Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

FROM THE INHUMAN TO THE PROMISED LAND

A brief description of Stanislaw Bajkowski's deportation from Poland to Siberia by the Soviets and his journey into exile.

Stanislaw Bajkowski was born on 27th September 1925 in pre-war Poland in the village of Holyszki, district of Wolkowysk, province of Bialystok. (Wolkowysk is now in White Russia.) His father Miesczyslaw and his mother Bronislawa Czaplejewska owned an arable farm of ten hectares near the village of Podorosk in the district of Wolkowysk. The Bajkowski and Czaplejewska families had lived in Poland's North Eastern Borderlands region (The Kresy) for centuries.
Stanislaw's nearest relations included a brother and sister, two families on his father's side and four on his mother's side. All lived within the North Eastern Kresy region and although the ethnic Polish inhabitants represented only around 20% of the total population, they regarded themselves as Polish and spoke Polish as their mother tongue.
The outbreak of the Second World War on 1st September 1939 was a massive shock for the Bajkowski's made worse on 17th September by the Soviet invasion of Poland from the East. 'Then began the Polish Gehenna, most particularly for those deported to Siberia'.
As soon as the Soviets had secured the new frontier and imposed their authority on the subjugated territories the deportations began. Early on the morning of 10th February 1940 a convoy of five sledges, each bearing a Russian soldier with bayonet fixed, arrived at the Bajkowski farm house. The family was given barely half an hour to pack all the necessary essentials for a long journey and instructed to take enough food to keep them alive for one month.
The Poles from this locality – around 600 – were then grouped in the nearby mansion of wealthy landlord Pan Bochwica. The following morning, in 35 degrees of frost, they were transported 25 kilometres to the train station at Wolkowysk. There they were 'packed' into waiting cattle trucks. Inside they found wooden beds, boards and planks allowing them to sit or lie but not stand. The windows were small and grated, and – as if to make things worse – frozen over. In the centre was a so-called heater or small metal coal fire. A hole in the corner served as a toilet. And so it was that in these spartan conditions the Poles began their journey into exile.
The train took them to nearby Baranowice where they languished for a week until authorisation to proceed to the next stage of their journey into the depths of the Soviet Union arrived. Tears were shed by one and all as they crossed the border of the defeated and now non-existent Second Republic of Poland. Many of them would never return.
During the long journey they helped and supported each other. An atmosphere of sincerity and sympathy reigned transcending their awful fate and everyone tried, whenever they could, to raise the spirits of others. 'In the forester's wagon Chojnowski played the violin beautifully and a young bachelor Pan Witek cracked jokes incessantly.
Despite the fact that he had barely reached 15 years of age, Stanislaw Bajkowski felt proud he was heading for Siberia along the same route taken by so many eminent Poles throughout Poland's turbulent and tragic history.
The deportees sustained themselves in the main with the provisions they managed to take with them. Occasionally, when the train stopped, an NKVD man would ask someone to fetch soup from a nearby canteen in a couple of buckets slung across the shoulders. The soup was shared by the fifty or so deportees in the wagon. When the hole in the corner froze over the train would stop somewhere in the countryside and the unfortunate passengers would be instructed to leave their carriages and attend to their needs in the fields. This was very demeaning.
Following a short stay in Moscow the train headed northwards to Jaroslawia on the Volga and then towards Archangel. After some two weeks the train stopped at a small station called Kodino which was surrounded by heavily snow-laden forests. Since it remained at the station longer than at previous stops Stanislaw's father became impatient and asked an accompanying NKVD man, “Where is the next station?” He replied “This is a cul de sac, for you, this is the end of the world!”
The deportees were divided into two groups, one group was earmarked for Traktornej bazy and the other, which included Stanislaw, was earmarked for the special camp of Tushilovo in the Archangel Oblast which was in the Archangel Onezski region.
The group was forced to walk, mainly across the frozen Lake Onega, for three days to reach Posiolek Tushilovo. Sledges were made available for the sick, the old and small children. They reached their final destination totally exhausted by the long journey in the cattle trucks and their 100 kilometres trek.
The camp had previously housed around one thousand Ukrainians who had been deported in the early 1930s. When the Poles arrived only some sixty of these Ukrainians were left, the rest had perished. The camp consisted of two separate groups of barracks both located round a large lake called Koze Ozierio. The Poles lived in Tushilovo itself and the Ukrainians lived across the lake in a place called Chabarowie. There were three so-called 'commandants' in the camp, an NKVD man, a military man and an administrator.
Each family was allocated a small living space in the centre of which was a small metal stove similar to that found in the cattle wagons. Soon after all baggage had been unloaded and housed securely, forest clearing 'brigades' each consisting of ten workers, were formed. Despite the hard work and extreme conditions food rations remained at starvation levels. A worker got 800 grammes of bread and soup consisting of water and a couple of spoonfuls of flour. The old, sick and children received 400 grammes of bread only and of course this starvation level of subsistence had to be paid for by hard labour.
