THREE Polish servicemen who were killed during a German air raid over Renfrew have been honoured at a special ceremony.

Lance-Corporal Pawel Radke, 28, Aircraftsman Antoni Ptaszkowski, 18, and Aircraftsman Zygmunt Soko?owski, 24, had been at St James’s Church, in Renfrew, when the raid began.

At great risk to themselves, they began extinguishing fires caused by incendiary devices.

Tragically, Pawel and Zygmunt were killed outright by a bomb from the third wave of German planes.

Antoni was also fatally wounded and died in hospital in Paisley the following day.

The three servicemen were buried with full military honours in graves at Arkleston Cemetery, on the boundary of Paisley and Renfrew.

Wooden crosses which had previously marked the graves have now been replaced with Portland stone markers.

The graves are in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in perpetuity, as with all other Polish war graves in Great Britain.

Members of the Polish Social and Educational Society paid their respects at a moving ceremony at the weekend.

They also laid wreaths at the Piorun Memorial Stone, which commemorates the brave actions of the crew of the Polish destroyer ORP Piorun, who earned a place in the collective memory of Clydebank by firing its guns at German raiders and by bravely extinguishing fires on British warships undergoing fitting-out at John Brown’s Shipyard.

A spokesman for the Society said: “There is no question that these acts saved the yard and those ships from serious damage, even though it was one of the primary targets.

“Together with others, we marked the occasion by singing our national hymn. There is no question that our Polish presence at these events means a great deal to the people of Scotland – and to us.”