Sala Świadectw

Aleksander Bogdan - Sister 15 years in Gulag

Aleksander describes how his sister was sentenced to 15 years in the Gulag, and how he manage to bring her to the UK 2 years after she was permitted to

Aleksander Bogdan - Bomb nearly hit him

Aleksander describes how a bomb from a German plane fell only a few feet from him, during the fighting at Loretto Italy.

Aleksander Bogdan - Training in 2nd Corps

Aleksander explains the training that he and his colleagues went through in the Middle East.

Boguslaw Aleksander Topolski - Move to Canada

With his usual sense of humour, Alex describes why he decided to move to Canada.

Boguslaw Aleksander Topolski - About Hunger

Alex describes his decision to leave home at age 16 to join the Polish Army being formed in France. He goes on to say that his time in the USSR

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Murdered by Typhoid

Andrzej shows a drawing by Alicja Edwards and explains how this drawing epitomizes for him the entire experience of the deportation. He then reads a text about the death of

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Post-war education and work

Andrzej describes how he secured a grant and was able to obtain a degree, and then secure work in London and later in Devon.

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Surrendering Arms in Italy

Andrzej tells of the sadness among the Polish soldiers in Italy, when they had to surrender their arms to the British.

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Virtuti Militari medal

Andrzej describes how and when he received the medal, in May 1946

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Finding Poles in Uzbek Village

Describes how the younger, healthier soldiers were given money and transportation in order to scour the Uzbek countryside, looking for Polish citizens among the villages, so that they could provide

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Dantes Inferno on barges

Andrzej describes the scene on the barges that took them into the depth of Siberia, and compares it with Dante’s inferno.

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Saved from going to Katyn

He was saved from being sent to Katyn with the other officers because a soldier he had known in Zakopane came up to him and told him to remove the

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Captured soldiers marched through Rowne

Andrzej describes how they were all marched through the town of Rowne on their way to the railway station, and transport to the Gulags. A unit of Polish Border Guards

Andrzej Wieslaw Dębicki - Ukranians attack Poles in Wolyn

Describes how his unit was assigned to defend Polish villagers against attacks from roving bands of Ukrainian Nationalist, in the area of Włodzimierz in Wołyn.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Holidays in New Zealand

Maria describes the holidays in New Zealand and the locals were good to the Polish children. She also describes how another child “diddled” her out of half a crown coin

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - English version of Polish song

Maria explains the song in English.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Hospital in Persia

Maria describes her stay in the hospital in Persia and talks about the lady who saved her from despair.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Surviving Kazakhstan - sourcing food

Maria describes the different ways in which the children would find sources of food while they were in Kazakhstan.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Grandmother dies in Russia

Maria describes how devoted she was to her grandmother, and how she was present when her grandmother died.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Outbreak of war - soldiers attacking the house

Maria describes how the soldiers attacked their home, and how they had to hide because they were shooting at her, her mother and siblings.

Maria Nowotarska Kołodzińska - Leaving the camp on a raft

Maria explains how they heard about the ‘amnesty’, describes how her family built a raft to take them down the river, and how her father saved her from drowning.

Eugenia (Piotuch) Smolnicki - Plane shooting at mother

Describing how, when Poland was invaded, an enemy plane left the formation and shot at her mother in the field. The plane circled several times before giving up

Eugenia (Piotuch) Smolnicki - NZ Soldiers amazed at how much they ate

The New Zealand soldiers who cared for the children at the camp were very surprised at their bottomless appetites.

Eugenia (Piotuch) Smolnicki - Russian teacher gifts from Stalin

Describing how the new Russian teacher immediately tried to indoctrinate the children by providing them with gifts of sugar, coffee and tea from “Father Stalin”. He taunted them by asking