Campaigners for the rehabilitation of Polish paratroopers who fought at the battle of Arnhem have welcomed a statement by the British government recognising their “courage and commitment”, describing it as a significant step towards full rehabilitation.

Members of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade were dropped behind enemy lines as part of Operation Market Garden in September 1944, a daring but unsuccessful attempt to cross the Rhine at Arnhem.

A statement published by the British Embassy in The Hague said the British government had “conveyed to the Polish authorities and to the last surviving Polish veteran of the battle, Mr Bolek Ostrowski, its gratitude, appreciation and recognition of the courage and commitment shown by Polish forces in and around Driel and Oosterbeek in September 1944.

“This includes helping many British airborne forces withdraw across the river when it was clear that the Allies would be unable to take the Bridge at Arnhem. We will forever be grateful.”

Campaigners such as the liaison group Stichting Driel-Polen, are hoping the British government will issue a formal apology while the last surviving veteran, 105-year-old Bolek Ostrowski, is still alive.

Chairman Frank Boeijen said: “The fact that the British government has taken this step is of incalculable value and a recognition of the efforts of the Polish parachutists at Driel.”

Allied retreat

The Poles played a vital role in covering some 2,400 British troops as they retreated across the river from Oosterbeek to Driel, near Nijmegen. But after the battle military commanders, including Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, claimed the Polish brigade’s unwillingness to fight had undermined the operation.

Its leader, Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, was demoted, denied a military pension and died in penury in London at the age of 75.

He was awarded posthumous honours by his native Poland in 1988 and by the Netherlands, which conferred the Bronze Lion on Sosabowski and the Military Order of Willem on the whole regiment in 2006.

Last September the mayors of Arnhem, Ede, Renkum and Overbetuwe handed a letter to UK Europe minister Stephen Doughty that called on the British government to recognise the efforts of the Polish paratroopers. The failure to do so had “caused much pain to the Polish veterans and their relatives”, the letter said.

Boeijen said the UK government’s statement was an acknowledgment that the Poles were not to blame for the failure to force a breakthrough at Arnhem.

“We’ve had to wait a long time for his recognition, but it has come in time for the last surviving Polish veteran who fought at Driel, Bolek Ostrowski, who has also received a personal letter from the British government,” he said.

“At last the British have given verbal recognition to the incredible bravery and selfless efforts of the Poles.”