General Sikorsky exhumed.

Welcome Laurence, I’ve mentioned Newark Cemetery a couple of times is the past, most recently here http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=98287&highlight=Syerston

Keep up the good work with your Visitor Centre project.

Regarding the Ransome and Marles thread my late grandfather was one of the ARP Team that went in when the factory was bombed. I would really like to see the hidden hospital on the RHP site developed.

Newark Cemetery we will remember General Wladyslaw Sikorski

During the Second World War there were a number of Polish 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 for Polish Air Force since Second World War. Many Polish Airmen that served both countries married and stayed in the UK and still have families in Newark and across the UK. They are also buried in Newark Cemetery among friends that gave their lives for Freedom, we will not forget the brave Airmen who are go buried in Newark Cemetery.

424 Polish burials were made during the Second World War, with more Polish Airmen that remained and lived since the War have been added around the outside of the Polish War graves since. 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) on the 4th July 1943 and President Raczkiewicz in 1947, they were buried at the foot of the Polish memorial. General Sikorski’s remains were returned to Poland after a Catholic Mass held at St. Mary Magdalene (Newark parish church) on Tuesday 14th September 1993. There is still a Memorial to him at Newark Cemetery we will remember General Wladyslaw Sikorski.

http://newarkcemeteryuk.wordpress.com/

Newark is also important internationally as it contains over 400 Polish War Graves

Newark-On-Trent is also important internationally as it contains a War Graves Cemetery, which includes graves of many Polish airmen, and was the historical burial place of General Sikorski (the wartime leader of Poland) whose body has now been returned to Poland, but whose memorial remains. There is also a Memorial to the Fallen of Newark commemorating, by name, those local military personnel who lost their lives in conflict since 1914. A further monument to war time confilict is the Air Bridge Monument which remembers the aircrew who died, during world war two, supporting the popular uprising in Warsaw in 1944.

At British Commonwealth and Polish War Grave since 2nd World War. Polish forces around the world By the end of the Second World War there were nearly a quarter of a million Poles in the Polish Armed Forces serving under British command. Today the Commission cares for the graves of nearly 4,500 Polish servicemen and women in 35 countries around the world. The highest concentration of commemorations can be found in the United Kingdom, where over 2,100 Poles are commemorated from Scotland to Cornwall in 244 different locations. In particular, nearly 400 casualties are commemorated in Newark-upon-Trent. There were a number of RAF stations within a few miles of Newark from which several Polish squadrons operated, and a special plot on the eastern side Newark-upon-Trent Cemetery was set aside for RAF burials. The plot includes a memorial cross to the Polish airmen buried here which was unveiled in 1941 by President Raczkiewicz, ex-President of the Polish Republic and head of the war-time Polish Government in London, supported by General Wladyslaw Sikorski, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Forces and war time Polish Prime Minister. Both men subsequently died and were buried at the foot of the Polish Memorial, until their remains were Newark-upon-Trent Cemetery repatriated back to Poland on the 17th September 1993.

http://newarkcemeteryuk.wordpress.com/

Point taken… 😮

Adrian

That was from earlier, where there was discussion about which was the most credible “conspiracy theory”. It was in that meaning that I re-posted it… but forgot to remind you guys of that context.

Easy way to assess which is likeliest. Compare the number of aircraft lost in accidents to those where sabotage was demonstrably the cause. If the former outnumbers the latter, then accident is most likely. Anyone care to come up with a few numbers?

Coming soon: Leigh-Mallory shot before crash, by Duke of Kent…

Adrian

The most credible theory I have heard was simply that the plane was sabotaged.

The most credible theory is that it was an accident surely? 🙂

After The Battle magazine did a lengthly and very detailed piece on the death of General Sikorsky many years ago. I’ve got it if anyone want’s info from it.

Which leaves:

The most credible theory I have heard was simply that the plane was sabotaged.

Foul play before crash ruled out in new exhumation investigation.

http://www.aero-news.net/news/military.cfm?ContentBlockID=c6cdcb37-6d0b-4dab-ba58-f26310fabb5b&Dynamic=1

My oh my, didn’t realize David Irving was such a controversial character! Obviously being an author and called Irving are bad omens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Irving

The one and same 😮

My oh my, didn’t realize David Irving was such a controversial character! Obviously being an author and called Irving are bad omens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Irving

Sadly the problem with many conspiracy theorists is that no matter the evidence available to disprove their pet theory, they will remain firm in their belief!

The major beneficiaries of the more popular theories would appear to be the quasi historians who on occasions are paid to write pages of the most unmitigated rubbish, a few have even got the opportunity to turn their scribbling into well made television documentaries.

We seem to have developed a thirst for such things!

In the case of the incident mentioned the most lightly cause was I suspect a mechanical failure, if irrefutable proof of some other cause comes to light. Then history will have become a tad more enlightened!

Cheers

Eric

The whole story is here…

It’s a good read – it’s written by David Irving, but don’t let that put you off…;)

I have a small interest in this story – the take off was delayed due to the general awaiting some documents being flown from the UK in a BOAC DC3 – my uncle was the pilot…

Nige

The most credible theory I have heard was simply that the plane was sabotaged.

Let’s see now…Poland joins NATO…resurgent Russia…US missile defence system on Polish soil…Russia bases missiles in Baltic…

So…..time to remind everybody who the bad guys are…

Historians plan to have his skull examined to see if he was shot in the head before the Liberator crashed.

Interesting angle from the Telegraph article…..exactly when was he shot in the (back of the?) head…..before the plane took off?

Presumably then they shot his daughter in the head too (as she was probably sitting next to him and would be bound to notice) and I suppose they’d have to shoot almost everybody else too, except the pilot of course (who wouldn’t mind flying a plane-load of corpses into the sea). :rolleyes:

Strange…..all this talk of the Soviets shooting Polish Officers in the back of the head has reminded me of the massacre at Katyn Wood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyn_massacre

Do I hear sabres rattling?

I am a committed Conspiracy Theorist – I even put my socks on with a cork-screw!
There might just be a Conspiracy Theory here – but not with regard to the good General! It may be that the organisation charged with investigating WW2/Communist Era events in Poland is running out of things to do?!! Therefore, continued future funding for their activities (laudable though they may have been in the past) is now, possibly, in some doubt? What better way to get that funding continued than by raising an old ghost?
It’s not the first time that has happened, and I would bet it won’t be the last!
So, was the General murdered/disposed of – and, if so, by who? And at this distance in time only the historians should be involved in trying to prove the truth. But, in this case, I suspect that politics and finance are the main progenitors.
I will be more than happy to be proved wrong. But my own associations with (a) the upper tier of middle levels, and (b) the lower tier of upper levels of government departments leads me to conclusions outlined above.
I would be VERY happy for theories using logic, and reasoned argument, to prove otherwise. I cannot wait to get up each morning, turn my computer on, and see one of those theories on my screen.
AND, at the end of the day, if the General was actually “disposed of” is it going to affect the price of fish – or petrol – today?
Let us keep things in proportion
HTH
Resmoroh

Some background details here from early September …. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/2684368/Poland-to-probe-General-Sikorski-murder.html

I photographed his tomb in Krakow recently.

Presumably the body was recovered in 1943 and given into the care of the Polish government in exile so I can’t see how a gunshot-wound could have remained undetected back then. Is the suggestion that the ‘crash’ was staged to cover-up the murder of General Sikorsky? Would those responsible really have caused the aircraft to crash where ‘evidence’ could be so readily recovered?