Isle of Wight residents and dignitaries remembered the 100 lives lost in the Cowes Blitz and the contribution of the warship Blyskawica to its defence on Sunday (8th May).
Present at the Cowes commemoration were the MP Bob Seely, officers and crew of the Polish naval vessel ORP Wodnik, the Mayors of Cowes, East Cowes and Portsmouth, and the Polish ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Also present at the event was also the centenarian Polish WWII war veteran Colonel Otton Hulacki, who lives in Wotton. Colonel Hulacki served at the battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. Although the colonel now has mobility difficulties, he was well enough to make a speech in Polish and English to the assembled crowd.
The towns of Cowes and East Cowes were bombed on the night of 4th/5th May 1942 during 2 bombing raids by 160 German aircraft. The Blyskawica, which had been built in the shipyards of Cowes, was present in the River Medina undergoing a refit at the time.
A week previously, the captain of the Blyskawica, Captain Francki, had observed a German reconnaissance aircraft above the town. Fearful of an imminent German raid, he ordered his warship to be rearmed to defend the town. This was against Admiralty regulations, which required ships in dock to disarm as the effects of an on-board explosion might prove disastrous to a nearby port.
On the night of the attack, the Blyskawica did a great deal to thwart the German raid as the captain had armed his ship and prepared his crew for possible attack. With the limited anti-aircraft defence systems available in Cowes and East Cowes, the defence of the 2 towns was largely in the hands of the captain and crew of the Polish warship.
Over 200 tons of high-explosive bombs were dropped on the night of the Cowes blitz, destroying over 100,000 feet of shipyard buildings. The destruction was not limited to the mouth of the Medina: returning bombers jettisoned their surplus bombs over Newport. Altogether 100 people were killed in the raid: 31 in Cowes, 56 in East Cowes, 10 in Newport, and 3 elsewhere.
It was widely believed that had the Blyskawica not been present on the night of the Cowes blitz, the loss of life would have been far greater. The warship was hailed by the townspeople as “The Saviour of Cowes”.
We are so lucky to see the commemoration in Cowes during this week.
Yesterday we came across the official opening of the Polish Consulate on Binney Hill in Cowes. Where the crew and officers of the Orp Wodnik gathered to dedicate the house. With the Polish nation anthem played and a blessing from the ships chaplain. Other dignitaries were present. We both felt blessed to see such history