They were heroes who fought the Nazis and fled Russian tyranny. Their graves now lie desecrated - we won't forget them

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Tucked away in a dark and damp corner of St Joseph's cemetery in Moston is a collection of about 100 graves whose crypts hide stories of barely-conceivable suffering, unimaginable loss and incredible bravery.

This is the Polish section. Many of these tombs are official war graves of decorated soldiers, pilots, resistance fighters and nurses who fled the twin tyranny of Hitler's Nazi Germany and Stalin's 'red army' of Russia which, one from the west and the other from the east, invaded Poland at the start of World War II in 1939.

Some became underground fighters in the resistance. Many fled west and fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the British. Others were captured and put on cattle trucks to work in Stalin's labour camps in Siberia. In time, all of them would start new post-war lives in Manchester, a city with a proud history of welcoming immigrants.

READ MORE: Anger at cemetery as vandals trash World War Two veteran's grave while others left covered in bags of drugs and dog poo

It's likely that many of the veterans, when they were refugees from the war in continental Europe, lived in the wooden huts of the long-gone Moston Resettlement Camp, a stone's throw from what was to become their final resting place at St Joseph's. They eventually started new lives all across Greater Manchester.

Decorated with red and white ribbons, the colours of Poland's flag, the inscriptions on these almost forgotten graves are impenetrable to anyone who doesn't know Polish: but to those who understand, they only touch on the heroism and loss that marked their lives.

Sacrifice that must have been completely lost on the young vandals who have been damaging them for years. Apparently in a drink and drug stupor, the culprits have smashed and