--- In Kresy-Siberia@yahoogroups.com, "atticusfinch1048"
<AtticusFinch1048@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Folks
>
> Just got my Grandfather's war record from The British Ministry of
> Defence, and he never claimed his British Medals! So we have filled
> in a card of next of kinship requesting those Medals, and it also
> tells us what Polish medals he had and I was wondering what they
> looked like.

Hi Paul (and other members),

Well done Paul on being able to apply for your Grandfathers medals. I
know how you feel as I had a similar experience when I was told I
could apply for the British medals for my Uncle. Filling in the
original 1940's light brown card with 'His Majesty' pre-stamped was
something else! You should have them within 2-3 weeks. In the
meantime if you look on the KS Gallery in the album Military
Collections there are sub albums with medals and insignia etc. You
can see what they look like. Unfortunately, the parachute medal is
not there.

  The Polish War Medal is in the album. Occasionally they come up on
eBay and can also be found on 'Allegro' the Polish equivalent of
eBay. I obtained two myself through these sources and they're not
expensive. I'm not 100% certain, but I don't think it's possible to
obtain the Polish medals through 'official' channels now.

I was working on the Medals and Insignia albums some time ago, but
had to pull myself away in order to concentrate my time to a book I
am writing (which includes our common interest) which is now almost
finished.(Sorry... but if anyone can put me in contact with a good
literary agent or publisher, please contact me on my personal email
address). This is the reason I have been quiet on the postings for a
few months!

There are quite a number of medals and insignia with
descriptions/entitlement etc. in these albums now for those who are
interested in taking a look. I hope to add more when I can get back
to it. Hopefully, not too long now. I'd like to thank Frank and Phil
for their help with this last summer. I'm  certainly no expert, so if
anyone spots any errors please let me know.

Good luck, Paul. Let me know what happens.

Regards,
Ken Fedzin
Dewsbury
England

Hello Barbara,
Welcome to the Group! I was touched by your beautifull letter and your sharing
your dad's grief  and disappointment in his search for his family.
Unfortunately, this is quite common amont Polish families due to the war. I am
also a soldier of the 2nd Polish Corps and I fought at Monte Cassino. I have a
lot of books that list members of various regiments. I found the name of Tadeusz
Szczepanski, who was in the Karpacki Pulk Ulanow (Carpathian Lancers Regt.). He
was a corporal and was decorated with the Bronze Cross of Merit. I don't know if
that was your dad but maybe... If you want some more info on the subject you
might check with the gen. Sikorski Institute.
  Pozdrowienia
Romuald
---- Krystyna Freiburger <krystynafreiburger@...> wrote:
> Hi Barbara I'm just catching up on the messages. Welcome to this wonderful
group.  I just wanted to say that I have a good friend who was a Szczepanska.
Her father's name was Franciszek . He is dead now but I believe his sister Anna
is still living. Their family was deported from Trembowla, Tarnopol. If you wish
to establish contact with them, then please write to me on my private email.
> krystyna freiburger
> ontario,canada
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Barbara Dunleavy
>   To: Kresy-Siberia@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 3:18 PM
>   Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] New member
>
>
>   Hello, I am a new member and for the first time in my life, I can talk with
other people who know it feels like to have a family tree with so many missing
branches. My maiden name was Szczepanski and my first name is Barbara. My father
was Tadeusz Szczepanskia and he lived in Wolyn in a small village called
Holatyn. I believe it was near Werben. He did not talk much about his family,
but I know that his father's name was Ludwik and he had a brother called Adam.
In 1941 he was taken aways from his family and ended up in a prison at Gorki in
Siberia. He was freed with other Poles when they went to Persia to join the 8th
Army under General Anders. After the war, with no home to go back to, he settled
in England and married my mother, who was English. He tried on numerous
occasions to find his family, back in Poland, but eventually the Red Cross
advised him to stop searching. He never knew what had happened to them and I
have grieved for the family I never knew but
>   were, somehow, always a part of me. Other members will know what it feels
like to carry the pain on behalf of their parent (s). I carried the pain for him
for years and, even though he died in 2003, I still do. His mother was called
Maria Manasterska, and she died after giving birth to him in 1918. At that time
the family had to flee the area bacause people who were not Poles were hunting
down the Poles and killing them. It seems that that area, Wolyn, was not one
that Poles could live in in safety and security.Then, after the war, that area
ceased to be Poland and was lost to the men who had fought so bravely for
freedom for Poland. My Dad fought in Iran and Iraq and was at the battle for
Monte Cassino. He was a beautiful man and a gently soul. Considering all he had
been through, he always saw the good in people and I could not have had a better
father. I am now starting my search for my past and for the people who have a
place on my family tree. Thank you for
>   allowing me to join the group. Barbara Szczepanski
>
>   ---------------------------------
>   Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
>
>   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hello John, more on Aktiubinsk or on some maps I found  also Aqtobe or
Aktobe
from Wikipedia:

Aktobe Province is located in Western Kazakhstan, and is the second
largest province by area in Kazakhstan. The city of Aktobe is located
where the Kargala and Ilek rivers meet. It is in the north-central part
of Aktobe province. The Russian city of Orenburg
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orenburg> is located some 200 km to the
northwest, while the Russian city of Orsk
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orsk> is about 150 to the northeast. The
area around the city of Aktobe is mostly flat steppe, with low hills
rising to the northeast. Other rivers, such as the Emba and the Ural
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ural> River, flow through the province.
The province is bordered on the south by the Aral Sea. The natural
vegetation cover around Aktobe city is steppe, while the southern parts
of the province are semi-desert.