The forestry work, which involved transporting the felled trees by river, was extremely hard and demanding and many workers soon fell ill. There was no medical care in the camp and in the first eighteen months 80 people, mostly young and middle-aged lost their lives. Stanislaw's sister Zofia was one of the first to be struck down by typhus, she survived only by a miracle.
In this region of Siberia winter lasts nine months and the summer is short but beautiful. Bed bugs were a major problem during the summer. The bugs made their nests in the moss which covered the barracks ceilings and during the night they fell on the sleeping unfortunates.
Despite the awful conditions the Poles didn't lose hope and believed that someone, somewhere, would remember them. In June 1941, quite unexpectedly a spark of hope appeared when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union. From this day the deportee's conditions slowly improved.
At the beginning of September 1941 a meeting was called in the camp assembly room. The military commandant appeared on the stage smiling and said, “Do you know General Anders and General Sikorski?” Rather seriously everyone replied “Yes, we do”. He went on “Our government has reached an agreement with the Polish government in London, we will fight the Germans together, you are all free and may travel anywhere in the Soviet Union apart from European Russia.
One of the crowd asked may we sing the Polish Anthem? The commandant replied “Please do. We will listen.” Instead of the Mazurka Dabrowskiego everyone sang the Rote. (An old patriotic song.) The deportees would remember this event and look back on it as an extraordinarily moving and uplifting moment in their ordeal. Soon they all received official papers showing that they were now 'amnestied' and free to travel. They were promised help and transport to the nearest railway station.
Unfortunately the rejoicing lasted only a short time. The promised help took a long time to materialise, things moved very slowly and orders took a long time to come through. In the meantime more deportees from the special camp and from prison in Archangel arrived on the scene. Amongst them was Stanislaw's uncle who after nine months spent in prison was unrecognisable. He and his family left the camp before Stanislaw and for a while contact with them was lost. From his uncle's family of five four would die of hunger in Uzbekistan, however, the last surviving member, his daughter Irena made it safely to Tehran.
In the middle of February 1942 the time finally came for the Bajkowski family to leave the camp. There were then only two or three deportees left in the camp and Stanislaw never saw any of them again. As they travelled South Stanislaw's brother Leon had a relapse of tuberculosis of the bones. He was made comfortable on a sleigh while the rest of the family, father, mother and sister journeyed on foot in heavy snow for 100 kilometres to the nearest station, Wonguda. They waited for over a week for transport which eventually came in the form of two cattle trucks almost identical to those in which they were deported to Siberia in 1940 but more luxurious, no hole in the floor.
The plan was to go to Uralsk, however just before they set off something unexpected happened. A man of some thirty years of age jumped into the wagon and asked if they would take him along since he had heard they were travelling South. No one knew this man so they refused saying that there was no room. He left without hesitation but very shortly after he returned, knocked on the door, and as it slid open he threw a sack in the truck, after a moment he threw in another sack and then jumped in the wagon. It transpired that he had stolen two sacks of macaroni from a neighbouring wagon. He asked for a bowl and divided the macaroni equally amongst everyone. After a while he introduced himself. “My name is Wanka Nowik. I am a White Russian from Minsk. I have been interned in a camp for 12 years and have escaped. You Poles, if you want to live and not die of hunger, will have to steal, otherwise you will never see your beloved Poland again”. This man, it would transpire, would save the lives of this particular cattle truck's inhabitants.
At the next station, Oboziersk, a dramatic event happened. Six of the men folk from a neighbouring wagon went to find bread taking with them all their family documents. In their absence the train unexpectedly set off leaving the men behind. Without documents none of the men's families and relations could get hold of food and would starve to death. In these circumstance's Wanka's skills became priceless. On their onward journey, under Wanka's expert supervision, they stole whatever they could, bread, sugar, fish and so on and attempted to create a reserve for the times when it was not possible to steal. There was a period of eight days when apart from sugar and hot water from the steam engine there was nothing to eat. After a few days of this diet the stomach could take no more. Many vomited incessantly while others couldn't stand. Without Wanka's expertise many would have perished. After the war, in England, Stanislaw met some of the men left behind. They looked back at those tumultuous times and contemplated how they had managed in the Soviet Union without those documents and how their families cheated starvation.
