2007 was designated the year of General Wladyslaw Anders to commemorate the man who was largely responsible for organising the formation of a Polish army in 1943 from the thousands of people forced by the Russians to leave their homeland in 1939-40 and taken to live in inhuman conditions on Russian soil. This army fought alongside allied troops in Italy, notably at Monte Cassino in 1944, and most combatants and their families subsequently settled in the United Kingdom. The majority of Mazury members are descendants of these soldiers of the 2nd Polish Army Corps, commanded by Gen Anders. Apart from the military aspect of this important episode in recent Polish history General Anders was keen to promote other important aspects of life for his countrymem who found themselves in this difficult and distressing situation. Looking to the future he was especially keen on education, based on a bedrock of traditional Polish and Catholic values.

The concelebrated mass at Westminister Cathedral was graced by the presence of Archbishop Wesoly, longtime postwar spiritual leader of Polish Catholics in the United Kingdom and was an important event in the calendar for this special year.

Mazury were heavily involved in this event. Artistic director Wlodek Lesiecki was invited onto the organising committee and during the actual event members of the group participated in large numbers in a variety of folk costumes.

Photos by Ryszard Szydlo


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