Aktobe's climate is continental
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental>, with wide seasonal
variations in temperature. In winter, temperatures can reach a low of
-30C, with an average of -18C. Summer temperatures can reach a high of
30C, with an average temperature of 25 C. The weather can change
rapidly, especially during spring and autumn (the especially windy days
in March when the weather changes are known locally as the ??? ?????, or
"Five Guests". Precipitation usually occurs in early spring and late
autumn/early winter, and is otherwise sporadic throughout the year.
Overall, Aktobe receives about 300mm of precipitation per year .[1]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqtobe#_note-0>

The 1999 Census estimated that approximately 682,600 people lived in the
province, and over 250,000 people lived within the city of Aktobe.
Elzbieta Gurtler- Krawczynska
Atlanta, GA, USA

ANTONI KAZIMIERSKI wrote:

> John, Aktyubinsk ic a very important city at the Southern end of Ural
> Mountains, just South of Orenburg.
> antoni530
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>




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http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/22/a2783522.shtml





Contributed by

  <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/46/u764146.shtml> franek

People in story:

Franek Zimnowlocki

Article ID:

A2783522

Contributed on:

26 June 2004



The wood cutters at the Siberian camp. Franek is standing at the far right.

From Siberia to Arnhem via Scotland
As told to a daughter

When war is declared in September '39, Franek Zimnowlocki, my dad, is
celebrating his seventeenth birthday. His father immediately joins the
Polish forces leaving Franek in charge of the rest of the family - his
mother, four sisters and two brothers, one a baby. They remain in the
village of Stasin, near Lvov at the border with Russia.

On February the tenth 1940 Franek remembers being awaken by the NKVD (one of
the predecessors to the KGB) just after four a.m. After searching for arms
they give the family an hour to pack and they and the rest of the village
are taken by sledge to Vlodzmierz, the nearest railway station. Franek says
it was a keen frost, the snow very deep. With hundreds of other Poles they
are herded into cattle trucks and set off to an unknown destination.

The train travels mostly by night. Occasionally two men are allowed out to
collect hot water. After some two weeks the train stops and does not move
on. Hundreds of Poles find themselves in deep forests east of the Urals.
These people, old and young, hungry, cold and bewildered are housed in ready
made barracks which were built many years ago as prison huts to accommodate
Cossacks at the time of the Russian revolution.

There are twelve to fourteen families in each long hut. No partitions, no
privacy, no cooking facilities. There are only dry latrines which drain into
a stream, the nearest source of drinking water. The Poles settle down to
this new and harsh life. I asked dad if felt frightened during all this.
"Not frightened" he said, "everyone I knew was there, what I remember most
was hunger".

The able bodied are employed as wood cutters, the women, such as Franeks
mother and fifteen year old sister, burn branches. There are no guards -
there is nowhere to run. Within two months little Edward is dead. If you
can't work there is no food ration and mother is too malnourished to feed
him. He is one of hundreds of babies to die of starvation at this time.

In the spring, due to the unsanitary conditions, typhoid sweeps through the
region. Many families are wiped out. Even the Russians officials are not
immune. Franek digs graves and remembers burying the baby of one the
officials, who stood in tears making the sign of the cross over and over
again. Franek himself catches typhoid and is hospitalised some fifteen miles
away. My grandmother walks there every week, carrying nettle soup she has
made herself. By a miracle, or nettle soup, he survives. On his recovery he
is given light duties, driving the bread wagon through the camps. In this
job he is able to steal bread and helps keep the family in what can be
described as luxury rations.

In August '41, because of the Russian concordat with the allies, an amnesty
is declared. All able bodied Poles are invited to join the Polish army.
Franek is faced with a dilemma - should he stay, he is the family bread
winner (stealer ?) or join up and fight the enemy. His mother urges him to
go and he made a decision that changed his life forever.

The Russian government offers no help to the Poles who decide to join up.
With faith and hope, willpower and ingenuity, rafts are built and hundreds
of young men and women with no equipment, supplies or by now no physical
strength, set off down the river Ob. They dig potatoes from frozen fields
and Franek tells of the theft of a pig. On reaching Slverdovsk they travel
south, again in cattle trucks, to Tashkent. The new army is overwhelmed with
volunteers and Franek's group is sent by barge on the Amu Darya river to
Samarkand. There they spend several months harvesting kapok, rice and maize.
Hunger is still the biggest enemy and when local farmers grow angry about
missing chickens and sheep, the Poles run away.

In January '42 Franek is accepted into the army and travels to Kraznodzk and
then by oil tanker across the Caspian sea to Pachlevi (Baku). By now typhoid
and cholera are taking their toll on these weak and undernourished people.
Franek remembers continual burials, night and day, in mass graves. Coffins
are re-used as they try to cope up with the death rate. During the month of
rest in Pachlevi, Franek is issued with a British uniform. His own clothing
is burnt and he undergoes a complete de-lousing process. The survivors of
this amazing journey are stunned to find food in every shop and that you can
eat when and what you want. This is their first decent food in over two
years. Franek says he once ate so many figs that they made his mouth bleed.

His journey continues to Palestine, another two weeks rest and then by lorry
to Durban in South Africa. As a British soldier he boards HMS Franconia,
guarding Italian prisoners of war and sails to Britain. Franek joins the
first battalion of Polish paratroopers and is trained in Ely in Fife where
he meets his future wife.

Having been wounded in action at the battle of Arnhem, he convalesces in
Taymouth castle and marries his Scottish lass.

Epilogue

Growing up I heard very little of dad's experiences. Only when my sons
became involved in a school project about WW2, some forty years later and
asked their papa if he'd "been in the war", did Franek start to talk about
this part of his life. He also told them of his comrade Stanislaw Klapouchy
who was killed at Driel (the Polish landing area during the battle of
Arnhem) in the same foxhole where dad was wounded. Dad forever felt guilty
that he was the one to survive. Mr Klapouchy was buried in the war cemetery
at Oosterbeek and Franek paid tribute to his comrade whenever he visited
Arnhem. Dad died in 2001 and his ashes are buried alongside his comrade. May
they both rest in peace.





