POLONICA in |
Biggar, Lanarkshire |
Biggar and its Polish connection |
Photo:Scottish Country Dancing- Polish soldiers and
Scots lassies, 1940
(Photo courtesy of the Polish Social and Educational
Society,
1 In the
summer of 1940 the town of |
"After their combats in |
2 General Sikorski visited the town to
review the troops. On the 31st August 1940 in Biggar a standard was presented
to the 9th Polish Lancers. A
primary school in Biggar was used as the HQ of the Polish 1st Rifle Brigade
and a number of Polish soldiers were billeted in the town. The school retains
an inscribed metal plaque bearing an Army eagle and dated October 1940. |
3 A number of other items
remain from this period. There are paintings by the Polish soldier Adam
Bunsch in the Biggar presented the
Polish soldiers at a farewell ceremony with an engraved silver plate which
may be seen in the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Institute in |
image |
4
The presence of the
Polish troops in the town is still affectionately remembered. The words of a
Polish soldier billeted in Biggar perhaps encapsulate the memory. "When |
Last modified 12 March 2009 |
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PolonicaBiggar.html |
© Copyright R M Ostrycharz 1998 |