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Wanda Puć Plonka An oral history of a Polish citizen in World War II

Interviewed by Philip and Rosemarie Hamm

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Wanda Puć was born to a farming family in Eastern Poland in 1923. When she was sixteen years old, her family, along with over a million and a half other Polish citizens, was rounded up by Russian soldiers and taken away to the Soviet Union. These Polish people worked at various slave labor camps or were conscripted into the Soviet military. ThePuć family was taken to a slave labor camp in Siberia. There were many such camps all over the Soviet Union. This is her story.

Rose: Why don’t I start out by asking you what is the name of the town that you’re from? Wanda: This is Sokal1 is like our small town and our big city L’Viv. We live in the east side of Poland. Germany invaded from the west side, Russia invade us from the east side of Poland. We lived with my family in the farm, and we were hard workers. My parents and five children, I was the third. After the Soviet soldiers were in our territory we tried to avoid them. The Year 1940, February 10, in the middle of the night, somebody strong knock the door. And loud shout by the Soviet voices: “open the door! Open the door!” All of us were scared to death. We got up in time for soldiers with rifles to come in, and soldiers pointed the rifles at us and said “get up and dress and come with us.” Philip: They came and pointed the rifles at the whole family? Everybody? Wanda: Yes, everybody. Where you move, they move. Philip: Did you have time to pack up anything to get anything? Wanda: Nothing. My younger brother Frank started to cry. The soldier poked the rifle at him and said “Be quiet!” We had to leave everything behind. We could take nothing, especially food. Nothing. Nothing at all. Philip: How old were you when this happened? Wanda: I was sixteen. My younger brother was thirteen and the other one was ten. Frank was ten. My parents still were young. You could say nothing to them, they poke you with rifle and say “Dress and come with us”. This winter was very hard. A lot of snow and very cold. After one hour all of us get outside, and soldiers push us and walk behind us. We walk to the school, about one mile. They didn’t tell us where we were going or why. It was still dark outside because they come at the middle of the night, probably two or three o’clock, I don’t know. They told us go outside and form a line. In the school where we came there were a lot of people, our neighbors. It was still dark and people coming. They told us go outside and form a line, and march about 4 miles to the train station. Older people and young children they put on horse drawn carts. This night, February 10, 1940, Soviets took from the east side of our country one million five hundred thousand people. In one night. Those Polish people they took to Siberia, and we ask “why?” Then our journey started. It took us two weeks to reach Siberia. Our destination was Arkhangelsk. During the journey we can not go outside of the wagon in the first few days. The train wagons were cows wagons. Only a small window was at the top, that’s

1 Note: Sokal, a Polish town before World War II, is now in the Ukrane.

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all.2 They put 40 people in a wagon. I remember one lady came, she had just had a baby, I don’t know, two weeks or three weeks. They took her, too, with the child. The child died because [her mother] had no food to eat. She kept the child one week because there was nowhere to put the child. Just imagine how it was.

Photo from http://www.aforgottenodyssey.com/

In the corner of the wagon was a hole, about one and a half feet on the floor, and that’s where we went to the bathroom. In the middle of the wagon was a stove where they put coal to keep us warm. They gave us coal every day, they opened the wagon, stop, opened the wagon, and gave us coal. After a few days they let us go outside, when the train stop in the middle of nowhere. No houses, nothing. After two weeks we reach our labor camp, a few barracks in the deep forest where nobody lives. I don’t remember maybe ten barracks, big long barracks, that’s where we live. They put about twenty people in one room, give us a few days free, then start to sort people for work. In the forest – most of us working in the forest. The men cut big trees over here you have [chainsaws], over there, everything by hand, it was very hard to cut the trees. Philip: They had massive bow saws where on each side of the tree there was a man. Wanda: Yes, and the rest they cut by ax. The men cut the big trees and the girls cut the branches from the trees. Winter was very bad, very cold, we didn’t have any heavy clothes for this kind of work. Everybody has winter clothes, but not heavy clothes for working. Food was very poor. 2 There is a picture of this window at “A Forgotten Odyssey” http://www.aforgottenodyssey.com/.

