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| In memory of those that perished in the Polish air disaster | |
 Polish air disaster victims to be honoured at Arboretum service
Several of those killed had attended the dedication of the Polish Armed Forces Memorial in September 2009 16 April 2010, 12:30hrs: With Poland in mourning following Saturday’s tragic air disaster, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Mr James Hawley, is to lead a wreath laying ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum this Friday. He will be joined by senior representatives of the Polish community and civic dignitaries from across the region. Several of those killed in the crash were supporters of the National Memorial Arboretum and had visited recently on the occasion of the dedication of the Polish Armed Forces Memorial last September. They included the last President in Exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski, who spoke with great passion at the unveiling, the priest who first blessed the memorial site, Rev. Bronek Gostomski, and defence minister and former ambassador to UK (who also spoke at the unveiling), Stanislaw Komorowski. The Lord-Lieutenant has written to The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland saying: “How devastated he and his wife were to hear the sad news of the tragic death of the Country’s President, his wife and so many other distinguished citizens of Poland in the most awful airplane crash in Russia on Saturday”, and he extended his deepest sympathy to the families of all the victims of the accident and to the Polish Nation. He went onto say that: “We, in Staffordshire, feel we have a rather special relationship with your Country, especially at this time when we have the Katyn Memorial on Cannock Chase, and the wonderful new Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum. There will be many of us paying our respects over the comings days during the week that your Country will be observing mourning. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time”. Programme for the wreath laying ceremony 12:30 hrs—Assemble at Polish Armed Forces Memorial Welcome—Revd. Vic Van Den Bergh Polish representative, Dr. Mark Sawicki, to say a few words to remember the 96 lost and in particular the 4 who attended the unveiling if the PAFM in September 09. Laying of wreaths: (4 standards/bearers at attention) L-L Main Polish representative Staffordshire County Council Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield District Council NMA Other organisations and/or representatives Silence—1 minute (standards to dip) Short prayer 'for souls' in Polish—Dr. Andrew Meeson (Standards rise) Closing remarks/blessing - Revd. Vic Van Den Bergh 13:00 hrs—End A memorial list of all those that perished |
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