Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre – RAF Ingham

Thanks to our friends at Polish Heritage Flight for their report on the opening ceremony and new exhibition at RAF Ingham Heritage Centre, which we’ve excerpted/summarized below. They also shared the photos below from the ceremony and exhibition.

The ceremony started with an evocative flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire XVI. The sound of a Merlin Engine will never be anything other than very special.

Speakers included Founder & Trustee of the RAF Ingham Heritage Group, Mr. Geoff Burton; the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Mr. Toby Dennis; Trustee Brendan Pritchard who gave a fascinating overview of the history of RAF Ingham; Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester, Mr. Michal Mazurek; Mr. Krzysztof de Berg from the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, who spoke about the history of the Polish Bomber Squadrons; and Deputy Inspector of the Polish Air Force, Brig. Gen. Pil. Wojciech Pikula.

Then the special moment and the memory of a generation was in the hands of 104-year-old Polish veteran Mieczysław Frąckiewicz, who was a wireless operation with No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron (known as John Franklin).

He went on to say in a BBC interview: “We lost crews on the bombing missions, but that was the war. Always, always chin up, and that was the main thing.”

A vivid display of unique photographs covering every possible aspect of life at that time, including fascinating information about Polish Football during the war years. Artifacts, letters and personal effects make the exhibition informative and tangible, set in a wartime building.

The large exhibition also has the incredible full-size Lancaster cockpit, creation of artist Sunhail Shaikh.

Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the Lincolnshire area! The Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre is open Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays. You can find full information at www.rafingham.co.uk