Sala Świadectw

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 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 explains the song in English.

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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 …

Jan describes the journey over the mountains, in the back of lorries, and how he would have frozen to death if a kind lady had not lent him a blanket.

Jan tells us how he learned of his father’s death, and how the dead were buried in communal graves.

Jan explains how his stepmother and sister were at a different camp where really sick children were being treated. They were receiving more food there, than Jan and his brother …

Jan describes how his 17 year old brother, who had gone to get food for the family, tried to jump onto the train that was moving away from the station, …

Jan explains how they traveled from Isfahan, then boarded the ship for India, and an incident on board regarding washing the decks.

Jan explains how he and his friends got jobs at GM and earned good pay during their holidays from school.

Describing how the Russian teacher could not get the children to sing on Good Friday. The children knew instinctively that this was not done.

Eugenia describes how she and a friend went to pick mushrooms in the forest and got lost. Luckily they managed to find their way back to the camp.

Describing how her mother would sneak out of the camp to go to the local village and sell things at market, both for herself and for others in the camp.

On the journey south to join the Polish Army, they met up with a Polish youth who had been conscripted into the Russian Army, and her father decided to save …

Describing how frightening it was to board the ship, and how they ended up crawling up. Also describes the voyage to Pahlevi.

On their first morning in Pahiatua, the children experienced rain for the first time in many years. They rushed outside to enjoy it.

Arriving in India, the children walked the kilometer or so to the camp. Walking beside each child was an Indian, who carried the child’s small suitcase. It was quite a …