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No milk, no eggs, no meat. We didn’t cook because we didn’t have nothing to cook. We had something – how you describe – stove – you can go and get soup or anything by – over there? Rose: Like a pot? Like a cafeteria? Wanda: Something similar like a cafeteria but they cook for us. Most of the time they cook soup, fish soup. It was very, very watery you can find head – fish head with eyes on you. [laughs] And some pieces of fish, very watery. And a lot of times there was some macaroni, big macaroni, but very few in the soup – one, two, three, that’s it. And barley, thick barley they cook. And they put little oil, no butter, little oil. That’s what our food was most of the time. And bread was dark bread, very heavy, very heavy bread. We were there two years. In the late spring we just cut tall grass because they need it. After a few days when the grass was dry we’d rake it and balls for hay. I didn’t see cows over there but there were places where there were no trees, nothing, but the grass was there, we cut and make hay. A few months later people started to get sick. After two years, more than half the people died; only strong people survived. We were strong from Poland, we lived on a farm, but we ate good, all natural food, and there was plenty of food, because the farm was not big but was a good farm, and our parents cared about this. We had to eat good, that’s why we survived, because we were healthy people. A lot of people were healthy, but a lot of people were not that healthy. Rose: How many hours a day did they make you work? Wanda: It was February… I don’t know time, but it was still dark when we go to work. We go maybe a mile, maybe I don’t remember how far. You know it was winter, the day was short. We work when it was light, during the spring we work, during the summer we work longer. And that’s how it was. And in the winter we cut the branches or shovel the snow where the tractor pull the trees. They cut the trees and then the tractor pulled them. Then they put them on big trucks, and a big river was not too far from us, they took the trees, the long trees, and pull them to the water and that’s how they send them to the south. Philip: So the labor camp that you were at was just a logging camp. All you did was logging and a little bit of harvesting of hay for livestock. Wanda: Yeah. I remember two winters we were working on the trees. Men cut the trees, we cleaned, put to one side and they burned the branches. And cleaned everything and shoveled the snow, the snow was up to your neck. We knew sometimes you drop through the snow somewhere you walk and somebody has to pull you because you can’t get out. I’m telling you it was terrible. Rose: These Russian people that were in charge, were they very strict? Wanda: Yeah, in Kaputa it was five guys take care of us in our camp. They are strict, yeah. You had to listen to them otherwise they wouldn’t give you food. It was from 1940 it’s one year to ’41, and from 1941 to end of ’41 we were free. Phil: So what happened? You were at the labor camp for two years, and then what happened that they moved you? Wanda: In 1941 Soviets started war with Germany. Stalin needed more troops. Somehow our government in England came to Moscow, a few delegates, because they asked to come, Polish delegates with General Sikorksi, who was a wonderful man, wonderful General, our Polish General, to negotiate the situation. Because before, when

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they took us, Germany and Soviet, they were friends. I don’t know how, I don’t know the politics, somehow in 1941 they start to be enemy, they start war between them. That’s how it start. Phil: Well, they decided originally they came up with this agreement where they were going to both take over Poland and split it down the middle, they Hitler decided that wasn’t enough they were going to take over all of Poland and keep going into Russia. Wanda: Stalin respected Wladyslaw Sikorski. Before they took us to Russia I remember that somehow Sikorski talked to Stalin about something, I don’t remember because I was young, not interested in politics, but Stalin knew Polish general Sikorski very well, you know, and that’s why he respect him. We talk about respect Sikorski and who talk about let us free Polish people and make Polish army, we will fight with Germany. That’s how it was. He want Polish men as soldiers, but General Sikorski said ‘If you let the civilian people be free, then we create army’. And Polish army start to be created in Russian territory.

That’s how we were free, for us it was a miracle we said. We were free, but lived in the deep forest, no newspaper, not any communication. You don’t know where to turn because there was nothing over there. We were dumb, we didn’t know nothing that was going on in the war. The closest town was 50 miles. Somehow live people managed to leave the camp, little by little. I remember when we – they let us but they then say “go whenever you want, we don’t care about you any more”. They let us go but they don’t help us, you have to take care of yourself over there. And we start to save dried bread and something - I don’t remember what else was – dried fish I think, and save and start to walk the 50 miles through the forest. It was forest or road or something , it took us I think three days.

