Polish ambassador lays wreath at Kirkcaldy memorial to victims of Katyn massacre

Piotra Wilczka was welcomed to the Polish Club where he paid silent tribute to the 22,000 Polish military officers executed by the Russians in World War Two.

He was accompanied by Łukasz Lutostański, Consular General of the Republic of Poland from Edinburgh.

A number of Polish families and club members also took the opportunity to bring the ambassador up to date with their plans to buy out the Polish Club and bring it back under local control - a move designed to halt any closure threats from the decision in May 2021 by the London-based SPK - the Polish Ex-combatants Association - to put the building up for sale.

The Katyn memorial sits in the grounds of the club.

The massacre was a series of mass executions by the Soviets, and named after the Katyn Forest where some of the graves were first discovered by German forces.

The ambassador met local dignitaries and spoke of his first visit to the club which has been part of Kirkcaldy for generations.

He said: “This is vey important for the whole community.

“It ha a long history, and I am delighted to hear there are plans to purchase it so it will remain a centre for Polish culture and traditions.””

Councillor Judy Hamilton spoke of the club’s strong local ties,adding: “It is a place where the whole community comes.. The Polish Club is a very, very important place to us all.”