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Contributed by

  <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/10/u1529910.shtml> mainemanc

People in story:

Zygmunt Piatkiewicz

Location of story:

Poland & Italy

Background to story:

Army

Article ID:

A3981990

Contributed on:

01 May 2005

My Grandad, Zygmunt Piatkiewicz, was born in Novogrodek in 1917, a time when
Poland did not exist. His father was a General in the Russian Army and was
caught and executed in 1919 by the Bolsheviks. My Greatgrandmother had to
see Lenin himself to plea for the family to be allowed to return to a newly
formed Poland. He agreed, but made her leave her 2 eldest sons in Russia.
Thus my Grandad settled in Poland with his mother and sister. He was lucky
enough to be accepted into the Korpus Kadetow officer school in Rawicz. Here
he learnt how to be a soldier. He also learnt how to run, becoming a
cross-country star at the age of 17. By 19 he was representing Poland at the
1936 Berlin Olympics. He finished 4th in the 3000m steeplechase and was
predicted a gold in 1940. He would sadly never realise this dream though. He
also excelled in tennis and football, playing against Chelsea and Arsenal
who were touring Poland.
He Graduated from KK2 Rawicz in 1939. War Broke out in September 1939,
threatening Poland's very existance. My Grandad was sent to fight the
Russians who had invaded from the east. He fought in the battle of Grodno as
a Leiutenant and survived bayonet charges as they fought off the Russians.
Poland would not win the day however, and my Grandad and his men escaped to
Lithuania to be interned. However, he escaped and was caught in Warsaw some
weeks later in Poland by the NKVD and was shipped out to a Gulag. He was
lucky not to be shot.
When the Germans invaded the USSR, the Poles formed an uneasy alliance with
their new allies and the troops were released. Half stayed in Russia, the
others, including my Grandad followed General Anders to join the British in
Iraq.
After training and re-equipment my Grandad took part in the invasion of
Italy.
Wounded in the fighting, he recovered and trained with the Polish Commandos.
He joined them in 1944, having taken part in the bloody battle for Monte
Cassino in May 1944. It was here that the Poles took the town after months
of fighting, when the Germans repulsed British, American, and New Zealand
forces before the Poles won the day.
It was soon after this, in August 1944 that my Grandad won Poland's highest
military honour, the Virtuti Militari, (equivalent of VC).
After leading his men through a series of hills outside Andrea Di Suassa on
the Gothic Line. The platoon of my Grandad came under intense German
artillery fire and many were wounded including my Grandad. Back at the aid
station, the platoon were decemated with morphene in short supply. My
Grandad insisted on having the shrapnel removed without any morphene, and
insisted on going back up the hill, alone, with a machine gun. It is alleged
he saw the red mist. He charged up the hills firing from the hip. The
Germans thought they were facing a full platoon and ran away, leaving my
Grandad to take the town single handed.
He was awarded the Silver VM number 10715 in the December.
The citation read:
"whilst himself wounded, without any regard for his own life, he rescued and
carried out wounded from under heavy enemy artillery fire, then without
regard for his own wounds he ran back into action with a light machine gun
to single handedly repel the enemy attack."
After this he would take part in the battle for Bologna and Ancona.
After the war he was unable to return to a communist run Poland and settled
with his wife (who had faught in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944) in England.
Othe military decorations include the Polish Military Cross, Kryz Waleczny
(x2)Italian Military Cross, Al Merito Militari, Monte Cassino Cross, Polish
September 1939 Cross, Italy Star and other British Campaign medals.
He worked in industry until 1982, raising a big happy family. My Grandad
died in 2003, he never talked much or blew his own trumpet, its a shame so
many heros never share their story, and I hope this short story pays enough
homage to a fine man.





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http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/28/a4798128.shtml








Contributed by

  <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/83/u1424883.shtml> The CSV Action
Desk at BBC Wiltshire

People in story:

General Wladyslaw Anders, Mother, Domiclea Weglarz, sister Helena and
younger brother Kazimierz.

Location of story:

Poland.

Background to story:

Civilian

Article ID:

A4798128

Contributed on:

05 August 2005

Before WW2 Germany and Russia concluded secret pacts to divide Poland.
On the 1st September 1939 Germany attacked Poland and the Red Army invaded
on the 17th September.
On that fateful morning at 2am the soldiers with rifles knocked on the door
of our farmhouse in Wola Wilsona near Wisniowiec and gave us one hour to
pack up and be ready to be moved to an unknown place - I was 12 years of age
at the time - we had no idea what awaited us.
We endured three horrible weeks journey crammed in cattle trucks,
thirty-five in each truck with a stove in the middle. The doors were locked,
no sanitation or comforts of any kind. Occasionally the train would stop and
food was supplied. Eventually we arrived in the Ural Mountains in Russia.
How many died on that journey I do not know, but their bodies were thrown
out when the train stopped along the way. It is impossible to describe my
fear and horror of this experience, but the memories will haunt me forever.
We were told to forget about Poland and that we would never be allowed to
return to our homes.
In June 1941 Germany attacked Russia and the Polish Government in London
signed agreement with Russia and the Polish Army was formed under General
Wladyslaw Anders who had been released from Russian prison. It was thanks to
him that we could leave Russia - otherwise we would have been left behind
and forgotten. We are eternally grateful to him.
At the time of the amnesty when I was 13 years of age, I joined the Army
cadets because it was felt that this would be a quicker way of being able to
leave Russia. We left the Ural Mountains and walked through deep snow,
pulling heavy hand-made sleighs 60 kilometers to the Railway station to
reach Uzbekistan where General Anders formed the Polish Army. From there we
went to Iran and Teheran.
During this time in Karkin Badasz many cadets, including myself contracted
Typhoid, Dysentery and Malaria. Up to ten children were dying every week. I
was one of the fortunate ones.
In 1942 I was taken to South Africa and 1945 I joined my mother in Uganda
and then to Koja Camp near Compala. After the war in 1948 I came to England
with my Mother, sister and younger brother Kazimierz. We were entitled to
come because my two brothers were in the Army.