In the meantime we find a Russian village in between, and they help us little bit, they feel sorry for us. They said “Oh, my poor people”, they don’t have too much, nothing too much, but they still shared food with us the three days when we go to the city, and that’s what help us, you know. But some people can manage to go out, we were the first ones to go from this camp when we heard about [being] freed.

Phil: Did you ever meet anyone from the camp afterwards other than your family?

Wanda: We always keep together as a family, you know, but after a while – I’ll let you know after.

Phil: OK. Wanda: It took us three days to get to the town, we find renting a room. We

save a little money, too, for this room, and look for a job over there. I found a job in a café. It was a town like everywhere you know this cafeteria, like over here the small pizza place or something like this. My sister starts working as a seamstress making warm coats for soldiers. My brother sorts pigskin, they pull the skin from the pig, and they make soles for soldiers’ shoes. And he sort this, you woudn’t believe it! It was winter again, 1941-42, I remember it was from Christmas, November or December we start to travel to South Russia. But before that we were working over there, and my brother working on the pig skins, and the skins have a lot of fat on them, you know, you wouldn’t believe it, he start to cut this fat, and bring home in the evening. If anybody see they put him in a jail, but somehow, I don’t know, you can take nothing, nothing at all. And my mother fried this with onions and egg, and we save this fat for the road when we go.

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Because we travel from North to the South, two months on the trains, and that’s how we saved our lives, you can’t imagine how it was.

I don’t remember what my father did. We worked about three months, save money and dry food for our trip to the south where Polish army start to form. It took us two months to travel from Arkhangelsk to the South, close to the Caspian Sea. I have map, I show you on original map.

Phil: OK. Wanda: My father and my older brother joined the army over there, somewhere

in the south already. In the meantime, when we travel, you know, it was a better train… Phil: It wasn’t a cattle train. Wanda: No, no. A normal train, and sometimes we travel a day or two, we not

stop. Sometimes they stop, but they never tell you when they stop! Never tell you. And I remember one – the people need something, too – when they stop, the people go outside, and they looking for stores to buy something you know, and go to restaurant, can buy food over there already, and bring water inside. Anyhow, they never tell us when they start. And a lot of people lost before, because when you go between the train, and there was a lot of train stopped at the station, and the store was maybe not too far, but still far enough when you have to come back.

Anyhow, and a lot of people was lost, you know. I remember I was nine days lost before I catch my train again. I went to sit in another train, another train I don’t remember. You have to ask somebody or something. But not only me, a lot of people was do this. And I remember one lady was – the train started running slowly, now the trains go right away fast but over there the trains start slow and faster and faster until they reach a certain speed you know. And one lady tried to catch the train, and she tried to catch and catch, and slip and go under the train, and the train cut her. There was a lot of tragedy during this time. This I never forget because this lady was young and she was from our territory where we live, from Poland.

And after that, we – I forgot to tell, when we lived in Arkhangelsk, the night was polar, white night. There was no dark in the night, you know. You can see like this during the night. It was funny because it was 24 hours a day. But a lot of people between them, I was myself, you can see well during the night. You know you can see nothing, you know. I have something with my eyes, a lot of children, older people has this, because of lack of vitamins in your body3. My teeth was like this, I could shake, I was 17 when I come from Russia, and my teeth was like, I can pull my teeth. That’s why I have to have now artificial.

It took us two months to travel from Arkhangelsk to south close to Caspian Sea. My father and my older brother joined the Army. Younger brother Frank go to school under the military command. They create right away school because there was a lot of young people. And my younger brother next to me, because Frank was the youngest who go to school. My younger brother, he get cold, he was sick. He got sick because he was lost from train, and he catch last train and it was in a stop. You can walk over there few steps, but it was open behind the train, you know, one wagon, the last one. And he stand over there a couple hours. It was very cold, and he get very cold, he get pneumonia, and

3 The malady that Wanda is referring to here is often referred to as “Chicken Blindness”, and is caused by a Vitamin A deficiency.

