Polish plaque in Earlsferry
A plaque on the wall of the town hall in Earlsferry in Fife records the gratitude of Polish paratroopers to the community of Ellie and Earlsferry for their hospitality during the Second World War. Troops billeted in the area were components of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade with its headquarters in Largo House at Lower Largo near Leven. The plaque, the work of the Polish sculptor Zofia Kruszelnicka and unveiled in June 1943, is surmounted with a representation of the brigade’s eagle emblem.
The parachute brigade relocated to bases in England in July 1944 in preparation for the expected participation in the liberation of Poland. For political and logistical reasons that deployment never occurred and the Polish unit took part instead in the unsuccessful Arnhem operation in September 1944, where it suffered substantial loses alongside British forces.
The Earlsferry town hall is located on the High Street. The plaque is by the corner with Cross Wynd at grid reference 56°11’21”N 2°50’02”W.
Polish plaque image © Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph
