I really feel really disconnected from the whole ANZAC Day thing, being of Polish ancestry myself. I know the Polish community in Wellington do involve themselves in the ANZAC Day Mass at St Mary of the Angels in Wellington, remembering their dead from WW2 and their own WW2 struggles.
There is a whole generation of us living in NZ because our parents or grandparents fought as part of the exiled Polish army and ended up settling here in NZ due to being ex-Soviet prisoners and not in a good position to go home, to say the least.
I suppose it really is up to those, like myself, to remember my own military connections on this day. If I don't, no one else will.
There is a whole generation of us living in NZ because our parents or grandparents fought as part of the exiled Polish army and ended up settling here in NZ due to being ex-Soviet prisoners and not in a good position to go home, to say the least.
I suppose it really is up to those, like myself, to remember my own military connections on this day. If I don't, no one else will.
Rest easy, Lucyna Maria. The Polish people and their soldiers and airmen aren't forgotten by those who fought with them, nor by their children and grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteIn the words of my father, who fought alongside some of them, they 'were the bravest bastards I ever knew-brave to the point of madness'.
A fine madness indeed.:-)
We owe them a lot.
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ReplyDelete'tis a strange quirk of history that the French who surrendered and collaborated with the Nazis gained a seat at the victors table whereas the Poles who persisted with the struggle to the end were betrayed and sold out.
ReplyDeleteWell its not so strange really there were an awful lot of communist sympathizers (some of whom were traitors) in positions of influence in both the British and American governments.
Oh no Uncle Joseph wasn't so bad.
FDR sold out the Poles at Yalta and Churchill went along with it
Bit like those of us without religious beliefs who celebrate Easter and Christmas......we get over that.
ReplyDeleteA fair comment Kate.
ReplyDeleteJust as Lucyna found something to reflect upon in keeping with ANZAC day, hopefully others find something of the Christmas and Easter (Christian) message that is valuable.