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it was still in Russia but it was south Russia. But he was sick and we still travel a couple days until we come to South. And they took him to the hospital in Russia.

Meantime, we were in Pahlevi4, that’s Iranian, we came to the South in Russia, and we were a couple days on the sea. My other younger brother Stach got very sick and stayed in the hospital. We never see him again. Meantime Polish army about 120,000 they create – men – 120,000 people to the Army, and civilian people start leaving Soviet country, we go to Krashnavosk5.

We go to Krashnavosk, that’s a shipyard on the Russian side, by Caspian Sea. A small ship in the Caspian Sea, and they boarded us in the ship, took us three days to come to the other side of the sea in Persia. In Persian territory shipyard named Pahlevi. English soldiers prepared tents for us, and shower. After shower they give us clean clothes, and our dirty clothes we pile and burn. Even the people bring something – some little thing – from Russia, they will let you nothing. They pile everything and burn, which makes sense, you know. Many people have fleas and kind of disease, that’s why they wouldn’t let us use our own clothes. And when they see somebody, they check our head. If any woman has fleas6, you know something they cut your hair.

A few days we live in the camp by the sea. The first time we given normal food, which we did not see for years. Again, they give us good food, we get sick, because you have nothing in your stomach. A lot of people was sick in Pahlevi. Every day new people arrive from Soviet and we have make room for them. After few days big open trucks come in with a bench – both sides with a bench in the trucks, you know, and we boarded again and travel few days to Persia Tehran.

Road was through the big high mountains, driver was Persian, they drove so fast through these mountain. We were scared to death but somehow – believe me! I still remember, they drive so fast they not afraid at all you know when the mountain higher and higher and go down again. It was terrible, but somehow they know – they are good drivers, nothing happened. Philip: They drove that road all the time. Wanda: Yeah. From Pahlevi to Tehran distance was about 300 miles, took us, I think, 2-3 days, I don’t remember. We live one mile from Tehran. Every day a new transport people come, it was four camps civilian people around Tehran, you know. Was big, big camps over there. And was couple thousand people, most of them older people or mothers with children. In Persia, a lot of people dying. And Tehran was small unit English camp, and Polish soldiers, and some military women, they all help relocate civilian people. They help after that. Because somehow from Tehran the Polish civilian and military women and English people was over there, they took us under their wings somehow, and they take care of us. Philip: So how many of you were there? I would assume that yours wasn’t the only labor camp and I would assume there were many more Polish people that were all brought together. Wanda: One night they took one and a half million from Poland to Russia. Philip: Oh, my goodness.

4 Pahlevi is now known by the name Anzali, in Iran 5 Krashnavosk is now known by the name Turkmenbashi, in Turkmenistan. 6 When Wanda refers to “fleas” in her account she is most probably referring to lice.