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Contributed by

  <http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/03/u2930103.shtml> Jan krawczuk
(jnr)

People in story:

Jan Krawczuk, Born Przemysl, Poland 22/02/1912. Died Wrexham, United Kingdom
20/10/1998

Location of story:

Poland, Russia, Iran, England

Background to story:

Civilian

Article ID:

A8943212

Contributed on:

29 January 2006



Photo Taken At Cammeringham 01/09/1946. My father is 2nd from the left.

This is the story of my father's experiences during the Second World War.

My father was born in the town of Przemysl in south east Poland in 1912,
although this was not Poland in 1912 but part of the Austro Hungarian
Empire. He actualy lived through two World Wars in his lifetime, but during
the First World War as a child he was evactuated from Przemysl to a village
in the foothills of the Carpathian mountains where his grandparents lived.
Przemysl was actually the scene of fierce fighting between Russia and
Austria during this conflict.

When the Second World War broke out, my father was working as a toolmaker at
an aircraft factory near to Warsaw at a place called Okencie, which is where
the Warsaw International Airport now stands. He remained in the Warsaw area
through the siege of Warsaw and into the Nazi occupation. He always said
that the bombing and shelling were terrifying but the worst of all were the
Nazi dive bombers, Stukas, which made a screeching noise as they attacked
their targets, a noise he would never forget. He spoke of how many Polish
aircrafts were destroyed on the ground and how many of his fellow workers
were killed and injured in the bombings.

When the Nazis occupied Warsaw, my father's house was commandeered for the
use of German airmen. My father was an accomplished gymnast and had
constructed some apparatus in his garden which the German airmen used and
still allowed my father to use. For whatever reason, when there was a sweep
of the area of young men for slave labour, my father was warned to leave by
the Nazi airmen. He wondered why they had warned him but never knew the
truth. Maybe it was just the respect one sportsman has for another or maybe
just pure and simple humanity; he did not even remember their names.

It was at this point he started a journey which would take him across
continents and oceans, eventually ending in England.

The first part of the journey was from Warsaw to his home town of Przemysl
which he managed safely, although he had to walk, get lifts in horse drawn
carts, use trains and, at one point, steal a boat to negotiate part of the
River Vistula. When he arrived in Przemysl he stayed in his parents' flat.
This part of Poland was occupied by the Soviets who were already starting to
deport people into the Soviet Union for slave labour.

My father's intention was to leave Przemysl and travel south to an area
known as the Biesczady Mountains where he had family in the village of Lipa
and Bircza. He was put in a covered horse drawn wagon by his father (this
was the last time he ever saw his father) but as he left Przemysl the cart
was stopped by Soviets, not soldiers but the NKVD (the forefunner of the
KGB). My father was taken prisoner and eventually transported to
Dnieperpetrovsk in the Ukraine where he was put in the prison built by
Catherine the Great in the shape of a star to house Cossacks. He was held in
solitary confinement for, he thought, two weeks being fed on bread, water
and thin soup. During his time in solitary confinement he made up his mind
that if he was not shot he would be sent to a hard labour camp in the North
of Russia or Siberia.

He was eventually taken from solitary confinement and put in a large cell
with many other Poles but also Russians and Ukranians who were either
criminals or political prisoners. My father was accused of being politically
undesirable (for no reason) and eventually sentenced to 25 years hard labour
in a Gulag. He was then transported from Dnieperpetrovsk to Northern Russia
by train, on river barges and on foot with many others. He believed he
passed through Kharkov, Gorki, Kotlas, Uchta, Pechora and eventually
Vorkuta.

The transport used was desperate, the trains were cattle trucks and the
barges were open to all the elements. There was no sanitation and if someone
died, the body was either thrown on to the side of the track when the train
stopped and the doors were opened or they were thrown over the side of the
barges into the rivers.

It was not just men who were being deported but also women and children.
Many died of disease, starvation, the terrible cold and violence meted out
on them by the Soviet guards.

By the time my father arrived in Northern Russia, it was deep winter and he
was now with many other Poles. There was no shelter but they were given
tents which were suitable for twenty to thirty people. Their first job was
to pitch these tents. Some of the people in my father's group, including my
father, had experience of extreme cold from living in the mountainous areas
of Poland and rather than just pitch their tent, they dug into the snow
first to protect the sides of the tent and then erected it. They survived
the first night above the Arctic Circle. The tent next to them was occupied
by some 20 Polish Jews who didn't dig into the snow and froze to death on
that first night.

At first my father and his fellow prisoners were put to work in the forests
cutting wood. At some point the Soviets found out that my father had
engineering experience and he was transferred to work on oil drilling
platforms.

My father and his fellow prisoners endured many hardships during the time
they were forced to work in Northern Russia and many did not survive. My
father was released when General Sikorsky negotiated the release of all
Polish forces and civilians with the Soviets, and so another journey was
about to begin.

They travelled south again by train and barge and on foot to a camp which
was set up in a place called Koltubanka as a gathering point for the Polish
forces. This was where General Anders set up the Polish 2nd Corps and I
think it was here that the authorities asked for volunteers for the
Airforce. As my father had worked on aircraft, he volunteered. I have two
photographs, the first of my father and written on the back in his hand, is
Koltubanka, Rosja (Russia) 5th October 1941. The second is of a group of men
in a snowy forest. They have Polish Eagles on their caps and I believe my
father is in the centre of the photograph. The back of it is again marked in
my father's hand Koltubanka 15th January 1942. This means that he was there
for at least three and a half months.

