大象传媒

The following story appears courtesy of and with thanks to Marushka (Maria) and Zygmunt Skarbek-Kruszewski and George (Jurek) Zygmunt Skarbek.

These memories were written in Polish by my father at the end of the war and translated by my mother, Marushka (Maria. She spent months in writing after working long hours and then cooking, cleaning and finally starting the translation. I recall that she always had a big dictionary beside her and often would ask her friends about the appropriate use of a word. Eventually this story was typed up on a manual typewriter. I have electronically scanned in the story and corrected typing errors but have not changed any words......

To you, Marushka, I dedicate these stories as you were not only my wife but also my friend and faithful companion during our homeless war wanderings.

It was a beautiful September morning and the fifth anniversary of the war. My wife and I were sitting on an earthen bench in front of a small hut in Kosewo, speaking of this war and the years gone by. We came to this little village from burning Warsaw.

We recollected people and things which happened in the past and it was here that I decided to write down what I saw, heard and felt during this big, murderous war.

Events, developments and conflicts created the war. People whom I had met were clear in outline and the tracks I had travelled were set by fate. What was left for me to do? A job of an honest chronicler. Honest, I mean, as there will be no fictitious events or persons, nor a pink halo for my native country.

I wanted to write these recollections for my sons and their generation so that when they grew up they could read it and understand what war is to people and people to war; so that they might understand the categorical absurdity, the destructive power and the criminal war psychosis.

If they understand my stories will achieve their aim.

Continued....
'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by 大象传媒 Radio Merseyside鈥檚 People鈥檚 War team on behalf of the author and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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