People are invited to a special Polish Day taking place in Southport this March.
The event will take place at The Atkinson on Lord Street on Saturday, 12th March, with a full day of free family friendly activities, fun competitions and crafts, inspirational talks and delicious Polish food.
The celebration is being held to mark the end of the brilliant Courage and Devotion exhibition, which has been held at The Atkinson since 26th June last year.
The free display honours the Polish RAF aircrew and ground crew who served at RAF Woodvale during World War Two as they fought bravely against Nazi Germany. A number of them lost their lives while there.
The centrepiece of the attraction is a scale replica of Spitfire Vb AB273 specially created by artist Suhail Shaikh – which is one third of the size of a real Spitfire – almost entirely out of paper.
His ‘moment in time’ sculpture shows the exact moment, height and speed of the Spitfire being flown in 1942 by Polish pilot Sergeant Jerzy Stanislaw Zielinsky of the 308 Krakowski Squadron based at RAF Woodvale as it intercepted and shot down a Dornier German bomber off the coast of Southport.
The final day of the exhibition coincides with Polish Day on 12th March.
The Atkinson Curator Jo Chamberlain said: “Saturday 12th March is Polish Day at The Atkinson!
“As a final farewell to our incredibly moving exhibition Courage & Devotion, we welcome all to join us for Polish Day at The Atkinson on Saturday 12th March 2022; a celebration of the lives of Polish Airmen based at RAF Woodvale during World War Two.
“This free event will be taking place across The Atkinson as we bid ‘do widzenia’ to our exhibition highlighting incredible stories of the airmen from that era which includes a replica scale model of a Spitfire Vb AB273.
“Join us for a full day of free family friendly activities, fun competitions and crafts, inspirational talks and delicious Polish food.”
The Atklinson’s award-winning café, A Great Little Place, will be making and selling Polish delicacies. Whether you’re trying these for the first time or you’re a Polish food fanatic, these dishes will have you licking your lips and asking for more.
Fun Polish craft sessions will be delivered by Polonia with assistance by The Liverpool Polish School’s students.
Inspired by Suhail Shaikh’s incredible paper sculpture of Spitfire Vb AB273, volunteers are helping to make paper aeroplanes and may even challenge you to a race or two!
Eric Watkiss will be in The Atkinson’s galleries to talk about the wreck of the Spitfire and the work that the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team does and the important work of the heritage centre at Hangar 42.
The Military Vehicle Trust is bringing a selection of vintage vehicles along and will also be staging a display in The Atkinson’s Foyer space for all to enjoy.
An in-depth illustrated talk will be delivered by Dave Roberts of Liverpool’s Wartime Museum; Western Approaches.
Plus there will be a few more surprises!
Courage & Devotion Chopin Recital
Visitors can also enjoy Courage & Devotion: Chopin Recital by Andrew Wilde on Saturday 12th March, 7pm-9pm in The Atkinson – Studio.
In 1943 The Atkinson hosted a pianoforte recital by Jerzy Sulikowski, a Polish pianist, featuring arrangements from Polish composers Paderewski, Zarembski, Szymanowski, Statkowski and Chopin. The recital was a benefit concert to help raise awareness of the Polish war effort.
Andrew Wilde, described by Daniel Barenboim as ‘a major musical and pianistic talent’ continues to enthral a large and devoted audience with his music making.
He studied with Ryszard Bakst at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester and graduated with distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music.
He received top prizes at many international piano competitions including the Naumburg in New York (1987), Pozzoli in Seregno, Italy (1988), William Kapell in Maryland (1989), Dino Ciani in Milan (1990), and World Competition in London (1991). In 1985 he won First Prize and Special Prize (for 20th Century performance) at the Dudley International Piano Competition.
He has given recitals at major venues in Great Britain and abroad, including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Warsaw, Milan, Vienna, Düsseldorf, Santiago (Chile), Washington DC, New York City, Dallas, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Berlin and Budapest.