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Wanda: Whoever was alive, but not only the camp where I live, they took the people farther – middle of Russia. We were in Arkhangelsk, was not that far. Was far from Poland but not that far. My husband, I didn’t know him this time, was much farther! He told me after we met. Much farther than I was and other people somehow the people heard that they let us go free. Somehow, a miracle they come, you know, and somehow some make it and some not, [they] were sick or something happened. A lot of people stayed, they didn’t know – somehow, it was government, and they have “cohos” I don’t know how you say “cohos” – was a big, big farm, but this is not private, this is government. And a lot of people was free, they don’t know where to turn. They somehow talked to the Russians, they took them to the farm and they never come back like we did. Philip: They just lived there. Wanda: Yes. And they died, a lot of them. I remember my mother, when we were south already, somehow, I don’t know how she know this, our cousin, mother with two boys, go to the “cohos” and her husband was in the army already. And my mother go and took them, and we go together to Tehran somehow. Otherwise she stay with the small boys over there. This “cohos” was not that close and you have no transfer, you always walk. No matter where you want to go you have to walk, you have to walk far. It was miracle we still alive, believe me! Philip: I do. Wanda: Yes. Nothing I can tell you, I just tell you true what I remember but I don’t remember more than half of this. They start segregate people who want go to Africa or India under British care. And when the Polish people go to Africa or India, it was camp again over there, but better camp. English people make them. My mothers, sister, and I decide to join the army, that’s the only reason, because we don’t want to go to India or Africa, and we are in this age - we can go to army. In Tehran they took us to the army, lot of Polish women joined the army in Russia, but we didn’t join the army because we didn’t know where it was. When we go to the Caspian Sea already in the South we miss this – where they join and we go to Tehran. But somehow we join in Tehran; we don’t want to go to Africa or India. We stay in Tehran altogether three months and they make transport farther, we go with column to Palestine. When they were ready to send us they create column, like 120-150 trucks and they took us to Palestine. We go to Palestine but we stop middle of the desert. It was big lake in Iran named Habbaniya. We stay there almost one month. I don’t know why. They put us over there, but was a tent over there and there was few English soldiers over there and they take care of us. After that we travel in column through Iran. Iraq? Iran? No, first was Iran then Iraq, Transjordania, now Jordan, and Palestine. Now is Israel, then was Palestine. And you know, when I was in Palestine, the Jewish people was very quiet, they live – like – for instance, Tel Aviv is nice city by the beautiful beach. And one section was Jewish, one section was Arab, they live close to each other, never fight, nothing, and look what happen now. Was nice you know, I remember we go very often over there to Tel Aviv because this was beautiful city, and was a lot of Arabs and nothing happened. They quiet and do their work. [smiles] Because the English keep them quiet you know. In 1949 they let

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them free because Jews don’t want the English dominate over their Palestine, that’s why all this happen. But before was nice and quiet, nobody say nothing, you know.

We stay a few months in Palestine, and March, 1943 we stay over there…. Wait a minute – ‘41, end of ‘41 we were free, ‘42 I joined the army in probably May 1942, then I stay few months in Tehran after one Habbaniya, then I must come in the fall ’42 to Palestine, yes. And we stay a few months in Palestine.

In March we go by the train to Egypt, get the trucks, three tons trucks I drove from Egypt to Palestine, and from Palestine to Iraq again. Rose: How many hours? Wanda: From Palestine to Egypt we go by the train it’s not too far. But when we go back by the trucks it was – I don’t remember, but it was one day probably, is not that far, maybe two. After a few days staying in English camp close to Cairo we go back to Palestine, drove whole column through the center of Cairo, because we go [to] the other side of Cairo to get these trucks. And after we go through Cairo and pass the Sphynx, which I still remember, and Pyramids. It looks like not too far when we pass this, I still remember well. Rose: Are they very high? Wanda: They are high believe me! We stop whole column and look a few minutes then we go again, because we never see I guess again. Took us three days drive through the desert to come back to Palestine. Three days. From Egypt to Palestine go through the desert. Is nothing there, when is they have nice road like over here but narrow. But when is hamsin7 that mean big wind and put sand on the road, you can’t see where is the road, you know. Especially in the fall they have big hamsin over there always. Philip: Oh, man, I’ll bet that’s a problem. The guy in the front of the column has to find the road! Wanda: Yeah. Took us three days. Always go – somebody go first, like couple hours ahead of us. And he let us know if we can go or not. Took us three days to drive through the desert and come to the Palestine. Spent Easter Holiday in Palestine and go back to the truck and took us six days to reach the camp – what camp? [looks at notes] We drove slowly because we was a column of about hundred-fifty trucks. We live – a-ha – I missed this – We live a few weeks, we drove from Palestine to Iraq after Easter. We spent Easter in Palestine, we rest, then we go, this column to Iraq again. Took us six days to reach our camp where we have to leave the trucks, and after, we stay over there I don’t remember how long.

We took the Polish soldiers to our truck and come back again to Palestine. Because they – after we took them over here and they have [their] own trucks over there but not enough. That’s why we go to pick up them. And they exercise in Palestine and Syria and Lebanon mountains. They exercise because after that they go to Italy to – for the war. And that’s why we go back to get them, some of them soldiers. I remember I have big truck twenty-five soldiers in my truck, and I drove through the desert.

