A solemn moment!
The coffins of ten defenders of Westerplatte were displayed in the Gdańsk Basilica
“At last, they will be given a dignified burial”.
The coffins of the ten defenders of Westerplatte were displayed at St. Brigid’s Basilica in Gdańsk. Residents and visitors paid tribute to Major Sucharski and his nine subordinates who defended the peninsula in the first days of September 1939.
The coffins containing the remains of the ten defenders of Westerplatte were taken to St. Brigid’s Basilica in Gdańsk on Thursday morning, assisted by the military. After 3:00 pm, they were on public display, so anyone who wanted to could pay tribute to them.
“This is my duty”
Dozens of people gathered in front of the basilica. Among them was Tomasz Zdunkiewicz, who traveled to Gdańsk from the Łódź Voivodeship for the funeral ceremony.
“This is my duty,” Zdunkiewicz told PAP.
“A few months ago, my cousin who lived in Gdynia passed away. Before he died, he asked me to participate in all the ceremonies related to Westerplatte. So while I still have the strength, I travel these 400 km,” he explained.
He added that he is strongly connected with Westerplatte.
“Four Westerplatte soldiers came from the village where I live. I met all of them when I was a child,” he stressed.
“At last, they will live to see a dignified burial”
Another person who wanted to pay tribute to the defenders of Westerplatte was Helena Orłowska from Gdańsk. After leaving the basilica, she stressed that her visit there was very emotional.
“At last, they will have a dignified burial, with a military setting, a funeral mass, and an escort to Westerplatte,” she said.
She added, “this is a touching moment for which we Poles have waited for more than 80 years. Here in the basilica, everyone should be there to pay tribute to them.” she declared.
“They fought for our homeland”.
Teresa Stal from Gdańsk was also emotional. In an interview with PAP, she admitted that she relives it all the time.
“I will refer to the words of Pope John Paul II, who, while at Westerplatte in 1987, said that ‘each of you, my young friends, will also find some of Westerplatte in your life,’” she said.
“They fought for our homeland. And finally, after 83 years, they were found and will be buried with dignity,” she emphasized.
The coffins displayed in St. Brigid’s Basilica contain the remains of Maj. Henryk Sucharski, Cpl. Jan Gębur, Legionnaire Józef Kita, Rifleman Władysław Okrasa (Okraszewski), Cpl. Bronisław Perucki, Platoon Sergeant Adolf Petzelt, Legionnaire Ignacy Zatorski, Pvt. Zygmunt Zięba and two unidentified soldiers.
The remains of nine men were found during research conducted by archaeologists from the Second World War Museum on the Westerplatte peninsula.
On Thursday evening, a concert, “Requiem – in memory of the fallen Defenders of Westerplatte”, will be held at St Brigid’s Basilica in Gdansk.
The Funeral Ceremony
The Field Bishop of the Polish Army will hold a funeral service at St. Brigid’s Basilica in Gdańsk the following day. After the Mass, the coffins of the Westerplatte men will be carried out of the church and placed on five military vehicles, which will drive in a funeral procession from the city center through the streets of Gdańsk to Westerplatte.
The city will be decorated with white and red flags to mark the ceremony. The military column will pass through the following streets: Profesorska, Katarzynki, Rajska, Podwale Grodzkie, Wały Jagiellońskie, Okopowa, Podwale Przedmiejskie, Elbląska, Most Wantowy and Sucharskiego.
The defenders of Westerplatte will be buried at the Soldiers of the Polish Army Cemetery at Westerplatte.
The Westerplatte veterans’ families, Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, and representatives of the state and local authorities will attend the ceremony.
Translation J. Czarniecki
For the original in Polish, please refer to the following link:
https://wpolityce.pl/historia/620685-w-bazylice-wystawiono-trumny-10-obroncow-westerplatte
