Polish SOE War Memorial

Heritage listing

Details Second World War memorial, unveiled on 20 June 1983. MATERIALS: stone. EXTERIOR: the memorial is located around 65m south-west of the south-west corner of Audley End House. It takes the form of a highly decorated classical urn set upon a plinth. The urn has a gadrooned base and calyx, and below the rim a band of carved decoration in high relief made up of two rams’ masks with swags of drapery in between. The gadrooned, waisted cap is surmounted by a flame finial. On the front face an oval tablet bears in relief the ‘screaming eagle’ emblem which represents three levels of Polish Service. The eagle-wing surround is the badge of the Polish Paratrooper; the wreath at the bottom means that the serviceman had undertaken a parachute jump; and the PW within stands for Polska Walczy (‘Poland is Fighting’). The urn is mounted on a square plinth with a moulded cornice and base, and recessed, moulded panels on each face. The front panel is filled by a carved oval wreath of laurel leaves inside of which is inscribed the words: BETWEEN/ 1942 AND 1944/ POLISH MEMBERS/ OF THE/ SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE/ TRAINED IN THIS HOUSE/ FOR MISSIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND/ THIS MEMORIAL COMMEMORATES/ THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THOSE/ WHO PARACHUTED INTO/ ENEMY OCCUPIED POLAND/ AND GAVE THEIR LIVES/ FOR THE FREEDOM OF/ THIS AND THEIR OWN/ COUNTRY The two flanking sides of the plinth are inscribed with the words DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI arranged in a circle. The rear face has an attached metal ‘screaming eagle’ emblem, and below the incised dates 1942 -1944. This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 27 February 2018.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.