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In thc mxious ćlays ofr^oecber^iJ-₉ v.»hcn thc ^ornan '.rnios wero thrusting towar ds lloscow, General Sikorski md Marshal Stalin proclainod thoir conviotion that no ccqprcoiso was possiblc wit Hitler*s Germany and dcci red that thoir tv70 oountrics V70uld fight on tegether until viotary and work for a just md lasting pcaoo therafter.

General Sikorski saw elearly that thc grentest jieasurc of Allied unity in aetion, against the ccranon foc is essential to our eounon vietery. Ho saw, too, that it is easential to the restoration of Poland to her place onong the nations, and to hołd and

guard the pec.ce when the victory is to, •*' itkout tl is, hc Troll understood that Polarni' s futurę independence nuat alwrays be in perił.

General Sikorski is no longer with us, but the results of his work livc- on*

The Polish Governr.icnt, under the wisc leadership of H.MiKolajczyk, and with thc fuli support of His Majesty*s Govermieiit, has pledged itaelf to the continuat ion of G •'al Sikorski¹ 3 enłightened md far-sighted policies, Iiiu work as tlić first Ccx uimder-in-Chief of thc Polish Armad Por cos go brnvely refomed abroad ha 3 no w berno fruit in thc brilliant and hotly fought triutjj>hs f thc Polish 2nd Corpa at the battle of Cassino.

In Po land itaelf thc entire not ion, fortified by the oxarrpłe of General Sikorski and his saccessors and undisnayed by its łong and terrible sufferings, continucs to oppose all efforta of the Germn imrader to break its apirit. By daily acts of heroisr;i,Połes in the honelrnd pay their part in the steady wcakeming of thc German povrerr 165

liruu the very first General Sikorski rightly attributecl thc greatest importmcc to catablishing and naintaining cloao centact with Poland. Ile notively encouraged thc

builćliag up of the Polish Underground organ i aa t ion, which has cauaed so much trouble to the Gorr.nn foroos of ocoupntion and which no w stmds rcady to co-ordinatc its activities with fcho inocir.iing Soviet fo.ro os in what will bo for Pol and thc decisive liberating phase of thc war.

Abroad, Polish. arr.iies, urny tii/.cs taorc nuricrous thon thc gal lont band of 24 thousand whcti General Sikorski broughfc with hi-i to thc cc chorea in Juno 1940, aro no w taking their płaco in tho fdghfc on all thc three nnin fronts of thc great finał battle which will liberato Burope and make possible tho restoration of a strong and independent Poland.

The prosent Allied victories on all theso fronts justify our hopc tiat this restoration is no longcr far distant.

That is thc picture which would gla&don tho henrt :.:f General Sikorski were hc with us today-. I join wit! you in paying tributo to a great son of Poland, a wis© statesmn, a bravo warrior and a far-sightecl Europem.

Sbctracta fron tlić oddress by Mr. Stanisław Hikola.jczyk* Frine Minister of Poland.

His nafcie will renain fnr thc Polish Nation. as a symbol that fight ing is thc best way to frcc-dco and independence•

The socond guicling principia of General Sikorski* s policy was cxprosscd in his . cndeavour to rebuild a democratic Polmd*

V7c aro ablc to offim today with all assurancc thr.t during thc five yerors of struggle Polani' trmsforned hersclf ńito a donocratic statc* Tho min spring of all our activities

■was thc ideał uf a frcc nan in a froc oountry.

Tho third charactcristic uf General Silcurrici was his roalisation that the prosperity and security of Europo md of tho worlćl arc- indivisiblo. Ho was an ar den t j:rotagonist of polrnd*s closo relations v/ith thc- western dcnocr .cics. He was a sinccrc advocate of Pol is h-Ru s s im oollaboration and propagator of thc idea of a foderal union of thc Europo on nations, iritiiaately oollaborating on raising thoir econaaic standard as the most cffcctive barrier ?^ainst renewed German attcnpts at econouic hcgor.ony or against renewed Gcrr.im sggrossion, against a nevt war.

/The war