ORP Orzeł/HMS Valorous Memorial Garden
The ORP Orzeł/HMS Valorous Memorial Garden is taking shape. This unique project symbolises the traditions of Polish-British-Scottish wartime cooperation, inspired by the welcome of our "Orzeł" (14/10/1939) by the Royal Navy destroyer "Valorous" at the entrance to the Firth of Forth.
The Memorial Garden commemorates the legend of the “Orzeł” – her daring escape from Tallinn, epic Baltic journey, her crossing of the Danish Straits, encounter with HMS Valorous, and their joint enter to Rosyth.
At the end of June of this year, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh organized a meeting with local and international project partners to mark the official approval of the memorial’s construction plan. Participants included representatives from Babcock International, Damen Naval (representing the shipyard where the “Orzeł” was built), Fife County Council, and, in absentia, the Polish Naval Museum in Gdynia.
The project, initially initiated by Roger Pickering of Forth Pilgrim, who was impressed by the rich Polish-Scottish military connections in Fife County, is being continued with energy and impressive effectiveness by Mr. Łukasz Lutostański, Polish Consul General in Edinburgh. As he said during the meeting: “This project reflects not only our shared military history, but also our continuing defense cooperation today – joint ventures such as the Miecznik frigate program and the Narew anti-missile defense system.”
The Memorial Garden, presenting the stories of the Eagle and Valorous in a visually and spatially appealing format, will symbolize the Royal Navy’s cooperation with the Polish Navy and, more broadly, will be part of the story of the deep bonds and shared ideas that have connected the Polish and Scottish communities living side by side in Fife for generations. It will also enhance the region’s tourist appeal.
The Memorial Garden, located near the Hilton Road roundabout in southern Rosyth, designed by SWECO UK Ltd., is entering its final phase with financial support from the Scottish Government’s “Vacant and Derelict Land Fund.” We will keep you updated on the progress of the work.
We received information about the meeting and the Memorial Garden from Sylwia Spooner from the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Edinburgh.
