Halina (Myszak) Babinska - Mom had prepared ahead
Halina describes how her mother had expected that they would be removed from their home and had prepared two suitcases with the necessities that would be required.
Halina (Myszak) Babinska - Unusual circumstance of village not kolkhoz
Halina describes where they were taken by the Soviets. In contrast with most deportees who ended up in labour camps, they were taken to a small village that formed a …
Antoni Stelmach - What mother took to Siberia - Searching for Father
Antoni tells how his mother took the family photos and her fox fur to Siberia – she had the fur all through the journey, and still had it when they …
Ludwik Cytera - Written biography of Ludwik Cytera
This is the life story of Ludwik Cytera as discovered and written up by his grandson Christopher Cytera.
Irena Jabłońska - Deported to Kazakhstan
They were deported in the spring, and describes the train as having wooden benches at each end to sleep on, a hole in the floor for a toilet, and that …
Roger Scazighino - Scarlet fever
Describing how he was treated for scarlet fever in the labour camp.
Maria (Załuska) Strońska - Patriotism
Describing how they felt as they were being deported, and how important the loss of one’s country is.
Zbigniew Rosiński - Joined his parents on the train
Describing how his parents were arrested and then deported, and his insistence on joining them on the train
Zbigniew Rosiński - Arriving in Siberia
Describing the trip to the labour camp in Siberia.
Tadeusz Kay-Kwiecinski - TKK
Henrzk Bartul gave his permission to use this interview (email to KMS dated Oct 17, 2011)
Leokadia (Muchowska) Opioła - Brother escaped and stayed behind
Describing how her brother escaped and stayed in Poland (the Russians did not realize he was missing). Two of her aunts offered to take the youngest child, but her mother …
Bolesław Makowski - getting water when train stopped
Describing how none of the locals thought it was strange to see them being marched along by armed soldiers.
Bolesław Makowski - millions of bedbugs
Describing the infestations of bedbugs
Bolesław Makowski - the camp store
Describing the strange and limited contents of the camp store.
Bolesław Makowski - Sharing food in Siberia
Describing how people would share anything but food, and when someone did share their food, it was a mark of extreme courage.
Ryszard Krzysztofiak - Aunt takes 2 of them
Describes how the 5 children were loaded into the cargo wagon with their mother, but their aunt argued with the Soviet guards, saying that the 2 eldest were her children, …
Joanna (Milko) Grzanka - Poem
Reading her favourite poem about the deportations to Kazakhstan.
Wieslaw Adamowicz - Uncle Ludwik dies
Describing how his uncle was crushed by a falling tree, and died later that same day, after his brother had carried him home. He may have survived, had there been …
Zofia (Cybulska) Adamowicz - Help from Jewish man
Describing how a Jewish neighbour found them in the cattle wagon and came to bring assistance to her mother.
Zofia (Cybulska) Adamowicz - Help from Russian soldier
Describing how a Russian soldier and his daughter helped them survive in Siberia.
Irena (Bolimowska) Tomaszewska - Kind commandant at the camp
Irena describes how her father knew the commandant from the period of the First World War, and how he treated them kindly as a result of this.
Jadwiga Bukowinski - Friend brought trunk to train
Describing how a neighbour found them on the train and brought a trunk full of goods to them.
Stanislawa Teresa (Jakubowska) Pawlik - Life in Zytygara
Describing the conditions of life in this northern part of Kazakhstan.
Michal Cendrowski - Crying inside
Describing how painful it is to hold back tears and cry on the inside.
Teresa (Pyrska) Kosierb - Constant hunger
Describing the life-long effects that the constant hunger of her youth had on her life.