Obituary: Giles Hart

Giles Hart: honoured in Poland

A champion for the oppressed, Giles Hart, 55, received one of Poland's highest honours following his death in the blast on the Number 30 bus.

The British Telecom engineer from Hornchurch in Essex was posthumously granted the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, for his services to democracy.

This was in recognition of his tireless work with Solidarity, which helped to end the communist movement in Poland.

But the Polish struggle was not Mr Hart's only focus, having also been prominent in the Havering Humanist Society and the Anti-Slavery Society.

Mr Hart was on his way to work in Islington on 7 July when the bus was ripped apart in Tavistock Square.

'Champion of liberty'

He leaves a Polish wife Danuta, a daughter Maryla, 21, and son Martin, 17.

A statement from the family said: "Giles was always a champion of liberty and human rights and a campaigner against political injustice and bigotry.

"It is tragic that he fell victim to the very evil against which he had struggled.

"We hope his many friends and colleagues will continue with his campaigns for freedom and justice, to make the world a fairer and greener place to live in."

Throughout the 1980s, Mr Hart was a prominent supporter of Solidarity, especially when Poland was under martial law.

He was a crucial ingredient in the glue that kept the organisation together Wiktor Moszczynski Polish activist

He served as an executive member of the Polish Solidarity Campaign (PSC), the main group in Britain supporting the Solidarity movement.

He also founded the Polish Refugee Rights Group, which helped Poles fleeing martial law in Poland settle in Britain.

And he remained highly active in the Solidarity movement until its final days before communism gave way to democratic rule in Poland in 1989.

Wiktor Moszczynski, a prominent Polish activist, told the Guardian: "Giles stood out as the voice of the non-politicised rank-and-file British sympathisers who had earned the respect and trust of the often bemused Polish members.

"He was a crucial ingredient in the glue that kept the organisation together."

He had a genuine love of freedom and a hatred of repression, plus a fascination with Poland's turbulent history, added Mr Moszczynski.

Films were another passion and as chairman of the HG Wells Society, Mr Hart had introduced two of his films during a special season at the National Film Theatre.