My father and his fellow prisoners were then transported across Kazakstan to
a place called Kermine in Uzbeckistan and then to Tashkent. From here they
travelled west to the Caspian Sea to a port called Kranovodsk in
Turkmenistan where they were put on a ship which took them to Persia (now
Iran). This day was etched in my father's mind as a momentous occasion. He
did not remember the date but the fact that he had left the Soviet Union
alive was enough for my father and his fellow prisoners to celebrate,
although they had no idea what the future would hold.

After crossing the Caspian Sea, they arrived at the port of Pahlevi and were
then take via Tehran, Isfahan and Ahwaz to the Persian Gulf where they were
put on a troop ship which sailed through the Persian Gulf to the Indian
Ocean to Bombay. From here they sailed to South Africa, stopping at Durban
and then Cape Town where they changed ships. They were then transported to
the United Kingdom; I believe one of the ships was called the Avetavia.

They eventually arrived in Liverpool during June of 1942 from where they
were taken to Scotland by train to be quarantined. My father was stationed
at a number of RAF bases including Bramcote Hemswell, Cameringham and
Sealand near to Liverpool. When he left the RAF in 1948 he settled in
Liverpool and then in North Wales. We had to drive past the Sealand Camp
regularly and nearly ever time another story of life in the forces would
emerge.

My father often spoke about his wartime experiences but it was mostly to
tell a story about somewhere he had been or something he had seen but rarely
about his personal survival. He did tell a tale of how on their journey out
of captivity through the eastern states of the Soviet Union, they had to
scavenge for food or steal it where they could. At some point during the
journey my father and a friend were looking for food and came across a flock
of sheep. They were going to steal a sheep but they were attacked by a large
dog which was guarding the sheep. They had to kill the dog to protect
themselves so they took the dog for food instead of a sheep and, making it
into a stew, managed to feed approximately 20 men. On another occasion they
were in a town with a market. The traders all had donkeys so one of my
father's companions distracted a trader and my father stole the donkey which
they slaughtered and again fed a number of men.

These stories were always told to guests after we had eaten a meal. What the
guests didn't realise until they were told was that this was a matter of
survival and that these men were literally being starved to death! There
were many other stories but he never really touched on the suffering they
all endured.

But one particular conversation with my father stands out in my mind. I was
having a meal with him one evening. The raido was on, Radio Four to be
precise. Somebody was talking about the Northern Lights, the aurora
borealis. I said to him 'you must have seen the Northern Lights when you
where in Northern Russia, what were they like?' His reply was not what I
expected because he normally explained what he was talking about with some
sort of scientific explanation. What he actually said was 'I suppose I saw
them but when you are cold, starving and under constant threat of being
shot, you do not notice the beauty of nature'.

As he grew older he thought and talked more of what happened to him and his
countrymen during the war, particularly the ones that were left beind in the
Soviet Union and, like many people who had survived when others hadn't,
wondered why.

My father was eventually allowed to return to Poland for a holiday in 1969,
thirty years after he had been deported and he visited many times taking my
mother and myself. When martial law was enforced he never went back and was
never able to visit a free Poland due to age and ill health but he was
always proud to have been a Pole and to have served in the Polish forces.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Aneta,
Thank you for your note on this issue.
I found Sol Dzieza  from Sokoly near Bialystok ( which you probably know) with B
1317 markings and one Magda Blau with just 2318 numbers. Yes, it seems only a
couple of places tattooing was carried out and then inmates moved to other
places or even back to the same place, but in records( the memorial you mention)
the reference numbers in actual documents changed to just 5 figure numbers and
not necessarily related to tattoos. Apparently it took hardly 20 mins. per
person to apply..
In our case it is significant because it appeared to be a letter D ++++. My
analysis of this is the possibility that in child's memory/eye it might have
been B++++. I have not come accross any other letters than B.
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nice of you to post the story & link.

My dad and
Zygmunt Piatkiewicz were in the same company in  Italy.


----- Original Message ----
From: Lucyna Artymiuk <lucyna.artymiuk@...>
To: Kresy-Siberia@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, 3 February, 2008 6:55:00 AM
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Polish Hero's War













             http://www.bbc. co.uk/ww2peoples war/stories/ 90/a3981990. shtml



Contributed by



<http://www.bbc. co.uk/ww2peoples war/user/ 10/u1529910. shtml> mainemanc



People in story:



Zygmunt Piatkiewicz



Location of story:



Poland & Italy



Background to story:



Army



Article ID:



A3981990



Contributed on:



01 May 2005



My Grandad, Zygmunt Piatkiewicz, was born in Novogrodek in 1917, a time when

Poland did not exist. His father was a General in the Russian Army and was

caught and executed in 1919 by the Bolsheviks. My Greatgrandmother had to

see Lenin himself to plea for the family to be allowed to return to a newly

formed Poland. He agreed, but made her leave her 2 eldest sons in Russia.

Thus my Grandad settled in Poland with his mother and sister. He was lucky

enough to be accepted into the Korpus Kadetow officer school in Rawicz. Here

he learnt how to be a soldier. He also learnt how to run, becoming a

cross-country star at the age of 17. By 19 he was representing Poland at the

1936 Berlin Olympics. He finished 4th in the 3000m steeplechase and was

predicted a gold in 1940. He would sadly never realise this dream though. He

also excelled in tennis and football, playing against Chelsea and Arsenal

who were touring Poland.

He Graduated from KK2 Rawicz in 1939. War Broke out in September 1939,

threatening Poland's very existance. My Grandad was sent to fight the

Russians who had invaded from the east. He fought in the battle of Grodno as

a Leiutenant and survived bayonet charges as they fought off the Russians.

Poland would not win the day however, and my Grandad and his men escaped to

Lithuania to be interned. However, he escaped and was caught in Warsaw some

weeks later in Poland by the NKVD and was shipped out to a Gulag. He was

lucky not to be shot.

