Polish Ambassador honours war victims

The newly-sworn Polish Ambassador to Malta, Jerzy Chmielewski, visited the Commonwealth War Graves in Kalkara to pay tribute to the Polish sailors and airmen fallen in service to their country between 1942 and 1943.

The Ambassador laid a wreath on one of the four graves containing eight Polish burials.

"As ambassador it is my duty to visit this cemetery, one of the many around Europe and the Mediterranean, in honour of our servicemen who, together with the Allies, gave their lives for Poland and the freedom of Europe," Mr Chmielewski said.

The first person to be buried at the Kalkara cemetery was in 1903. There are also 1,196 dead from World War I and II buried at the cemetery and another 2,500 graves of people who died outside the two World War periods.

Mr Chmielewski, who will be based in the Polish embassy accredited to Malta in Rome, was accompanied by First Counsellor (Political Affairs) Marek Dabrowski, Military Attaché Col Ryszard Tomczak, First Secretary Marek Szczepanowski and the Honorary Consul of Poland in Malta Stephen Parnis England.