You are here: 
Restored grave of Polish Military Commanders unveiled in Brompton Cemetery
Menu

Also find us on

Make a donation
to PHS

Introducing
The Institute
of Polish
Military History

More information

 A message from our President, General Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank

'I am delighted to be associated with the work of the Polish Heritage Society and very honoured to serve as its President. The Society's work highlights the enormous contribution which generations of Poles have made to their adopted country. Preserving and celebrating that heritage will only further strengthen the ties between Poland and the United Kingdom.

I worked closely with the Society on the project to build a memorial to the Polish Forces at the National Memorial Arboretum and saw at first hand the energy and dedication of those involved.

I encourage you to explore this website and learn about the many other projects the Society has sponsored. Do please contact us if you would like to be involved in any way'.

General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank GCB LVO OBE

A Debt of Dishonour is a unique documentary film dedicated Major General Sosabowski and all ranks who served in the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group and to their Comrades-in-Arms of the 1st British Airborne Division that fought in the ill-fated “Operation Market Garden” at Arnhem and Driel during September 1944.

Sto Lat-Albert Hall

PHS_logo

The Polish Heritage Society


Restored grave of Polish Military Commanders  unveiled in Brompton Cemetery

 

Two Polish military commanders buried in London were honoured on Tuesday 4 November 2014 when their newly-restored graves were unveiled at a ceremony in Brompton Cemetery, London.

The restoration of the grave of Vice Admiral Jerzy Swirski and Brigadier General Sergiusz Zahorski was carried out by the Polish Heritage Society (UK) with the support of the Polish Embassy and its Military Attaché.

 

Grave before PHS restorationGrave before restoration     Grave after PHS restorationGrave after restoration

 

Both men began their careers when Poland was under partition and served in the Russian military before joining the Polish armed forces after the country regained its independence in 1918.

Admiral Swirski, who had also served in the Ukrainian Navy, was Director of the Polish Navy from 1925, becoming part of the Polish Government in Exile in London during World War Two. He remained in the UK at the end of the war and died in 1959.

Brigadier General Zahorski, a distinguished cavalry officer, escaped from Poland after the German invasion in 1939, travelling through Romania and eventually reaching France and being evacuated to the UK. He retired during the war and lived in the UK until his death in 1962.

Both men are buried in the same grave at the cemetery, along with their wives.

The unveiling ceremony took place at 2.00 p.m. on Tuesday 4th November at Brompton Cemetery, Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UG, in the presence of Dariusz Laska, Minister Counsellor at the Polish Embassy, Colonel Ryszard Tomczak, military attaché at the Polish Embassy, Consul General Ireneusz Truszkowski, and other dignitaries and representatives of the Polish community.

 

Vice Admiral Jerzy SwirskiBiography: Vice Admiral Jerzy Swirski     Brigadier General Sergiusz ZahorskiBiography: Brigadier General Sergiusz  Zahorski

 


PHS_logo_subheadGrave Rededication Service

 

© 2011 - 2021 The Polish Heritage Society UK Ltd. Registerd Charity No. 1143791. Contact: info@polishheritage.co.uk
menu-circlecross-circle