Polish naval vessel on Isle of Wight for ORP Błyskawica event

Two Isle of Wight towns are preparing to mark the 80th anniversary of the defence of Cowes and East Cowes, by the Polish destroyer, ORP Błyskawica.

Annually, the Friends of the ORP Błyskawica hold a ceremony on Cowes Parade to mark the date of the Second World War blitz, on the evening of May 4-5, 1942.

A host of events are taking place to mark the 80th anniversary.

We have two live evening shows coming up as part of the 80th anniversary of Błyskawica defending Cowes. Tomorrow night is Eva Maria Doroszkowska's gala concert at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Here is a flavour of what to expect. @EDoroszkowska https://t.co/YM7hOxnJ2T

— ORP Błyskawica - defence of Cowes - IoW 1942 (@BlyskawicaCowes) May 4, 2022

An exhibition already opened on Saturday, at East Cowes Town Hall, organised by East Cowes Heritage Centre (ECHC).

A scene from at a previous Blyskawica commemorative event in Cowes. Photo: Polish Embassy London.

And yesterday (Wednesday), a Blitz talk and film, Voices of the East Cowes Blitz, was organised by ECHC at the same venue.

• Read more: Poland's Blyskawica war efforts remembered on Isle of Wight

Today, between 8am and 10am, Polish naval vessel, ORP Wodnik, will arrive at Cowes Roads.

On Friday, Katy Carr brings her British/Polish fusion to East Cowes Town Hall. Here she is singing her song about Wojtek, the famous soldier bear who became a WW2 legend with the Polish forces. @katycarrmusic https://t.co/QF2urjAtxk

— ORP Błyskawica - defence of Cowes - IoW 1942 (@BlyskawicaCowes) May 4, 2022

The Royal Yacht Squadron will greet the Polish warship with a five-gun salute.

The following events are planned today:

• 2pm: A plaque unveiling in Kings Square (adjacent to Waitrose), East Cowes. 2.30pm: Guided blitz walk from Kings Square to Kingston Cemetery. 4 pm: Memorial service at Kingston Cemetery.
• 6pm (by invitation): Welcome reception by Brigadier Maurice Sheen, vice lord-lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.
• 7.30pm: Gala piano recital at the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) by Eva Maria Doroszkowska, granddaughter of Captain Francki, commander of the ORP Blyskawica on the night of the blitz on Cowes in May 1942. Eva will be performing to commemorate the defence of Cowes and East Cowes.

Also on the bill are the spectacular Medina Marching Band from the Isle of Wight. Tickets for both shows are still available via https://t.co/Yu0VGEZuJt #IsleofWight https://t.co/GVtpOFaYHo

— ORP Błyskawica - defence of Cowes - IoW 1942 (@BlyskawicaCowes) May 4, 2022

After the piano recital, the RYS will fire a five-gun salute and the Polish ship will fire white flares to commemorate the anniversary. 

Why are the actions of the Błyskawica crew remembered on the Isle of Wight?

During that night, two waves of Luftwaffe bombers attacked the strategic ports, which were a vital manufacturing area towards the Second World War effort.

The personal tragic losses at that time were significant. ORP Błyskawica, along with her sister ship, ORP Grom, were built in the local shipyards of J. S. White and were the world’s fastest destroyers when launched; Błyskawica achieving 41.5 knots at her peak.

Today Blyskawica lies in the port of Gdynia, Poland, where she’s an immaculately preserved floating museum which has received more than seven million visitors. The ship is the pride of Poland’s maritime history.

The defence of Cowes by Błyskawica was brought about by the ship being in port for re-armament, enabling her to defend our Island towns throughout the night of the raid.