Speech Arno Baltussen Chairman of the Foundation Driel-Polen during the ceremonial parade of the 6th Airborne Brigade and handing over the certificate of baptism of the General Stanisław Sosabowski tulip 8 May 2017 and 500 bulbs
Cracow, 22 September 2017

General Hałupka, Members of the Brigade
Dear Excellencies and Generals
Honourable guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

On the 8th of May this year it was 125 years ago that General Stanisław Sosabowski was born. A very good reason for our Foundation to organise a special event on this day.

I think the General’s parents already sensed that their son would have a great future in international relations. In the Netherlands, we celebrate birthdays, in Poland name days are very important. Since 8 May is both his birthday as well as his name day there is no need to struggle about name day or birth day. After 125 years 8 May was a day that needed to be celebrated.
In close cooperation with the Polish Embassy in the Netherlands it was decided that a tulip developed by a Dutch grower in colours that match the colours of the 6th Airborne Brigade would be very appropriate.
The colours of the General Stanisław Sosabowski tulip are red and the top of the leaves are yellow.
These are also the colours of the Warsaw flag.

The process of growing a tulip in a way that enables the production of a large number takes at least 25 years. We can conclude that it was a very well-managed process that made it possible to have a tulip in the right colours available on the 8th of May this year.

General Hałupka, we had the honour of your presence during the baptism ceremony last May. Together with a representative of the Sosabowski family, Mrs. Tomczyk-Sosabowska, the charge d’Affaires of the Polish Embassy in the Netherlands, Dr. Piotr Kobza and Burgomaster van Asseldonk of the municipality of Overbetuwe you officially baptised the tulip with champagne. An event you could categorise as a once in a lifetime experience.

To remember this event as well as to confirm the relationship between your Brigade and our Foundation I would like give you the certificate that was signed on 8 May as well as 500 bulbs which I hope will spring into colour next May and in the coming years around the monument of General Sosabowski and around your barracks.