Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

#157

Compact but dense with originals, this museum-archive tells the story of Poland’s armed forces in exile and the Polish Government-in-Exile in London during WWII. Expect battlefield colours, RAF squadron memorabilia, commanders’ belongings, and meticulously kept archives that connect objects to named people and units. Best for visitors who like artefacts with provenance and campaigns with clear timelines.

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Opening Hours

Tuesday: 14:00 – 16:00

Wednesday: 14:00 – 16:00

Thursday: 14:00 – 16:00

Friday: 14:00 – 16:00

What's not to miss inside?

Polish Air Force in the RAF

Personal kit and squadron insignia put names and faces to famous units such as 303 (Kościuszko) Squadron during the Battle of Britain.

See flight gear and squadron badges that chart how Polish pilots transitioned from occupied Europe to British bases—and turned the air war.

Find one named item (a brevet, logbook entry, or photo) and trace the pilot’s squadron through 1940–1941 on the wall map.

📍 Upper galleries, aviation section

General Władysław Sikorski Collection

Belongings and documents of Poland’s Commander-in-Chief and Prime Minister illuminate the strategy and diplomacy of the exile years.

From field dress to diplomatic gifts, these objects track Sikorski’s journey from reorganising forces in France and the UK to his final 1943 Gibraltar flight.

Compare a military item and a diplomatic token; note how both tell the same story of keeping an army supplied and a nation recognised.

📍 Core galleries, leadership cases

Monte Cassino & the II Corps

Regimental standards, badges and battlefield relics link directly to the 1944 Italian campaign where the Polish II Corps took the monastery heights.

Uniform pieces and colours carry unit histories stitched into their fabric—look for dates and honours added post-battle.

Spot one unit marking from Cassino, then find the same emblem on a second object to build the unit’s mini-catalogue.

📍 Army campaigns corridor

Government-in-Exile Archives

Original orders, maps and correspondence ground the displays in primary sources, from formation orders to post-war resettlement.

Typed commands, ink signatures and annotated maps reveal how an army without a homeland coordinated across continents.

Read one dated order and cross-check the same date on nearby equipment or photos to anchor artefact to decision.

📍 Research rooms (by arrangement); selections on display

🤓 Fun Facts

The museum grew from the wartime Polish Government-in-Exile’s own London headquarters, preserving frontline unit colours, documents, and commanders’ effects that never returned to occupied Poland.

Displays on the Polish Air Force in Britain highlight units like No. 303 Squadron—one of the top-scoring fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain—through named kit, insignia and photographs.

Monte Cassino material in the army galleries connects directly to the Polish II Corps’ assault in May 1944, including unit badges and colours bearing post-battle honours.

Personal items linked to General Władysław Sikorski anchor narratives about the command of Polish forces abroad and the politics of recognition by Allied governments.