Some more interesting news from the EDP. http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/memorial_to_polish_soldiers_and_settlers_in_brandon_gets_green_light_1_4721991 Knowing that Riddlesworth was on the A1066 Thetford to Bury St Edmunds road and if you blinked you would miss it, so was intrigued by the Memorial there. Riddlesworth is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 8.26 km2 (3.19 sq mi) and had a population of 147 in 48 households at the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland. During the Second World War, part of Riddlesworth Park was given over to a British Army camp for British troops. In 1946 this camp was redesignated as one of the nearly 150 Polish resettlement camps. These camps were set up under the 1947 Polish Resettlement Act to receive the nearly 250,000 Polish troops and displaced Poles stationed all over Europe at the end of the war. Riddlesworth Camp was one of five set up in Norfolk to receive 4,500 troops and housed the 3rd Heavy Machine Gun Battalion of the 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division. This unit had fought through Italy at all the major battles against German forces and had distinguished itself at the Battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944. The majority of the Polish troops from this camp decided to stay in England after 1948 and were gradually found jobs in the locality and made new lives for themselves never to return home to Poland. To find out what these camps were like see this excellent website. New Page 1
Excellent news. Success at the Fourth Battle of Cassino in May 44 without the willingness of the II (PO) Corps to attack Pounts 575 and 593 whilst the XIII (BR) Corps attacked across the Rapido in the Liri Valley. Equally, success on the Gothic Line in Aug/Sep 44 would not have been possible without the II (PO) Corps executing a brilliant break in battle. We owe these people a lot. Regards Frank
