“In Poland, I was mainly impressed by extreme devotion and skills by the use of which Poles were reconstructing their damaged cities, towns and villages”.

Sue Ryder admired Poles since the times of the war and her work with the SOE.
After the war, the work for Poland was of a significant importance for her. For money collected in England by reminding the English of their liabilities towards the former ally, she constructed and supplied 30 houses in Poland, so called Sue Ryder Houses, 5 oncological wards at hospitals, and 3 hospices. During the times of the Polish People’s Republic, she could not operate them under her own Foundation, thus she transferred those facilities to Polish organisations. Driving her famous Joshua truck, she brought gifts: clothes, medicines and food, to Poland.

About Poles, she spoke “We, Poles” and she treated Poland as her own home country.

When in 1978, English Queen Elizabeth II conferred the title of peer of England on Sue Ryder for her services for the country and her charity work, Sue Ryder chose Warsaw as a seat of her title and was using an honourable title of the Lady of Warsaw.