The Polish Navy in Devonport 1939 45
Devonport Naval Heritage Centre
When: 15 May 2026 to 28 October 2026
Where: Devonport Naval Heritage Centre
Time: 1000 -
Suitable for: Family friendly
With the invasion of Poland commencing on 1st September 1939, Polish Naval vessels sailed from the threatened port of Gdynia across the North Sea to safety in Britain. The ships eventually ended up in Devonport from where they operated alongside the Royal Navy until the war's end. This exhibition tells the story of both the ships which operated under the Polish Flag and also the personal and extraordinary story of Tadek Sroka who began 1937 as a hairdresser in Poland, was conscripted into the Navy and came to Devonport in 1939. He was sunk twice during the War married a Plymothian and was a leading light of Anglo Polish societies until his death in 1998.
Exhibition Gallery
Polish Naval War Memorial bronze which is now situated in the Belvedere memorial gardens on Plymouth Hoe
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