The route from Archangel southwards passed through Vologda, Jaroslaw then Moscow and on to Wlodzimir where a miracle occurred. Although on the verge of exhaustion Stanislaw's father managed to arrange a meeting with the local war committee. He had a good education and spoke Russian well. Making the most of this he pleaded with the commandant to send someone to the cattle wagon to witness the plight of the people dying of hunger. The commandant turned out to be a decent man, he said “I believe you” and sent instructions to the town bakery to issue enough 400 gramme loaves to last 60 people for 6 weeks. Miesczyslaw got help from a market trader with his sleigh and returned to the train with his priceless cargo. From then on everyone slowly regained strength, they had water and bread, death from hunger no longer threatened them.
Travelling through Rozajewska, Saralow, Uralsk, Aryse, Tashkent, Okubinsk and Kagan, Stanislaw and his family neared their objective. At Okubinsk Leon died. His body was wrapped in a blanket and laid on the station platform. Stanislaw's father wanted to stay behind to bury him but hid risked being left behind and losing contact with his family forever. His wife Bronislawa persuaded him he must abandon his dead son and journey on, she said that they still had two living children and their duty was to ensure that they survived.
Following their arrival at Dzambul on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan another miracle happened. The plan was to go forward to Aumaaty but while their wagons were temporarily parked in a siding waiting for a replacement locomotive a small loco arrived, coupled up the wagons and started off. They soon realised they were travelling in an unknown direction and after a while they stopped at a station called Czak Pak in Southern Kazakhstan. There, to their amazement, a train full of Polish soldiers was waiting. A Polish officer told them that they were to travel with them to Iran as military families. Stanislaw had difficulty believing this. It transpired that General Anders, taking advantage of the chaos reigning in the Soviet Union at the time had ordered the Polish Army to use every means to rescue Polish citizens and escort them to freedom and the army was following his orders.
At the end of April 1942 they arrived with the soldiers at the port of Krasnowodsk on the Caspian Sea. The transport ship Moskwa was waiting for them. During boarding no one was checked, they were herded on board like sheep. As the badly overloaded ship set sail for Pahlevi in Iran an unusually violent storm forced the exhausted and emaciated exiles to lie on the decks for safety, adding further to there seemingly never-ending ordeal.
As the sun rose the following morning they arrived at the promised land. After quarantine they were billeted in accommodation round Tehran. Unfortunately, after a short time, epidemics of Typhoid and Dysentery broke out. On the 26th April 1942 Stanislaw's mother contracted Typhoid after three days of freedom, she died two weeks later and was buried in the French cemetery in Tehran among 2,000 other Poles. Out of the ten members of the two Bajkowski families deported to Russia only four made it to freedom, Stanislaw, His younger sister Zofia, his mother Bronislawa and his father Miesczyslaw.
In Tehran Stanislaw and his father joined the Polish Army. His father was a platoon leader and as a consequence became on of the commanders of the Guard Company. He was based in Military Camp No. 4 until its liquidation and then moved to Palestine. In February 1943 Stanislaw travelled to Iraq and after two months volunteered to join the 1st Independent Polish Parachute Brigade forming in Britain. By June he was in Scotland where, notwithstanding fatal accidents, he passed out as a paratrooper.
In September 1844 he took part in the Battle of Arnhem. During the first phase of the action his battalion, the 1st Battalion IPPB was forced to abandon its intended drop at the last minute and turned back in mid-flight over the English Channel to return to England. Unfortunately the 2nd and 3rd Battalions had already landed. At the second attempt the 1st Battalion dropped into Grave with the American 81st Airborne Division. His battalion then linked up with the main body of the Polish Brigade at Driel but by then the element of surprise had been lost. As the paratroopers took up their positions they were subjected to heavy German machine gun fire. They had no artillery support and couldn't complete their mission so on 25th September they received orders to withdraw. For his partr in the action Stanislaw was decorated several times. From 11th May 1945 until 1947 He was stationed with the Polish Parachute Brigade at Bramsche in Germany as part of the post-war occupation force.
Following demobilisation Stanislaw settled in Great Britain where he married and brought up a family. He has a son Adam and two daughters, Danuta and Janina, nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is the last Bajkowski of his generation to have passed through Russia. From the Czaplejewski side of the family, his cousin's son lives in Minsk in White Russia, he speaks Polish and feels himself to be Polish.
Stanislaw would like to thank the people of Iran for welcoming him, his family and the Polish deportees so warmly to their country. Not surprisingly he says that he has a great affinity towards them.
SCG/22/05/11
2849 words
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Nice to see that 18 people have read this since I put it up. I might be in good standing with the Polish Community again!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
chinatyke
Donor
Posts: 3831
Joined: 21 Apr 2012, 13:14
Location: Pingguo, Guangxi, China

