Memorial General Wladyslaw Sikorski Gibraltar

This memorial plaque commemorates the Polish general Wladyslaw Sirkorski, prime minister and commander-in-chief of the Polish forces in exile, who died in a crash at Gibraltar on 4 July 1943. The text on the memorial plaque reads:

"IN EARLY JULY 1943, GENERAL WLADYSLAW SIKORSKI PRIME MINISTER AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE POLISH FORCES IN EXILE STOPPED AT GIBRALTAR ON HIS WAY FROM CAIRO TO LONDON. ON THE NIGHT OF THE 4 JULY 1943, A BRITISH BOMBER WITH GENERAL SIKORSKI ON BOARD CRASHED INTO THE SEA SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF, THE CAUSE OF THIS MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENT HAS NEVER BEEN ASCERTAINED; A FACT WHICH HAS GIVEN RISE TO MANY SPECULATIONS, DOUBTS AND RUMOURS. AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL, DOUGLAS F. MARTIN, A RADIO-OPERATOR WITH SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE, HAD HIS TRANSMITTING STATION, ROUGHLY FOUR HUNDRED METRES FROM THE PLANE. HE WAS THE ONLY WITNESS WHO ACTUALLY SAW THE CRASH."

The memorial plaques can be found in the "Great Siege Tunnels".

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Kaj Metz
• Photos: Nathan Harig