HRH the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Polish Forces Monument at the National Arboretum on 3rd December, 2009 after attending the Dedication Service for the Household Division Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

At the Polish Armed Forces Memorial His Royal Highness was introduced to Commander Charles Bagot-Jewitt, Czeslaw Maryszczak and his wife Jill and Genia Marzec.  Czeslaw Maryszczak was asked to take HRH the Duke of Edinburgh around the Memorial and comment on all the monument plaques giving the history of the Polish contribution in WW II.  In conversation HRH also mentioned that his great great grandmother was Polish Lady.

At the end of HRH visit Genia Marzec, who represented dr. Marek Stella-Sawicki, KM chairman of the Polish Armed Forces Memorial Committee, presented His Royal Highness with a copy of The First to Fight book which had been specially prepared in a leather binding by dr. Marek Stella-Sawicki, KM.

The visit to the Polish Armed Forces Memorial by the HRH the Duke of Edinburgh was a great success and helped raise Royal awareness of the memorial and the work of Polish Kights of Malta in the UK.

Times newspaper Court Circular, 3rd December, 2009