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Sylwester Stachowiak 26.04.2005

This story was submitted to the ´óÏó´«Ã½ WW2 People’s War site by Mrs M A Nallen of St Benedict’s Catholic High School on behalf of Maria and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

Second World War 1939/45 By Maria

My name is Maria and I am British citizen, but I am Polish by birth.
At the out brake of Second World War I was just over five years old, and living in a town called Tarnów in southern Poland.
The experience of those days, weeks and years has been with me all my life.
Although only a small child I had to grown up in many ways.
My father went to war with the Polish Army and I did not see him again. My mother panicked the fear of the Nazis approaching and left me with my grandmother whom I loved and trusted. However as she was widowed only one year before was broke out and left poor.
By a shear miracle her only son Jan also called into the Polish army bravely returned to Poland disguised as a civilian and we magnet to live together in my hometown of Tarnów. Although in constant danger he managed to reopen the restaurant, which my father had before the war. The Gestapo were always coming to ‘Check up’ on the costumers that came in.
Gestapo premises were at the back of our home, which always added to fear. They had placed four large anti-aircraft guns and Searchlights in the grounds. Only a tall wooden fence divided this from us.
We were not allowed too have or listen to the radio. But in spite of this most people had one hidden and used it to hear the British Station and Churchill broadcasting to the occupied Europe.
However, after about three years the Gestapo closed our restaurant because my uncle would not collaborate with the German orders and spy on the costumers and their conversation and report them.
Life went on with great difficulty… rationing, constant harassment be the enemy until the end of the war in 1945.
But we were not free even then. My first sight of a Russian solider surprised me. He was carrying his rifle on a piece of rope over his shoulder, dirty and badly equipped for warfare.
We were now under Russian occupation. Things were not much better.
As timer passed and the relations between East and West deteriorated, we felt trapped. My last chance to live came through the Red Cross and my uncle decided I should leave for the safety of freedom.
There for in the summer of 1949 he took me to a point where many other young people were already waiting to leave Poland.

Sylwester Stachowiak

This was near the Czechoslovakia border. The Red Cross train was adapted with bunk beds and a grey army blanket on each.
The journey took three days and nights to reach Paris.
We were placed in a Red cross large house near the river Seine. I felt so lonely and homesick for the people I loved. We all lived there for one week while our documents were checked and approved.
As I had a auntie already in France I was send to live with her. But my real destination was England. So after a further documents preparation and obtaining a passport, I was given the all clear the enter England.
As my father survived the war and was living in England I was placed with him. Now I haw been here all these years and consider it my real home.

This is a true story of Maria.

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