During the Second World War, Grantham was home to an aircraft armament factory, which employed, among others, around 30 Poles. The plant was repeatedly attacked by German bombers, but was effectively protected by the Home Guard; in addition, a Polish fighter squadron was stationed nearby for a long period of time. In spite of this, there were times when bombing resulted in fatalities among the factory workers. On 27.01.1941, 14 workers were killed - among them two Poles, Stanisław Jojczyk and Henryk Bednarski, who did not go down into the shelters and remained at their work stations. A colleague, Stefan Zieleziński, who was killed a few days later, on 4 February, during another air raid, spoke at their funeral.
Stanisław Jojczyk and Henryk Bednarski had fought in the ranks of the Polish Army in the Polish-Bolshevik war, and after the end of hostilities went into civilian life. The former worked as a locksmith in the oil industry, while the latter joined the National Police.
Stefan Zieleziński, a gunsmith, participant in the Polish-Bolshevik War, and a non-commissioned officer in the Polish Army in the inter-war period, was a valued rationaliser - the author of improvements to military equipment and the originator of its modifications for training purposes. He took part in the 1939 defensive war in the ranks of the 14th Jazłowiec Cavalry Regiment, after which he managed to escape to Great Britain.
The burial places of the fallen Poles are in the local cemetery - Borough Cemetery, where a total of 84 civilian war victims are buried. Stanisław Jojczyk and Henryk Bednarski are buried in a common grave, with Stefan Zielezinski's resting place nearby.
In 2024, thanks to the commitment of history enthusiasts, information about the deteriorating stone commemorations reached the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The inscriptions on the graves were already almost illegible, and the tombstone of Jojczyk and Bednarski lay overturned on the ground. In 2025, as a result of the efforts of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Manchester, supported by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the tombstones were successfully renovated.

Compiled by R. Riątek / MKiDN, VIII 2025