Polish Air Force Memorial
Historic site · South Ruislip, England
The Polish Air Force Memorial stands on a public roadside where West End Road meets Western Avenue, South Ruislip, HA4 6QX, and is listed Grade II* as NHLE 1088113. It is in Portland stone with polished granite, bronze lettering and a bronze eagle finial, and carries the insignia of the Polish fighter and bomber squadrons.
History
The memorial was unveiled on 2 November 1948 to the design of the Polish sculptor Mieczysław Lubelski. It commemorates over 2,000 Polish airmen who died in RAF service: 1,243 names were inscribed at the outset, 659 more were added in the 1996 refurbishment, and 23 men killed in the Battle of France in 1940 are included. The Duke of Gloucester rededicated it in 1996 after sandstone panels were replaced in granite. Middlesex County Council, which took over and redeveloped the airfield for civilian use after the war, donated the site at the edge of RAF Northolt. The Grade II* listing was made on 30 August 2002 as list entry 1088113 and amended on 8 September 2020. South Ruislip Underground station, on the Central line, is 988 m away and South Ruislip Rail Station, served by Chiltern Railways, 994 m; the 696 and E7 buses stop at a stop TfL names Polish Air Force Memorial, 196 m away.
Visit
Polish Air Force Memorial, West End Road at Western Avenue (A40), South Ruislip HA4 6QX