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by chinatyke »

I assume he finally settled in Barnoldswick and became a weaver?
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

I'd have to go back and read the articles to answer that China, if I ever knew, I have forgotten.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
chinatyke
Donor
Posts: 3831
Joined: 21 Apr 2012, 13:14
Location: Pingguo, Guangxi, China

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by chinatyke »

Sorry, I was just trying to ascertain why you posted this person's story? Is/was he a local character?
User avatar
Big Kev
Site Administrator
Site Administrator
Posts: 11010
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 20:15
Location: Foulridge

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Big Kev »

He has family in Barlick, his daughter was my neighbour until she moved to Earby a couple of years ago. his grandson is still my neighbour. I have some recent pictures of him that I took at a birthday party.
Kev

Stylish Fashion Icon.
🍹
User avatar
chinatyke
Donor
Posts: 3831
Joined: 21 Apr 2012, 13:14
Location: Pingguo, Guangxi, China

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by chinatyke »

Thanks Kev. :good:
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

China. When I met Stan I knew there was a story and at the time many were railing against us 'being swamped by Poles' so I decided to remind everyone that there was a time when we were glad to have them. What triggered it again was mention of the Holocaust. What happened to the Poles was just as bad.....
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
chinatyke
Donor
Posts: 3831
Joined: 21 Apr 2012, 13:14
Location: Pingguo, Guangxi, China

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by chinatyke »

In 2000, I went to Turkey and one day we took an organised day trip. The coach party was mainly Brits and Germans, with one Polish family. We stopped at a fish farm for lunch. There were 2 long tables laid out in the orchard and without anyone saying anything the group divided itself into the German table and the British table. Naturally, the Polish family sat with us, whereupon my Malaysian Chinese wife innocently said to the man "shouldn't you be sitting with your friends on the other table?" I could have crawled under a stone! He immediately informed her that he had been in the RAF.
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Understandable China. Some of us haven't forgotten.....
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
PanBiker
Site Administrator
Site Administrator
Posts: 16522
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 13:07
Location: Barnoldswick - In the West Riding of Yorkshire, always was, always will be.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by PanBiker »