They give me a girl to help me to drive, but she was sick, I remember she was sick. She didn’t drive at all, and she has problem with heart. Rose: [laughs] Oh, no! So you had to do all the driving. 7 Word not understood – probably some local synonym for sandstorm.

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Wanda: I’m telling you I was dead beat! Because every truck has two drivers but I was by myself. I complained to my charge lady – I uh, I can drive – say “I’m sorry Wanda we have no spare drivers.” Somehow I manage, but I was dying I was tired! It took us six days to go to Iraq and after a few weeks we come back to Palestine [with] the soldiers, and they go to exercise and I say. After they create our company to said “Who wants to go to Egypt again?” and there was three women’s company you know. And some of them stay in Palestine because there was two schools, military schools, girls’ and boys’. One was in Barbara, that’s very close to Gaza where they fight now. It was so small! There was no town, village. Was so small village by the sea, this Gaza, now I see on the picture sometimes, they make big town over there you know, and they fight over there, the Jewish and Arab. I don’t know what for, they fight, so silly. Anyhow, I stay in Palestine because my mother was in Palestine. Meantime she was in the army but she all the time with me somehow. She work in a kitchen in the military where our company was. And I was with her. And my sister was in the other company, not with me, but we always close. But somehow my mother start this problem with heart, she retired in Palestine go to civilian life. And she live in Ein Kerèm close to Jerusalem. And my brother was in the school. They took the whole school to the Palestine to camp Barbara. And I stay over there and I still drove where they needed, to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, to bring food, whatever they needed, was ten of us stay over there. I have chance to go to Italy, but I don’t want, because my mother was and my brother was in Palestine. Meantime we heard that our brother younger than me, he die in Pahlevi. They brought him from Russia hospital to Pahlevi and he was very weak, and go on the beach somehow it was very hot over there not like over here. And he die over there in Pahlevi. And would you believe it, my youngest brother two years ago – three years ago now – he lived in Boca Raton, my younger brother Frank. He go with his wife to Iran, and go to Pahlevi, that’s from Tehran to Pahlevi is 300 miles. And he find, he said there’s a lot of Polish people over there in Cemetary, special Polish cemetery, and somehow they helped to find him his grave. And he was stay over there a couple days, pay lot of money, and they put stone on his grave8. He said “I always dream to do something for my older brother”. It was very risky to go, you know. My sister-in-law, she has to dress like Arab woman. I have a whole album he sent, I show you how they look. But they go over there as a Polish citizen, not American. They have Polish passport, too, both of them. And they go as a Polish citizen they go to – from America they go to – I don’t know, to Europe somewhere. Brussels or somewhere, change the plant to go to Tehran as a Polish citizen, and nobody knows. But they go to Polish embassy in Tehran and they explain what for they came and they have pictures of Polish ambassador and everything you know. And my sister-in-law wear long dress [laughs] and a hat. But he made it, and he’s so happy about. We didn’t help him, he did it by himself. He said he always wanted to do something for his brother. They were very close when they were young, you know, an all these years he do something for him. That’s the story, that’s really something, you know? Philip: Yeah. That’s a great follow-up. It closes the chapter.

8 I have seen Frank’s pictures of his 2002 trip to Iran with his wife. They erected a large gravestone in the cemetery honor of his brother.

