On the 5th of September 1944, liberation day, four soldiers of the Polish Division, under the command of General Maczek, lost their lives at Blendecques.

The four Poles were sitting in a tracked vehicle, which was standing on the plateau of Bruyeres at Longuenesse, behind the present-day prison.

The vehicle was fired upon by a German piece of artillery at the height of the public-house “A l'abri des rafales” situated along the road from Wizernes to Longuenesse.

The 1st shot missed and struck a farmhouse close to the farmhouse of Houzet. The 2nd shot went home and the four men were killed by the shell - after that they were burned in the vehicle.

The local ambulance recovered the corpses and chaplain Stopa blessed them when they were buried in a field grave.

It concerns: Antoni Zakrzewski, Kajetan Antoni Manugiewicz, Jozef Lipa and Zbigniew Tadeusz Cwil. The Poles, who accompanied the column, made a cross out of four shell-cases and placed it on the field grave.

Monsieur Leborg, at that time Biendecques’ burgomaster, organised, together with monsieur le bishop of from Arras, a religious ceremony. On the 28 of June 1945 it was announced by letter, that the graves would be transported to the Common Cemetery.

On the 8th of August 1945, on request of the Municipality, the four bodies were exhumated by English troops and re-buried near the Calvary-mountain.

On the 22nd of April at 11 o’clock, a monument was unveiled, after a memorial- service in the presence of the Polish consul, mr. M.F. Chiczewski.

Later on the four Polish War Graves were transported to the Canadian War Cemetery at Leubringhen.

On 'Rue Léo Langrange' there is still to find a little memorial dedicated to this four Polish victims

Source:
Histoire de Blendecques http://pagesperso-orange.fr/blendecques/guerre.html