Remembering the WWII Polish sailors based in the middle of Devon

• Watch Ben McGrail's report.

Relatives of Polish navy servicemen have remembered the role they played during and after the Second World War with the unveiling of a permanent plaque in Okehampton.

A training camp was based in the Devon town during the mid to late 1940s and many of the men didn’t return to Poland, instead making their lives in the UK.

At the end of the Second World War the camp became part of a British government resettlement scheme to help Polish servicemen adapt to civilian life.

Peter Szypko's father, Alexander, was one of the men based at the camp. He was one of the driving forces behind getting the plaque erected. He said: "It's very emotional. I'm very proud of my father and I'd like to think my father would be very proud of what I'm doing now.

"Even though he didn't want to talk about his experiences, I think it's really important to get it out in the open. One of the reasons behind the plaque was not only just to make people aware of the Polish Navy Camp here, but to raise awareness more generally about the contributions that the Poles made towards World War Two and assisting the allies.

"I think that's been downplayed and so this is like a small attempt to do something about that and redress that balance. "

Antoni Olszowski traveled from Middlesbrough to be at the unveiling. He said: "I was very interested in coming down to see where my father was based.

"I'm very proud to be part of the project, very proud of what the Polish Navy achieved and what my father achieved during the war."

Okehampton resident Jolanta Wilson was also one of the main people behind the project and said: "Most Polish people who live here came after European Union expanded, but it was not the first time and it was quite an amazing story to learn that a Polish naval camp was operating here between '44 and '49."