Perth and Poland – A Wartime Bromance

From the archives comes a heartwarming tale of a Polish ‘band of brothers.’ In this talk, Roger Pickering will explore the fall of Poland, Norway and France to Hitler’s Blitzkrieg, and how one armoured car unit ended up being sent to Perth in 1941 to re-equip, train & help repel a much-feared Nazi invasion off the Scottish East Coast. He will discuss how local civic leaders, including the Lord Provosts of Perth went to huge lengths to welcome and connect with these and other Polish Army forces, and how it became a bond that lasted well beyond proximity and postings away.

Speaker biography - Roger Pickering is a former Customers Officer, International charity worker and self-confessed local history / global history anorak. He now lives and in Fife where he works for On Fife Libraries and is a founding member of Forth Pilgrims which delivers outdoor heritage, learning and wellbeing activities. He is a popular and engaging speaker whose talks span a wide range of topics, from addressing the wrongs of the Crusades and of Edward the odorous ‘Hammer of the Scots’, to Fife’s medieval pilgrim story. Roger now spends much time in the communities of Fife re-telling inspiring and heart-rending stories of Poland’s sadly lopsided alliance with Great Britain during the war.

Please enter via the Soutar Theatre entrance on the West side of the library (through the glass doors).