I have just made facebook "friends" with Danuta his daughter although we have been actual friends for years. She emigrated to Poland a few years ago. I sent her the link to this page although I am sure she will know her dads story. :smile:

Regarding Polish airmen during WWII. They were eventually allowed to form a Polish squadron and became the most successful of any in the RAF, more kills than any other single squadron. I think having your country invaded, occupied and purged may have had something to do with their attitude to the fighting.
Ian
User avatar
Tizer
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 18883
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 19:46
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Tizer »

Polish airmen serving in the RAF in WW2 can be traced through this web site which says that 17,000 served: LINK
Nullius in verba: On the word of no one (Motto of the Royal Society)
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

I mentioned that fact in the articles I wrote I think. If you ever have time, read Norman Davies' 2 volume history of Poland, 'God's Playground' and you'll start to understand why the Poles were so tough.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Lovely to see that in three days 109 people have accessed and presumably read Stan's story. (All right, I know that includes the bots! But the word is spreading.)
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
plaques
Donor
Posts: 8094
Joined: 23 May 2013, 22:09

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by plaques »

Not to put a damper on things but there may be a number of people who like myself will have a quick look and decide that because of the length of the article and that time is limited move on and come back a second time. Consequently you get a double booking. Still good stuff though.
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Understood but it's all exposure of a story that needs to be remembered.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Tizer
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 18883
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 19:46
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Tizer »

We need to keep it aired to counter those who try to suppress the truth.
Mrs Tiz tells me that Trump's Mar a Lago golf course in Florida is on land on which he wanted to build houses or flats but wasn't allowed by the planners. Somene told him to build instead a golf course and clubhouse which would be open to those who weren't usually considered `suitable' for membership to the normal golf clubs; he'd soon have a thriving club. I was sceptical of Trump allowing such people in but as Mrs Tiz pointed out `it's all more money for him'!
Nullius in verba: On the word of no one (Motto of the Royal Society)
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

I asked a friend the other day if she still played golf and she said not much, she had difficulty finding partners whose discriminatory view of life and membership of the club she could support. Evidently it is still rife.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Tizer
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 18883
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 19:46
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Tizer »

Michael Portillo last night visited Preston and discussed the women's football club and the problems such clubs still face.
Nullius in verba: On the word of no one (Motto of the Royal Society)
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

The question is "Is Portaloo the answer to a maiden's prayer?"
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

177 page views.... Nice!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Bumped.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

Bumped again. A story we should keep alive!

Image

Stan on September 14th 2014.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
BillHowcroft
Donor
Posts: 102
Joined: 19 Aug 2017, 17:39
Location: Derby

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by BillHowcroft »

Back in the 70, when I worked in the Sheffield steel industry, I rented an attic room in a house full of single Polish men (@ £2.75 rent per week).
My favourite friendly Pole had been captured on the first day of the war just inside the border from Germany, survived the work details and starvation diet, and eventually worked in our NHS as a porter. He was retired, had no significant animosity to the Germans or Russians, and used to go over to communist Poland each summer where his paltry NHS pension enabled him to be relatively well-off amongst his relatives.
The landlord had been captured by the Russians and expelled to Siberia with his wife, son & daughter. His wife and son died in Russia but he and his daughter were repatriated via Iran under the alliance agreement with the UK government. He later fought in Italy, although at that time I didn't know enough history to ask if he'd been at Monte Casino. Both he an his daughter hated the Russians enormously.
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 90569
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: Stanislaw Bajkowski's story

Post by Stanley »

The history of Poland is horrendous, WW2 was just one episode in a series of betrayals and disasters. There are many stories like those Bill and we should keep telling them to keep them alive. The best history of Poland is the two volume 'God's Playground' by Norman Davies. The first volume covers origins to 1795 the second brings it up to modern times. Both challenging reads but well worth the effort.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
Post Reply

Return to “Stanley's View”