When the Germans invaded the USSR, the Poles formed an uneasy alliance with

their new allies and the troops were released. Half stayed in Russia, the

others, including my Grandad followed General Anders to join the British in

Iraq.

After training and re-equipment my Grandad took part in the invasion of

Italy.

Wounded in the fighting, he recovered and trained with the Polish Commandos.

He joined them in 1944, having taken part in the bloody battle for Monte

Cassino in May 1944. It was here that the Poles took the town after months

of fighting, when the Germans repulsed British, American, and New Zealand

forces before the Poles won the day.

It was soon after this, in August 1944 that my Grandad won Poland's highest

military honour, the Virtuti Militari, (equivalent of VC).

After leading his men through a series of hills outside Andrea Di Suassa on

the Gothic Line. The platoon of my Grandad came under intense German

artillery fire and many were wounded including my Grandad. Back at the aid

station, the platoon were decemated with morphene in short supply. My

Grandad insisted on having the shrapnel removed without any morphene, and

insisted on going back up the hill, alone, with a machine gun. It is alleged

he saw the red mist. He charged up the hills firing from the hip. The

Germans thought they were facing a full platoon and ran away, leaving my

Grandad to take the town single handed.

He was awarded the Silver VM number 10715 in the December.

The citation read:

"whilst himself wounded, without any regard for his own life, he rescued and

carried out wounded from under heavy enemy artillery fire, then without

regard for his own wounds he ran back into action with a light machine gun

to single handedly repel the enemy attack."

After this he would take part in the battle for Bologna and Ancona.

After the war he was unable to return to a communist run Poland and settled

with his wife (who had faught in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944) in England.

Othe military decorations include the Polish Military Cross, Kryz Waleczny

(x2)Italian Military Cross, Al Merito Militari, Monte Cassino Cross, Polish

September 1939 Cross, Italy Star and other British Campaign medals.

He worked in industry until 1982, raising a big happy family. My Grandad

died in 2003, he never talked much or blew his own trumpet, its a shame so

many heros never share their story, and I hope this short story pays enough

homage to a fine man.







_._,___




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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Can any one help? - Does anyone know or remember my father?



His name is ZYGMUNT SZEBOROWSKI (his name was WSZEBOROWSKI) but the 'W' was
missed off his official papers when he went into the army, and for
convenience the 'W' was left off.



He died 10 years ago, and was born in 1918. Hew came from a village named
Wieszbowo, near Grajewo, in the area of Bialystok where his family had a
small holding.



He ended up in the army and tool in IRAQ, PALESTINE, and fought at Monte
Casino.



After the war he settled in England



I would love to hear from anyone that might have known him!



Regards



George Szeborowski



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, I'm 'dumbfounded'

My family in Ukr, mentioned 'Krasnoyarsk'when I was there, and dad's
War Records state 'Russian Military' - so I assumed that he was only
taken by the Russians! - seems I got it very wrong, thanks to Aneta
and Antoni's info!

Silly thing is; 2 years ago when I was at Aushwitz, whilst in Krakow,
on behalf of our group, I managed to buy 4 huge hard-back volumes of
their own books with names and details in. These were not books for
re-sale to visitor's, but new copies of their own reference books.
They weighed a ton to bring home and cost me over £100 sterling. My
idea was that they would be valuable to the group and I would
do 'look-up's'


I told the group about them - no interest whatsoever! So, I had
our 'works' transport deliver them to Margaret and Barbara down at
MOD/Polish Army Records. Don't know if they are still with them, gone
to Scotland HQ of Polish Army Records or even if Jagna had them? We
all used to go to dinner to discuss things like that occasionally.

This is all because I rememered dad's tattoo's from 45 years ago!!

Better get on the 'blower' to Margaret tomorrow quick

Linder

Linder,
one has to examine all sorts of possibilities. It does not mean he was not in
Krasnayarsk, but it could have been for a slightly different reason. If by any
chance he was taken by Germans in the first instance and put in oboz jencow then
escaped--or handed over to Russians in the area near Lwow where Germans pulled
back to the Curzon line, it is just possible he was in Russia as well.
The tattoos were not just marks on Jews, but Poles ,Ukrainians, Gipsies as well
, in some instances, as I understand. If you could remember the numbers then
that would help; there is a disc--I think-- one can buy from JewishGen (the site
Aneta referred to as Museum of Holocaust) where thousands of records are posted.
Or just contact them and they will do the search, but they ask for the arm
number- if possible.
Mind you that would not solve the issue of his being in RU.
Keep on searching.
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have a DVD in PAL, of the local 'Mayor of Yavoriv' town, telling me
about my family and the political situation in 1939-1940. Now that I
have discovered that the tattoo's on my dad's left forearm, might mean
that the nazi's got him before the Russians did - I really need to
know what the Mayor is telling me.

Is there anybody who can understand Ukrainian language, or has a pal
that understands the language, that will look at this 10-
15 'interview'.

It could send my research in a totally different direction.

I can send a copy of the DVD to you, but it is in PAL, not NSTC?

Please reply - I'm really stuck
Linder

Linder,
it just occured to me that you could write to JewishGen yourself  and say that
you, as a child, remember seeing a number on your Dad's arm and although you
cannot recollect what it was , other than D or B****you are curious as to its
meaning and whether there might be some reference in the Archives.
Follow the procedure as stated in the article at this site.
Simply key into google     Captured German Records Collection; there you'll see
an e-mail address   enquire@...  I am not sure where it is in USA, but it
could be helpful; who knows. That is where the copies of the documents have
landed, whilst the originals are at Arolsen.Give alternative spellings of the
family name. Do not say any more than necessary.
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

George,
there are several entries for this name in Karta records, but the nearest is
Witold son Wincentego b 1918 Bialostockie.
There are two or three from Bialystok region and some from Lwow as well.I cannot
see any entries in RU lists. The best is to write to Hoover and Karta for detail
in the first place.
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Could this be the reason for the problem Walter, I sent this link in Dec. Carol
Celinska Dove

   Bug river claims

   The notion of Bug River property regards the property abandoned within the
territory of the Republic of Poland within its pre-war borders which after the
year 1945 were abandoned outside the present-day territory of the Republic of
Poland

http://www.msp.gov.pl/index_eng.php?dzial=34&id=118


   Stefan Wisniowski <stefan@...> wrote:
           In case there is any confusion, the following e-mail from the Polish
Consulate in Washington DC confirms that persons do not need to live in Poland
to be eligible for compensation.

