Remembering the Polish Airmen of Sussex at wartime Chailey airfield

Polish citizens from across the south east joined with Sussex branches of the Royal British Legion, the Royal Air Force Association and the Scouts to pay tribute to Polish fighter pilot units based at the wartime Chailey Airfield who played a vital role during the epic D-Day landings at Normandy in June 1944.

Crowds gather at the Polish Airmen’s memorial at Plumpton on Sunday.

Crowds gathered in glorious sunshine at the impressive memorial to the Airmen, unveiled by the late Dame Vera Lynn in 2000, standing in the grounds of The Plough Pub at Plumpton Green last Sunday June 11.

Led by Richard Whittle and Richard Wells of the Chailey Airfield Memorial Trust, seven flags of local British Legion Branches mingled with ceremonial banners of Polish veterans’ organisations in an echo of the wartime spirit of comradeship eighty years ago when the air reverberated to the sound of Spitfire fighter planes flying low overhead as Polish pilots patrolled the skies above Sussex and provided top cover for the Allied landings across the Channel that fateful summer. Two pilots from Chailey were killed.

Numerous Poppy wreaths and bouquets were laid by representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, veterans’ and cultural associations, as well as British ex-service and youth organisations. Said one Legion member who served alongside Polish troops in more recent conflicts: “It is incredibly important that we remember the sacrifices of these refugee pilots and their ground crews who fought so well against the enemy in our skies and protected the troops landing on D-Day.”

A touch of living history was added by the presence of re-enactors from the Sussex Home Guard - Dad’s Army - and a fascinating exhibition on the Poles in British service by historian Marek Wierzbicki.

The annual service is a vital link between the wartime Poles who were left stateless at war’s end, their descendants and the new generation of Poles who have settled in England and may only have a limited awareness of the epic struggle their countrymen undertook for freedom in a country far from home.

The memorial is well worth a visit and the welcoming interior of The Plough contains many items from the wartime airfield: theploughatplumpton.co.uk