, from many of which operated squadrons of the Polish Air Force. A special plot was set aside in Newark Cemetery.
We must not forget the polish Airman and the Commonwealth they fought for freedom against the enemy and didn’t flinch. They fought to the end and then carried on the fight, we should be grateful. We certainly owe them a great deal of credit that they so rightly deserve.
Laurence Goff
Friends of Newark Cemetery Chairman
http://newarkcemeteryuk.wordpress.com
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