His concerto repertoire exceeds 30 works and he has performed these with major orchestras worldwide such as the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, Hallé, National Symphony Washington DC and Dallas Symphony.
Polish Food from A Great Little Place at the Atkinson
If you’ve never had Polish cuisine before then you are in for a treat!
Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska) has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Poland’s history and it shares many similarities with German, Ashkenazi Jewish and other culinary traditions.
Polish-style cooking in other cultures is often referred to as à la polonaise.
Polish cuisine is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and game, in addition to a wide range of vegetables, spices, mushrooms, and herbs.
Polish dishes are so extremely tasty that you’ll be wanting second helpings!
Polish RAF heroes at RAF Woodvale in World War Two
During World War Two RAF Woodvale near Southport was originally conceived as a fighter base for the protection of the Liverpool region.
It opened in 1941 with 308 Krakowski Squadron. Conditions were harsh in the early days even for battle-hardened airmen, some of whom described facilities as being ‘worse than Tobruk’.
A total of 145 Polish fighter pilots served in the RAF during the Battle of Britain, making up the largest non-British contribution. By the end of the war, around 19,400 Poles were serving in the Polish Air Force in Great Britain and in the RAF.
Read More: Nostalgia: Remarkable story of Polish RAF hero who fled Nazi invasion to fight from Britain
During World War Two The Atkinson in Southport held numerous events such as concerts and an exhibition of work by Polish artists to help fund the Polish servicemen.
Today Sefton is still the home to many people of Polish descent. The Courage & Devotion exhibition gives a voice to a community that has previously been largely unheard.
The exhibition has highlighted the sacrifices that were made during the war that should be much more widely acknowledged.
Polish pilots and other aircrew were a familiar sight in Southport and Formby during the conflict.
According to Sefton Libraries, RAF Woodvale opened on 25th October 1941, with the initial aim of defending Liverpool and its docks. It followed the devastating German bombing during the 1941 May Blitz which saw thousands of bombs dropped on Liverpool and Bootle, while Southport also suffered bombing casualties.
But with air raids on Liverpool declining the main purpose of the airfield changed. Squadrons were brought up from RAF Northolt in the south of England for short rest and recuperation periods.
At its peak RAF Woodvale hosted three frontline squadrons, numerous support squadrons and more than 2,000 personnel.
Squadron No 308 (Krakowski) was the first to arrive, followed by several other Polish squadrons, including 315 (Deblinski) Sqn and 317 (Wilenski) Sqn.
The station buildings included: three Bellman hangars, Squadron Headquarters, administration, engineering, armament, air raid shelters, communal areas, mess, sick quarters, operations and wireless telegraphy sites. Living quarters were located on Southport Road at a safe distance away.
A total of 22 pilots lost their lives at RAF Woodvale, including nine pilots from Polish squadrons.
Six of the Polish airmen, aged between just 22 and 28 years old, are buried in war graves at Our Lady of Compassion Church in Formby.
A well-tended war memorial in memory of members of the Polish Armed Forces who fought in the Second World War between 1939 and 1945 is situated in the War Memorial gardens on Lord Street in Southport.
Britain faced a grim struggle for survival during World War II, most notably during The Battle Of Britain, when the Luftwaffe laid siege in overwhelming numbers.
Britain survived by the skin of its teeth – in no small part thanks to the Polish fighter pilots who swelled the RAF’s numbers at such a critical time.
Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, who was initially reluctant to allow Polish pilots into battle, said: “Had it not been for the magnificent work of the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry, I hesitate to say that the outcome of battle would have been the same.”
Polish airmen downed a remarkable 203 German aircraft in The Battle of Britain alone, with 35 probables and 36 damaged.
Such a feat could not be achieved without a price. Twenty nine Polish pilots lost their lives in combat during those grim days in 1940.
The vital role played by the incredibly brave Polish RAF pilots and aircrew in helping to win World War Two – and the sacrifices they made – should never be forgotten.
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