The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Exiles remembered
A campaign has been launched to remember exiled Polish soldiers who were stationed in Cupar during the Second World War – and the many who settled there. Michael Alexander reports
At noon today, a trumpet call will sound from the famous tower of St Mary’s Church in the Polish city of Krakow – as it has done for centuries. The five-note anthem, dating back to at least 1392, was traditionally a signal to mark the opening and closing of the city gates at dawn and dusk.
When the Nazis overran Poland in September 1939, they tried to stamp out every Polish tradition – including the playing of the trumpet call.
However, hundreds of miles away the notes continued to sound each day throughout the war as exiled members of the Polish Army, stationed in Cupar from October 1941 until 1946, took to the tower of the Fife town’s Corn Exchange to honour their homeland. Defend The intention was to remind their Allies of the common aim to defeat the enemy and restore the ancient customs of Poland and other lands.
Now the indelible links between Poland and Scotland, which date back centuries, have been remembered at a special event in Cupar.
And a campaign has been launched to fund a permanent memorial to the Poles stationed in the town – many of whom settled in the area after the war and still have descendants living close by to this day.
Polish military personnel stationed in Cupar included the 1st Polish Rifle Brigade and an ambulance section billeted to the Lodge No 19 building at 72 Bonnygate.
Soldiers were also billeted to the former Cura’s fish and chip shop at the foot of Lady Wynd – now occupied by the Caspian fast food takeaway.
It was Polish soldiers who built the invasion stop defences between Newburgh and Dysart, and beach defences in Tentsmuir, as well as guarding German prisoners of war.
Other Poles – unable to return home – arrived in the area after the horrors of war as “displaced persons”, many of them given temporary accommodation at the Annsmuir Displaced Persons’ Camp at Ladybank.
Douglas Abercrombie of Lodge No 19 Cupar said volunteers had decided to take action to commemorate these links after coming across handwritten notes with the names of Polish soldiers stationed in Cupar among the minutes of the masonic lodge. A beautiful Christmas card detailing the Krakow trumpet call from the Corn Exchange was another memento.
Mr Abercrombie said: “Our aim is to celebrate the bravery of Polish military personnel in this area and their contributions to the local communities after the war. Many of them made their homes here, contributed with their skills, enriched the culture and became valued members of the community.” Plaque Unveiling a special plaque at an event organised jointly by the masonic lodge and Fife Polish Education Trust, Polish Consul General Dariusz Adler said: “I am pleased to unveil the plaque which will stay as a reminder of the Polish soldiers in Cupar in the Second World War and the Polish involvement in Scotland.
“I am grateful to the many volunteers and the members who decided to remind us about the cooperation between the people of Scotland the Polish soldiers.”
North East Fife MP Stephen Gethins, the SNP’s Europe spokesman who spoke at the event, said it was a great example of Cupar’s close links and deep respect for the Polish community.
He said: “The turnout was fantastic and organisers deserve so much credit for providing a very informative evening.
“We should never forget the debt of gratitude we owe the Polish service personnel who defended Fife and the rest of the UK during the war and the valuable contribution made by the Polish community in this area since then.”
I am grateful to the many volunteers and the members who decided to remind us about the cooperation between the people of Scotland and the Polish soldiers
Marriages Some 72,000 Polish troops came to Scotland during the war and there were around 2,500 Polish-Scottish marriages as a result.
With memorials already established in St Andrews, Leven and elsewhere, Cupar councillor Karen Marjoram said it was time for a permanent statue in Cupar – possibly at the Corn Exchange.
She said: “It’s amazing to think that the Fife coast was the only place in the British Isles which was defended solely by foreign forces. Everywhere else had its ‘Dad’s Army’. But Fife was defended by Poles.
“There was a huge spirit of admiration for the Poles that came here with their commitment to the war effort.
Violeta Ilendo, chairwoman of Fife Polish Education Trust, said: “I was absolutely delighted to see so many local people who attended the event.
“It was a truly amazing event, and a show of Polish-Scottish connections and an almost a lost Cupar history.
“It shows the need for action.”