1ST LEAD Polish diplomat lauds Briton for aid to Berlin attack victim's family By Helen Corbett, dpa

London (dpa) - A British trucker who raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the family of the Polish lorry driver killed in the Berlin Christmas market attack was personally thanked by the country‘s ambassador on Monday.Arkady Rzegocki, Poland‘s ambassador to Britain, had said he wanted to thank Duncan personally for his "selfless initiative" at a ceremony at Poland‘s embassy in London. "His compassion moved many both in the UK and back in Poland," he told the BBC. "It is an inspiring example of British-Polish solidarity, which never fails in times of crisis."Briton David Duncan said the affinity he felt for fellow truck driver Lukasz Urban when reading the news prompted him to start an online crowdfunding page, which has so far gathered more than 195,000 pounds (230,000 dollars). Urban was found dead in the cab of his truck after Anis Amri hijacked the vehicle and steered it into a crowd of Christmas market visitors in central Berlin on December 19, killing 11 more people. Duncan thanked the Polish community in Britain who shared the fundraising page across social media for the "overwhelming support" the campaign received from across the world."Although I did not know Lukasz, the story of his untimely departure shocked and disgusted me, and I cannot comprehend how his family feel at this awful time," Duncan writes on the fundraising page. Touched by Duncan‘s campaign, Urban‘s widow, Zuzanna, invited him to her husband‘s funeral service in Poland, which was also attended by friends, family, colleagues and Polish President Andrzej Duda. Duncan said he had been humbled by Zuzanna‘s "dignity, courage and strength" when they met at her husband‘s grave and that he hoped to see the family again soon.