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Wanda: Yes! There still a few people live, like, my two brothers, my sister, they old and have problem in Florida, but they still like. My cousin over there, my friends, we were together in Russia, too. A few people still live in New Jersey, not too many. In New York probably two-three, and that’s it. The rest have died already. And I said I thank God every night that I’m still alive. Because I remember so many young girls like me was dying for one thing or another. From disease, you know. In Tehran there’s a lot of Polish - a lot of Polish graves when you go over there. -we take a break- Philip: When last we were talking, you were driving all alone in that big convoy driving your truck full of troops. Wanda: Yes. You saw these pictures, some of them? I stand next to the truck. One picture my mother stood with me over there. I remember I go to the hospital to pick up, she was in the hospital, and I go to pick up her and I drove the truck. Now I am afraid to go in a van! [laughs] You wouldn’t believe it, Philip. In Palestine the road was very narrow. Both ways, but narrow. Ok, when it’s flat you can go, but when you go to, for instance you go to Tel Aviv from camp where I live, was nice was flat. But when you go to Jerusalem half way is OK, but the other half you go, climb higher and higher, then is flat and you go a couple miles, then again higher and higher, and sometimes the truck can’t take it, it’s too hot. No air condition, nothing. Was very hot. And besides was curve – very curvey. Was very hard to drive over there. But you know when you are young you’re not afraid of nothing! If you know what you do. Most of the girl was good drivers, you know! Good drivers. And you not afraid, you just drive, and was happy and singing! -we take a break to switch recording media- Philip: So, you were driving in the convoys through Jerusalem. Wanda: Yes. It was still 1943 late fall when our army start to go to Italy to fight with the Germans. A lot of our soldiers died in Italy, is still few cemetery there. Our company start to prepare to go to Italy, too. Some girls from Egypt, some girls drivers come back to Palestine. Between them, I was one of them. Because I was in Egypt, too, with the company, you know. Go from Palestine to Egypt to prepare to [go to Italy] – but when they announce who wants to go back to Palestine, to school you know, I was one of them, about ten of us come back to Palestine. I was working at cadet school where my younger brother Frank was. We live in Barbara camp. It was close to Gaza where now Arab fight with Israel. I live five years in Palestine, I saw how Jew try to be free from English, and destroy popular [King] David Hotel. I saw this. When they Jewish government start to fight with English they want to be rid of English Nation over Palestine. They do such bad things. I saw my own eyes when they destroyed the biggest nicest hotel in Jerusalem, [King] David Hotel. You know, and we were with my brother, Frank. It was on Vacation I think, we were at my mother’s house, we always to go Jerusalem to visiting, see the churches.

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Anyhow, I think we wait for bus to go back to Ein Kerèm where my mother live, about six-seven miles from Jerusalem. And we stay and we wait for bus, all of sudden we see how hotel was, you know, old, brick, everything fly, is not far from where we stood. But this hotel was highest and nicest, and English headquarters over there. It was English hotel, and that’s why Jewish government want rid of them and try to kill them over there.

Wanda continued for a short time to relay her experience of

observing other terrorist acts by the Jews in Palestine and family experience of moving to England, meeting her husband, and moving to New Jersey. She then displayed a circa 1949 map and showed us the locations of her journey.

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Map of Wanda Puć’s journey

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References and Web links Mr. Churchills Tribute to General Sikorski.

http://bolekchrobry.tripod.com/polishinformationcenter19391945/id24.html

Iran Heritage “A Chapter of Forgotten History -- Polish people” http://www.iran-heritage.org/interestgroups/people-polish.htm Methods for the Evaluation of the Impact of Food and Nutrition Programmes Report of a workshop on the Evaluation of Food and Nutrition Programmes, sponsored by the United Nations University on behalf of the United Nations ACC Sub-committee on Nutrition, held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, in September 1981.; © The United Nations University, 1984; 5. Measuring impact using clinical, morbidity, and mortality data; Lincoln Chen and Rachel Feilden “Under Underground” an online blog from “Yasser” in Tehran, Iran, has a picture of one of the Polish cemeteries in Tehran: http://yaserb.blogspot.com/2005/03/polish-cemetery.html

“Forgotten Polish Exodus to Persia”, Washington Post, Thursday, November 23, 2000 Page A45 By Anwar Faruqi, Associated Press.

“The Bombing of the King David Hotel”, Jewish Virtual History, accessed April

23, 2006: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/King_David.html “A Forgotten Odyssey”, accessed April 23, 2006,

http://www.aforgottenodyssey.com/ “Kressey-Siberia” Yahoo group, April 23,2006.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kresy-Siberia/ This site is a discussion group involving people who were involved in the Polish deportations and their children.