Stefan Wisniowski
Moderator

----- Original Message -----
From: polconsul.dc
To: stefan@...
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 6:51 AM
Subject: Compensation-Kresy/Borderlands in Poland

Dear Mr. Wisniowski

with reference to your email correspondence concerning compensation for property

left beyond present borders of the Republic of Poland according to the
compensation law:

1.. The owners or their inheritors are eligible for compensation if they still
have Polish citizenship (Polish documents - passport and others)
2.. It is possible they currently reside beyond the borders of the Republic of
Poland (residing in Poland is not required)
3.. Article 3.2 provides that the person who is inheritor and has right for
compensation can indicate entitled person
to take over compensation. In this case the declaration should be certificated
by notary public, Polish consulate or Polish authorities in Poland.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate be in contact with us.

Best Regards,

Consular Division

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Carol,
that is 2002 issue, which I thought the Broniowski Judgement overturned/
reinfoced, was it not? Am I mistaken?
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This Christmas I received a copy of Exiled to Siberia, A Polish Child's WWII
Journey by Klaus Hergt. It is the story of Henryk Birecki who as a 10 year-old
child was deported to Siberia  from Krasne, Zloczow county, Tarnopol province.
His father Florian was a village policeman and within the text are a few
references to that life which you, Marisa, expressed an interest in for the
children's book you are writing. There are also two photographs of Florian in
his uniform.

   Prior to being a village policeman Florian served in the military police of
the Polish army. One of the photographs is of him in this uniform with wrapped
leggings and high-laced boots. When his son Henryk was young, Florian was
already a village policeman:

   " H's father rose early and left for work soon after daybreak From his bed H.
often watched him through the open bedroom door eating his breakfast. He was
dressed, but the coat of his dark-blue police uniform was still unbuttoned. H.
never saw his father in civilian clothes. He always wore his uniform on festive
occassions, but even for work in the yard or field he would wear his old uniform
pants...................After breakfast his father would button his coat with
the high collar and sling the strap of his first-aid kit across his chest one
way and his rifle the other. He would buckle his belt with the pistol on the
side and put on his four-cornered cap with the emblem of the white Polish eagle
and pedal off on his bike toward the police station. It seemed almost impossibel
to H. how much his father could carry and still ride his bicycle. In winter his
father either walked or, if the snow was too deep, skied to work.

   His father "sometimes ate his noon meal at the tavern across the street from
the police station. On occasions he also bowled there. ....H. occasionally met
his father at the tavern for their midday meal. At times other policmen joined
them, and H. listened to their talk as he nibbled some of the paprika-flavoured
bacon which was served free at the tables

   I think you also wanted to know about apples. I came across one reference to
the child drinking tea sweetened with "Eve's Apples" ~ crab apples preserved in
syrup.

   Perhaps there is some authentic detail here that will be of use to you for
your story which I hope is going well.

   Best Wishes,
   Beata


---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have come across some old photos and am trying to read my late
father's handwriting on the back of one that shows a bunch of soldiers
in shorts and pith helmets. I can make out something like "w drodze z
Hebaini do Palestyny, maj 1942" (on the road from Hebaini to
Palestine, May 1942).
In the album this came from, it says "Kwiecien-Maj-1942 Pustynia
Iraku" (April-May 1942 Iraqi desert).
I think I got most of that right, though please correct me. But what
the heck is that word that looks something like Hebaini? A place in
Iraq where the Polish soldiers were stationed prior to moving to
Palestine?
Since it's the handwriting that is the challenge, the real word may
have only a passing resemblance to what I am reading as Hebaini.

John Halucha
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada

I was looking at "Bug River" claims and it looks like they are saying 1944 this
was resolved. It reads in the second para. below and I was wondering if this is
what Walter is running into? It is as if a settlement (private) is what I'm
reading.

   http://www.msp.gov.pl/index_eng.php?dzial=34&id=118&search=71792

   The notion of the bug river property regards the property abandoned within the
territory of the Republic of Poland within its pre-war borders which after the
year 1945 was left outside the present territory of the Republic of Poland. bug
river property is the property located within the territory of the present-day
Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania.

   The situation of Polish citizens residing on these territories before August
31st, 1939 was regulated in agreements concluded in 1944 with Ukraine, Belarus
and Lithuania as well as the agreement concluded between the Interim Government
of National Unity and the USSR’s government, which confirmed provisions of the
three preceding republican agreements.

Carol


   Carol Dove <stashaok@...> wrote:
           Could this be the reason for the problem Walter, I sent this link in
Dec. Carol Celinska Dove

Bug river claims

The notion of Bug River property regards the property abandoned within the
territory of the Republic of Poland within its pre-war borders which after the
year 1945 were abandoned outside the present-day territory of the Republic of
Poland

http://www.msp.gov.pl/index_eng.php?dzial=34&id=118

Stefan Wisniowski <stefan@...> wrote:
In case there is any confusion, the following e-mail from the Polish Consulate
in Washington DC confirms that persons do not need to live in Poland to be
eligible for compensation.

