Home   News   Article

Subscribe Now

Bodies of three Polish presidents in exile buried in Newark Cemetery to exhumed and repatriated in historic moment




The remains of three Polish presidents in exile are to be exhumed from Newark Cemetery and returned to their homeland.

Władysław Raczkiewicz, August Zaleski, and Stanisław Ostrowski were part of a succession of Polish leaders who led exiled governments during the second world war when the country was occupied by the Nazis, and subsequent decades of communist rule under the Soviets.

None lived to see Poland become a free nation in 1989.

The graves of the three Polish presidents in exile that lie under the memorial cross in the Polish War Graves Section of Newark Cemetery. (59627327)
The graves of the three Polish presidents in exile that lie under the memorial cross in the Polish War Graves Section of Newark Cemetery. (59627327)

Newark Town Council said it was deeply honoured to be assisting the Polish government in the exhumation and repatriation of their three presidents in exile.

It said the project was part of long-established and much-celebrated relations between Newark and Poland.

Polish president in exile Władysław Raczkiewicz (59627758)
Polish president in exile Władysław Raczkiewicz (59627758)

The Polish government in exile was symbolic yet perceived to have value, mainly by Poles living abroad. Its existence gave hope that Poland would regain its freedom after years of Communist enslavement. It's purpose was to preserve the sovereignty of the Republic of Poland and the preservation of constitutional continuity.

The office was held successively by Władysław Raczkiewicz, August Zaleski, Stanisław Ostrowski, Edward Raczyński, Kazimierz Sabbat, and Ryszard Kaczorowski.

Polish preisdent in exile August Zaleski. (59627756)
Polish preisdent in exile August Zaleski. (59627756)

On November 6, there will be a service of farewell at Newark Parish Church, which will be attended by a delegation from the Republic of Poland.

Such is the gravity of the occasion, top-ranking officials from both the UK and Poland are likely to be present, just as when the commander of Polish forces during the second world war, General Władysław Sikorski, was exhumed from Newark Cemetery and repatriated home in 1993 amid huge international attention following a service attended by the Duke of Edinburgh.

Polish president in exile Stanislaw Ostrowski. (59627757)
Polish president in exile Stanislaw Ostrowski. (59627757)

And then on November 12, the bodies of the presidents will be repatriated under the protection of the Polish Army.

Funeral services will take place later that day in the specially-created Mausoleum of the Presidents of the Polish Republic in Exile.

The initiative will be accompanied by an information and education campaign aimed at reminding Poles about the history of the Polish authorities in exile.

Jan Dziedziczak, government Plenipotentiary for Polonia and Poles Abroad from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, said: "Presidents of the Polish Republic in Exile are to take a permanent place in the consciousness of Poles."

General Władysław Sikorski. (58389750)
General Władysław Sikorski. (58389750)

First fully free presidential elections were completed in Poland in 1990. The end of the mission of the presidents in exile was the ceremonial handing over of the presidential insignia by Ryszard Kaczorowski, the last of them, to Lech Wałęsa, the first president elected in general elections since world war.

These historic events mark the culmination of the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence which was in 2018. The country was divided after the first world war amongst the three neighbouring powers.

HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leaves Newark Parish Church after the service that accompanied the repatriation of General Wladyslaw Sikorski. (46004561)
HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leaves Newark Parish Church after the service that accompanied the repatriation of General Wladyslaw Sikorski. (46004561)

The Polish War Graves Section of Newark Cemetery, where the presidents in exile chose to be buried, is the largest Polish plot of any cemetery in Britain.

General Sikorski himself officially opened it in 1941 declaring: "If I was to die on foreign soil, here is where I will be buried — among Polish blood on Polish soil until Poland is free again."

His wish was granted following his death in a plane crash off Gibraltar in 1943.

General Sikorski now rests alongside Polish kings and other national heroes Sikorski in the Hall of Kings in Wawel Cathedral, Krakow.

A statue of Sikorski has been approved by the town council for the cemetery, where 440 of his men lay.

Newark Town Council actively promotes and supports Newark's strong and historic links with Poland in many ways, not least in hosting the annual Air Bridge and All Souls' commemoration services held in the cemetery.

It also said it was proud to have a statue of Polish humanitarian aid worker Irina Sendler, who saved hundreds of Jewish children during the war within the town council-owned Fountain Gardens on London Road.

It is also an active supporter of Newark's Polish twin town of Sandomierz. Representatives from Sandomierz will be in attendance in Warsaw when the presidents are laid to rest.

From a cemetery management perspective, exhumations of any kind are rare.

Such is the significance of these exhumations the project is set to be covered in a feature article of the magazine of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematoria Management whose chief officer Julie Dunk has been actively supporting and advising the town council in handling the upcoming delicate and sensitive exhumation process.

Council operations manager Sean Alcock will be overseeing the physical exhumations and warns that there will be some short periods in mid-October and early November when preparations for, and the actual exhumations themselves, will see the Polish war graves area of Newark Cemetery closed to the public.

Town Clerk Matthew Gleadell offered his sincere thanks to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which he feels does an incredible job in maintaining the Polish War graves area, and has also been hugely helpful in developing the plans for this project.



Comments | 0
This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More