Lotnicy, Polish Airmen, Polish Airmens Association, PolishAirmensAssociation, Polish Airmen's Association Polish Airmen's Association UK

Copyright © 2018 Polish Airmen’s Association UK   |   238 - 246, King Street, London W6 0RF   |   email: zlplondyn@btinternet.com


Welcome to the Polish Airmen's Association UK





Words of Welcome from the Chairman, Artur Bildziuk,

"I am pleased to say that the Association is thriving with increasing membership and it was a great
privilege for me to be re-elected as Chairman at the AGM earlier this year. Our veterans have been the heart
and soul of this Association and it is a great honour for me to be part of such an inspirational organisation.
I am proud to have been entrusted with maintaining the traditions of the Association established so many
years ago.Our Association is a large family bound together by a rich history.

The Association is run entirely by volunteers, the sons and daughters, relatives and friends of the men and
women who served in the Polish Air Force during WWII. We have been passed the baton to keep the
Association alive, to expand and share the knowledge handed down to us, together with our Polish
traditions. We have a full calendar of activities. We attend numerous commemorative events and organise
monthly social gatherings. I invite all veterans, members and friends of the Association to attend. Please
check our website and see what we do and what we hope to achieve. Do let us have your suggestions for
its development."

Warmest regards,
Artur Bildziuk



The title photographs on our website are from the private archive collection of Henryk Soszko 707228, official RAF photographer.  
13.03.1922-17.11.1997 © Henryk Soszko, Joanna Soszko 1015 All rights are reserve. Website maintained by T.D.Dunn
Artur Bildziuk with Jan Jan Black-Stangryciu
Our History

The Polish Air Force Association (PAFA) was founded in London in June 1945 to represent all members of the Polish Air Force who served under British command during the Second World War.
Some fifty years later a decision was taken to disband the organisation; this took place at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 29th June 1999. Nevertheless, PAFA branches continued to function independently for many years as PAFA clubs in the following cities: London, Birmingham, Blackpool, Derby, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Manchester and Nottingham. Similar clubs and wings also remained active in various places abroad as did the London-based PAFA Charitable Trust which was dissolved in 2011.Soon after PAFA was disbanded in 1999 the now independent PAFA Club in London (formerly PAFA’s London branch) changed its name to the “Polish Airmen’s Association”. Its chairman at that time was Colonel Adam Ostrowski, a WW2 Spitfire pilot.

In the fullness of time our Association broadened its membership to include not only those who had served with the Polish Air Force during WW2 but also their family members, other supporters and friends with a genuine interest in flying and the history and traditions of the Polish Air Force.
Our Association assumed all the established responsibilities of the former Polish Air Force Association’s London branch such as providing care for veterans in need by liaising with the Welfare Committee of the PAFA Charitable Trust for as long as it existed.

Our executive committee has organised social events in the Greater London area including frequent gatherings and popular monthly lunches. Members have also participated in all commemorative events and celebrations associated with the Polish Air Force in Great Britain. These include the annual service held in Westminster Abbey on Battle of Britain Day in September and wreath laying there on Remembrance Sunday in November. Association members have also assisted the PAF Charitable Trust to organise international reunions of Polish airmen and women in Great Britain and Poland.

At the Association’s Annual General Meeting in March 2013, vice-chairman Artur Bildziuk, whose parents had served in the Polish Air Force, was chosen to replace the retiring chairman, Colonel Adam Ostrowski. The new chairman thanked those present for their support and promised to continue the Association’s various activities. Artur Bildziuk also emphasised the Association’s role by stating, “ Although we organise social events for members, we must always remember and honour the service and sacrifice of Polish airmen and women during the Second World War and  their contribution to the defence of  this country, particularly during the Battle of Britain. ”

Hence the Association’s annual calendar of events includes the following activities: regular talks and lunches for members (e.g. to celebrate Christmas and Easter) as well as wreath laying at various memorials such as the Polish Air Force Plaque in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Bomber Command Memorial in London’s Green Park and the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent.


Chairman, Artur Bildziuk (left), with Jan
Black-Stangryciuk, veteran of 300 Polish (Land of
Mazovia) Bomber Squadron RAF, before the wreath
laying ceremony at Bomber Command Memorial in Green
Park, London, July 2017.
Our Aims and Activities

1 Our Association is the sole successor of the Polish Air Force Association (PAFA) formed in Great Britain in 1945. We maintain the principles and values of the Polish Air Force by acting in accordance with its motto, “For God, Honour and Country.”


2 Our principal aim is to develop greater awareness of the role of the Polish Air Force under British command during the Second World War by sponsoring and supporting a range of new commemorative projects. They will involve the descendants and friends of those who served with courage and distinction as well as representatives of organisations and communities in Britain, Poland and other countries. We will co-operate with organisations sympathetic to our aims.


3 We endeavour to maintain comradely bonds of friendship among those who fought for the freedom of their native land (Poland) and adopted homeland (Great Britain) during the Second World War.


4 We provide support to the families of veterans at times of bereavement as well as care of veterans in need by means of contact with the RAF Benevolent Fund.


5 We cultivate knowledge of the history and traditions of the Polish Air Force, particularly among the families and friends of veterans and among young British and Polish people, by organising social and educational events and by circulating information.


6 We are creating an archive of materials about members of the Polish Air Force under British command and intend to gather memorabilia of significance and value for future generations.
           


PAA Christmas lunch in Polish Social & Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, 07/01/17