A campaign to create a permanent memorial to a Polish war hero is to be launched at the Scottish Parliament today.
General Stanislaw Maczek was Commander of the 1st Polish Armoured Division and a hero of the Battle of Normandy and a key player in the Allied liberation of France.
When the Second World War ended he was unable to return to his native Poland which had become part of the Soviet Union as part of an allied agreement.
Refused a war pension, he worked as barman in his adopted city of Edinburgh he and his wife raised a son and two daughters. He lived to 102.
The late Lord Fraser of Carmyllie represented the Government at General Maczek's funeral and witnessed Polish hussars form an arch of steel as the coffin was leaving the church.
This sparked an interest in the General's achievements and further research by Lord Fraser led him to conclude that a permanent memorial was long overdue.
A few months before his death in 2013, Lord Fraser revealed details of his plan to raise funds for a metal bench that would include a figure of the General to be cast in Poland and then sited near the former Maczek family home in Edinburgh.
Just two days before his death, Lord Fraser won unanimous support from the Friends of the Edinburgh Meadows when he spoke at their annual general meeting.
Lord Fraser's death stalled the project but now his daughter Katie Fraser, former PR advisor Archie Mackay and lawyer Roddy Harrison have established the General Stanislaw Maczek Memorial Trust.
Its patrons include one of the General's men, Retired Captain Zbigniew Mieczkowski, the former Lord Provost of Edinburgh the Reverend Dr George Grubb and Professor Richard Demarco, one of the greatest promoters of European and especially Polish culture in Scotland.
Highlands and Islands MSP Jean Urquhart is hosting a reception at the Scottish Parliament which will be attended family members of the General and Lord Fraser as well as leading figures in the Polish and British communities including Witold Sobkow, the Polish Ambassador to the UK in London.
Ms Urquhart said: "General Maczek was an exceptional man who lived an extraordinary life, but he was never really recognised here when he was alive."
A documentary film on General Maczek will be unveiled as part of the relaunch of the Memorial Fund.
Drawings created by Polish artist Bronislaw Krzysztof were approved by Lord Fraser before his death and the aim is to honour his pledge.
The Polish Ex-Combatant's Association has already offered £5,000 towards the project which has a target of £100,000.
Lady Fiona Fraser said: "I am extremely pleased that the project to recognise General Maczek is once again moving forward with support from my daughter Katie and Peter's former colleagues.
"I hope it will attract a great deal of support and enable the creation of a permanent memorial to the General."
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