“In 1944, after five years of German occupation, the people of Poland rose up and demanded their freedom. Facing death at the hand of their evil oppressors, the hope of liberation inspired thousands of Poles to come together in the largest resistance movement of the Second World War. For 63 days, the Polish Home Army – under-equipped and overwhelmingly outnumbered – fought in an attempt to liberate Poland’s capital from Hitler’s clutches. Across the Vistula River, the Soviet Red Army did nothing, condemning Warsaw to a catastrophic fate.

“Today, the memory of the Warsaw Uprising lives on as a reminder of the price of freedom. On this sombre anniversary, we remember the 200,000 Polish civilians who lost their lives in combat. We honour the brave heroes – including the Jewish fighters who had survived the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising just one year earlier – who fought against all odds to vanquish tyranny and secure a sovereign future.

“Today, Warsaw is a vibrant and thriving city — a powerful testament to the enduring spirit of the Polish people and the legacy of freedom that runs like a thread throughout Poland’s heroic history.

“As Poles come together in remembrance today, we join them in recalling the horrors of the Second World War and in renewing our commitment to ensuring that the atrocities their ancestors endured never happen again.”