Devon village hosts memorial events to Polish war heroes
THE Polish flag will fly over the East Devon fishing village of Beer on April 12 as a tribute to two Polish aircrew who were killed when their plane crashed into the sea near the village in 1942.
The aircraft was a Beaufighter from 307 Squadron based at what was then RAF Exeter, and was patrolling Lyme Bay to intercept German bombers en route to targets such as Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool.
It crashed into the sea a mile off Beer Head on the night of April 12, 1942, and the incident was observed by Beer Coastguards.
The body of the navigator, Mieczyslaw Swierz, was recovered from the sea and buried in Exeter, but the body of the pilot, Roman Smok, was never found.
The Beer branch of the Royal British Legion, in conjunction with a research group, the 307 Squadron Project, plan to stage a number of events to mark the 80th anniversary of the crash:
An exhibition relating to the operations of 307 Squadron will be held in the Congregational Hall in Fore Street; Wreaths will be placed in the sea over the crash site from a local fishing boat, whose skipper is the grandson and great-grandson of the two Beer fishermen who put to sea on that night in 1942 to look for survivors; A small memorial to the two men will be unveiled in the Jubilee Gardens overlooking Beer beach; A brief ceremony of remembrance will be held on the cliffs near Beer Head, attended by relatives of the men who died and representatives of the Royal British Legion and Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA). A bugler will sound the Last Post and Reveille, and a two-minute silence will be observed.
Members of the public are welcome to attend the events, and it is hoped that members of Devon’s Polish community, in particular, will be able to join in the commemoration.
The Bristol Beaufighter was developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and entered service with the RAF in September 1940. With a crew of two, it served variously as a night fighter, long-range day fighter (in North Africa) and in an anti-shipping strike role. Production ceased in September 1945, by which time over 8,500 had been built. After the war, a number were converted to serve as target tugs.
Events on April 12 begin with the raising of the Polish flag outside St Michael’s church, Fore Street, Beer at 10am and the opening of 307 Squadron Project exhibition at Congregational Hall, Fore Street, Beer at 9.45am. 1.30pm: Fishing boat ‘Sambe’ leaves Beer beach. 2pm: Wreaths to be laid over the crash site (one mile south of Beer Head) from the Beer fishing boat ‘Sambe’. 2.45pm: Unveiling of a memorial to the two aircrew at Jubilee Gardens, Beer. 3.45pm: Clifftop ceremony near Beer Head on the South West Coast Path. 5pm: Exhibition closes. 5.15pm: Flag lowering at St Michael’s Church.