Hall of Testimonies

Bernadette describes the reoccupation and the night that they were hiding in a house in the forest as the Soviets fought the Germans, with Soviet patrols moving in and shooting …

Bernadette retells how a Polish man from the town was taken by the Germans and drowned during the German occupation.

Bernadette describes how the Polish girls had to step onto the road when passing German girls during the German occupation of Poland.

Wanda describes getting into trouble with the SS during the German occupation and being lucky enough to be released.

Wanda describes the Germans banning Polish and burning books/documentation during the German occupation.

Wanda describes travelling across Germany to the British Zone following the Soviet reoccupation and then leaving for the UK.

Wanda describes Soviet soldiers bailing her up with a gun to question if she is Polish or German during the reoccupation.

Wanda describes returning to her town, from hiding, after the Soviet/German frontline had moved through in 1944 during the reoccupation.

Wanda describes the family taking in a POW and night bombings as the Soviets moved through Poland attacking the Germans.

Krystyna describes the first years of their life in Australia where the men worked in the Jarrah timber mill and they all lived in huts. The work was dangerous but …

Krystyna explains that her grandfather was an officer who was killed by the Soviets but that his body was never found.

Krystyna retells the hardships of her mother and grandmother’s journey from USSR to Persia, being packed in wagons, starving and having to eat grass and dogs to survive.

Krystyna describes her childhood in the Polish refugee camp of Tengeru in East Africa – the huts, the jungle and climbing trees.

Aniela describes being taken to Germany and as a 14 year old she had to do hard physical labour laying the railway tracks.

Aniela describes when the family were taken by force by the Germans for forced labour and brother Czesław disappeared forever.

Aniela talks about how the family fled to Dubno. Her mother returned to their home to fetch food & belongings but everything had been taken and a Ukrainian man threatened …

Aniela describes how the Jews would come to their house at night to ask for food – helping them risked Aniela’s family being shot by the Germans.

Aniela remembers that when the Germans invaded Kresy, they gave the Ukrainians guns who then shot the local Jews into dug out graves.

Maria sings the song the lady taught her in the Persian hospital. Full text of the original song, by Teofil Lenartowicz (words) and Ignacy Komorowski (music): “Idzie sobie pacholę Przez …

Stefan describes the Soviet invasion, being recruited by the Soviets at school as a trade apprentice but then being deported in a wagon to the USSR.

Barbara talks about her mother leaving Poland in 1956 to finally re-join Barbara’s father and brother who had remained in the UK after the end of the war.

Barbara talks about her mother being arrested in Siberia by the NKVD for teaching Polish children the Polish language.

Barbara talks about her father and brother leaving with Anders Army but that she and her mother remained in Siberia for 6 years.