Historic Monuments

Grey Ranks Memorial Plaque

Boulder with a metal plaque commemorating the Grey Ranks, with candles in front
  • Boulder with the Grey Ranks plaque on a small paved square in the shade of trees

A boulder in Zegrze Południowe commemorates the scouts of the Grey Ranks (Szare Szeregi) who were active in Nieporęt Municipality during the Second World War. The underground troop was formed in 1943 by fourteen boys aged 13–14. Its leader was scoutmaster Ludwik Szmidt, codename “Rabczyk”.

The young scouts distributed underground newspapers, painted the Fighting Poland symbol and learnt skills such as Morse code and using a compass. One of their first actions was to place white-and-red pennants on the graves of Polish soldiers killed in 1939 in the cemetery in Wieliszew.

The boulder was unveiled on 8 May 2010, the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. During the ceremony, the troop’s story was recalled by Konrad Karpiński, one of its members. In 1989 the Grey Ranks banner was awarded the Virtuti Militari War Order. The memorial pays tribute to the courage of the young people who served Poland during the occupation.

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