Sikorski Memorial, Gibraltar
The Sikorski Memorial at Europa Point in July 2013
|
|
 Gibraltar Sikorski Memorial (red dot) within Gibraltar
|
|
| Coordinates | 36°06′35″N 5°20′45″W / 36.109649°N 5.345943°WCoordinates: 36°06′35″N 5°20′45″W / 36.109649°N 5.345943°W |
|---|---|
| Location | Europa Point, Gibraltar |
| Type | Military |
| Material | Szydłów sandstone |
| Length | 5 metres (16 ft) |
| Width | 5 metres (16 ft) |
| Height | 3 metres (9.8 ft) |
| Opening date | 1945 |
| Dedicated to | The dead from the 1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash |
The Sikorski Memorial in Gibraltar commemorates the 1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash of 4 July 1943 which caused the death of General Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile. Fifteen other people also died in the crash, with only the pilot Eduard Prchal surviving. The present version of the memorial, unveiled on 4 July 2013, is the third, replacing two earlier memorials erected in 1945 and 2003 near the scene of the crash. It was designed and constructed by a Polish company, using sandstone from Poland brought across Europe to Gibraltar where it now comprises much of the 5 metres (16 ft) wide memorial.
The memorial originally consisted of a plaque, dedicated in January 1945, that was placed at the east end of the runway of what was then RAF North Front (and is now RAF Gibraltar / Gibraltar International Airport). The text of the plaque reads:
Near this spot
General Władysław Sikorski
Prime Minister of Poland and commander in chief of Polish forces
lost his life in a flying accident on the 4th of July 1943
He fought and died in the service of his country and for the common cause of all nations fighting for freedom
NON OMNIS MORIAR
In 2003, the Royal Air Force donated the plaque to the Government of Gibraltar and a new memorial was erected near the airfield at Sir Herbert Miles Road, consisting of a plinth on which the plaque was mounted along with a propellor recovered from the crashed B-24. A second plaque was also installed, reading:
This plaque was unveiled by the Hon. Peter R. Caruana Q.C., Chief Minister of Gibraltar, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the death of GENERAL WLADISLAW SIKORSKI, Prime Minister of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of Polish Forces
...
Wikipedia