During the Second World War, in 1939, many Polish Air Force came to the United Kingdom. Two Polish squadrons, 303 and 315, spent time in Northern Ireland. They were based at Ballyhalbert Airfield, County Down. They remained in Northern Ireland training and preparing for war. They left in 1943, when they went into action on D-Day and across Europe until the end of the war. Tragically some pilots from the Polish Air Force were involved in accidents and died as they trained in Northern Ireland. Today, the people of Northern Ireland fondly remember the Poles and in 2018 a memorial was unveiled to recognise their contribution to World War II. It stands in the War Memorial Garden at Court Square, Newtownards.