Following the closure of the Glasgow branch of the Polish Ex-Combatants Association (SPK) and the dissolution of the Polish Naval Association in Scotland, John Lassa, former president of the Naval Association and son of a Polish naval hero of the Second World War, realised that there was still a need for people to care about the Polish memorials and monuments and the heritage of exiled Polish combatants across the land. There was also a need to educate Scotland’s next generations about the Polish contribution to their freedom.
Together with Antony Kozłowski, himself an army veteran and the son of a Polish army hero of the defence of Warsaw in 1920, John established the Combatants Memorial Group (CMG) in 2016 as an organisation dedicated to honouring the memory of those other Polish heroes; the men, women and children, whether armed or not, who fought for the democratic freedom of Poland and of Europe in the years following Poland’s restoration of independence at the end of the First World War.
The Group is bringing Scots and Poles together to honour their history in a practical way. Members have participated in events and remembrance services at monuments and gravesites and other significant locations throughout Scotland – in Glasgow, Prestwick, Clydebank, Douglas, Perth, Menstrie, Dunfermline and Edinburgh. The Group also marches under the Polish National Colours in the Remembrance Sunday Parade in George Square, Glasgow. It will continue to expand its reach and pursue its work of identifying the graves of every Polish patriot buried in exile in Scotland.
Through the work of some of its founding members, notably Robert Ostrycharz, the Group continues to actively research and assist anyone seeking a greater understanding of the role played by our forebears in the great European conflicts of the twentieth century. This website contains links to the sources of knowledge and the researchers who carry on this good work.
The Group is open to any person of any race or religion who espouses its goals and who, by agreeing to the requirements of its Constitution and Bye-laws, shows a willingness to help in its work or just to stay in touch with its activities and support by subscription. The Group is not affiliated with any other social, religious, military or political organisation in Poland or Scotland or elsewhere but, where appropriate, seeks to maintain constructive dialogue with any such institution in order to fulfil its aims.
Purpose of the Group
1. to remember the sacrifice of all those who served the cause of Polish and European freedom, primarily during the Second World War, and who lived out their lives in exile in Scotland and,
2. to create a “Living Memorial” for those heroes by way of attendance at appropriate public events, by the restoration or establishment of monuments and memorials and, through the pages of the Group’s website, by providing a record of names and gravesites (with photographs and birth/death data where possible) to complement Robert Ostrycharz’ excellent work on Polish war graves and,
3. to provide support to those who wish to research the history of these heroes and the contribution they made to their new home in Scotland and,
4. through education, publication and example, to help today’s citizens of Scotland, from whatever ethnic, cultural or religious background, to understand the horrors and sacrifices of war and work for a more peaceful world.