Stefan Wisniowski
Moderator

----- Original Message -----
From: polconsul.dc
To: stefan@...
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 6:51 AM
Subject: Compensation-Kresy/Borderlands in Poland

Dear Mr. Wisniowski

with reference to your email correspondence concerning compensation for property

left beyond present borders of the Republic of Poland according to the
compensation law:

1.. The owners or their inheritors are eligible for compensation if they still
have Polish citizenship (Polish documents - passport and others)
2.. It is possible they currently reside beyond the borders of the Republic of
Poland (residing in Poland is not required)
3.. Article 3.2 provides that the person who is inheritor and has right for
compensation can indicate entitled person
to take over compensation. In this case the declaration should be certificated
by notary public, Polish consulate or Polish authorities in Poland.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate be in contact with us.

Best Regards,

Consular Division

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Carole,

Didn't put a copy of AFO or 'The Other Truth' in with computers
because I don't know yet if someone would be in real trouble if they
showed the films? I have a pal in Lviv, whose hubby is the 'Dean of
Law' at the Lviv Uni, and he plays squash with the 'Dean of Modern
History' - perhaps that's my way in? Anybody know for sure?

Jagna would want the films shown there. She came from the Lwow Ghetto.

Linder

Hi.,
Could someone help me out with the following.
Data opuszczenia Polski.....Zestaniec.
Many thanks.
John.
(Scotland)

John translation sent to your private email from me.
pozdrawiam Krystyna


--- john878480 <johnwalker44@...> wrote:

> Hi.,
> Could someone help me out with the following.
> Data opuszczenia Polski.....Zestaniec.
> Many thanks.
> John.
> (Scotland)
>
>



      
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w drodze z Hebaini do Palestyny, maj 1942" (on the road from Hebaini to
Palestine, May 1942
   Pustynia Iraku is the desert in Iraq.

   hania


   In May  of 1942, my dads army unit  arrived in the Palestine town of Afula,
and after that Karkura……then they  stayed in Iraq on the “Port Habbanijah Lake”.
By the way Habbanijah or Habanya has always been a military base first occupied
by the British and is 130 degrees in the shade.
   Map:
   http://www.506infantry.org/CYB05/History%20-%20HAB.htm

http://www.506infantry.org/CYB05/History%20-%20HAB

John Halucha <john.halucha@...> wrote:          I have come across some
old photos and am trying to read my late
father's handwriting on the back of one that shows a bunch of soldiers
in shorts and pith helmets. I can make out something like "w drodze z
Hebaini do Palestyny, maj 1942" (on the road from Hebaini to
Palestine, May 1942).
In the album this came from, it says "Kwiecien-Maj-1942 Pustynia
Iraku" (April-May 1942 Iraqi desert).
I think I got most of that right, though please correct me. But what
the heck is that word that looks something like Hebaini? A place in
Iraq where the Polish soldiers were stationed prior to moving to
Palestine?
Since it's the handwriting that is the challenge, the real word may
have only a passing resemblance to what I am reading as Hebaini.

John Halucha
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada






---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

John,
OH Habbaniyah!!!! that brings memories!!!
All that inhospitable  very hot sand! Flat desert where nothing grows.
But FREEDOM>
It is an area 50/60 km to the West from Bagdad by a lake where in 1922, I think,
British Airforce set up a base for ordinary planes as well as flying boats.
Polish forces were allowed to use the base as a home for all elements of Anders
Army. Armour had a chance to train. Infantry were learning how to fight in
desert conditions and everyone else just how to exist in such terrain. The
flying boats had their hangars in the embankment and an airfield was used by
other planes. The only problem for us was survival--none or hardly any drinking
water. Huge canvas was streched and with edges propped up , was filled with
fresh drinking water, which evaporated at terrific rate, because it was so hot.
After training and assembly of all units which came out of Russia everybody was
moved to Palestine or Egipt.
The airfield is well used today by RAF as well as US Airforce.
Naturally Sadam Hussein used it for his elite Airforce prior to this war.
I am sure your father's photo shows just that---sand and more sand. I am glad
you have it as it is a historical picture, I am sure.
antoni530

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Linder,

   I understand. Jagna had the right idea, it's nice to have someone present when
it's being shown in case they have questions.

   Any luck with the cd yet? There has to be a faster way to get that done. It
must be frustrating. Tower of babble comes to mind. Time to bring it down.

   Have the computers gotten there yet?  It would be neat to see pictures once
they are set up and in use. You must feel relieved to be done with shipping,
but, excited for the thought of the use they will get. You have done your part
removing the "tower of babble".

   Keep me posted, Carol

ladbrookelinder <ladbrooke@...> wrote:
           Carole,

Didn't put a copy of AFO or 'The Other Truth' in with computers
because I don't know yet if someone would be in real trouble if they
showed the films? I have a pal in Lviv, whose hubby is the 'Dean of
Law' at the Lviv Uni, and he plays squash with the 'Dean of Modern
History' - perhaps that's my way in? Anybody know for sure?

Jagna would want the films shown there. She came from the Lwow Ghetto.

Linder






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Hania,
thanks for the links, but when we were there it was not like the photos shown
here. Sure it was HOT I can tell you. You could hardly breathe and sand dust
everywhere so that seeing was difficult too. There were no permanent buildings
just tents and more tents.
antoni530

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Linder,
following my visit into Kresy last year, I would say NO DO NOT PUSH showing
anything like AFO film other than to a private individual whom you really know
well. You are likely to upset people. It is not the West. As you know even
taking a present which might be seen by others makes them cautious and so much
so that even my family would not wear anything Western in public. It all
attracts unnecessary attention. This was explained to me at the Polski Klub when
I offered some books with stories about deportations.
antoni530

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Thank you very much, Hania and Antoni and Marek. Yet another mystery is solved
in little more than a heartbeat by the online professors in this forum! And I
got a whole bunch of information about it in the bargain. You guys are great!

John Halucha,
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada




      
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