Hurricane to fly to Poland

Hurricane to fly to Poland

To commemorate the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the centenary of the Polish Air Force University, Dęblin, the Polish Heritage Flight (PHF), in partnership with the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee, (PAFMC) are planning a commemorative flight of a Hawker Hurricane from Duxford in the UK to Dęblin in Poland.

This symbolic flight, by Hurricane G-HURI, is planned for the last two weeks of August 2025 and in time for the Polish Armed Forces Day on 15 August. Routes and itinerary will depend on interest, bookings and funding. More details will be published nearer the time with an anticipated return to the UK during the first week of September. 

The Hurricane carries the markings of the Polish 302 ‘City of Poznan’ Squadron, based at RAF Duxford for a brief time during the Battle of Britain in September 1940. The starboard side has been painted as P2954 with the squadron code WX-E, flown by F/Lt Tadeusz Chlopik, while the port side represents P3935 as WX-D, the aircraft of F/Lt, later W/Cdr, Julian Kowalski.

On 15 September 1940 both pilots were scrambled to intercept German bombers over North Weald. Chlopik claimed the shared destruction of a Dornier Do 17 before P2954 was shot down above the Essex airfield. Chlopik bailed out, but was killed.  He is buried in Sutton Road Cemetery, Southend-on-Sea. In the same engagement Kowalski, flying P3935 WX-D, shot down a Do 17 and damaged another. He later became the commander of 302 Sqn and from April 1944 commanded No 1 (Polish) Wing at RAF Northolt. He survived the war and settled in Ipswich, Suffolk.

The sight and sound of a Hurricane in Poland will be a symbol of our eternal gratitude to the Polish people, airmen and all those who came to the island of the last hope ‘Wyspa ostatniej nadziei’ to fight for your freedom and ours ‘Za wolność naszą i waszą’ in the Second World War.

Since the PHF was formed in 2019 it has always been a dream to take the Hurricane to Poland. It would be a fitting conclusion to a project that has worked hard to tell the Polish Air Force story in the UK for the past five years. During the flight, it is hoped to include other historic locations in Poland, but it is critical to raise the required funds first.

The estimated cost of the project is £35,000, which includes items such as fuel, insurance, administration, transit costs and fees, logistics and support, hangarage, aircraft consumables and spares and accommodation. Whilst in Dęblin it is hoped to attract enough interest and financial support to visit other locations in Poland. This historic flight can be made a reality by donating to the project and every penny raised will be used solely to meet the project costs.

We are looking for dedications and messages on our Just Giving page, which can be found at this link https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/duxfordtodeblin to help take the Hurricane to Poland in August 2025. Every message and dedication from contributors to this project will be hand written and entered into a special Memorial Book. This book will then be flown in the Hurricane to Poland and presented to the Polish Air Force and the People of Poland.

So who can you give a dedication for? It could be a family member, a person you knew or someone you’ve read, watched, listened about or connected with. It can be anyone who played a part in the Second World War. It is not restricted to pilots or air force personnel.

It could be a particular squadron, a place or a time, a group, company or organisation, a message of gratitude or a simple ‘Thank You’.

Enter your dedication or message and help us say the best ‘Thank you’ we possibly can.

Thank You

Trustees PAFMC