大象传媒

There are many stories which could be told about the people who stayed in the displaced persons鈥� camp in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. This is the story of just one individual, a young woman of Polish origin, who came to the camp in 1947.

Her name was Janina Pladek and she had been brought up on the family farm near the village of Pabianice, some 15 miles from Lodz in central Poland. Life on the farm was not easy, but with much hard work, Janina鈥檚 family improved the land and by the successful harvest of 1939, the family had much to celebrate. Janina was 13 by this time and she remembers how this time of family celebration came to an abrupt end.

The invading Germans arrived suddenly and in the fighting, much of the farm was damaged and the nearby village was turned almost to rubble. During the occupation, Janina witnessed the brutal treatment meted out by the Nazis to those who would not conform. She even witnessed some of her own countrymen, crazed by fear, taking revenge on their own people. This included her favourite cousin, Janek, who was tortured and murdered by a mob raised by a psychopathic villager.

Janina鈥檚 father was fluent in a number of languages, including German. Consequently, he found himself acting as a mediator between the local people and the German authorities. This uneasy situation put himself and his family in danger. However, whilst he appeared to be co-operating with the enemy, at the same time he was using his position to help his fellow countrymen, including many Jews. Had he been discovered, he would have been executed and his family would have been sent to a concentration camp.

Throughout the occupation, Janina continued her schooling in the tightly controlled German system but, as soon as her successful examination results came through in 1943, she and her class mates were taken, against their will, to carry out forced labour in Germany. As a result, Janina found herself on the outskirts of Berlin, working in an electricity generation plant.

Early in 1945, the Allied bombing was taking effect, morale was slipping in the plant, and discipline faltered. Janina managed to persuade the officer in charge of her group to allow her to make a home visit - in return for her promise that she would come back. Communications were very badly disrupted, but she managed 鈥� against great odds 鈥� to reach the family farm. At that time, however, the Germans were in retreat and, for the Pladeks, an even greater threat was presented by the approaching Russian forces.

Under the circumstances, Janina鈥檚 father suggested that the family should try to reach the British lines and then make their way to Westerstede (near Bremerhaven) where a relation lived. Unfortunately, during the chaotic journey, Janina became separated from the rest of her family and was eventually trapped by German soldiers. Having managed to escape from this situation, Janina decided that it would be best for her to return to the labour camp near Berlin where, although the conditions were bad, she might at least survive.

Her journey was long and dangerous, with little food and shelter, and without official papers there was the constant threat of arrest, but eventually she made it back to Berlin, much to the surprise of the officer who had originally permitted her to leave!

With the Russians approaching Berlin, the situation was desperate and the order was given for the electricity generation plant to be blown up 鈥� an order which was carried out by Janina and her compatriots. Janina then set out on another terrible journey to try to reach her family in Westerstede. Once again with constant hunger and travelling mostly on foot or by bicycle, she made her way towards the British lines.

As Janina fled, she was surrounded by retreating German troops on one side and advancing Russian forces on the other, but with the support of other refugees, she made her way through forests and difficult terrain, whilst starving and weak. In the process, she was obliged to swim the major rivers Havel, Elbe and Weser. Eventually she reached the British lines and, with the help of local people, she reached Westerstede - where she was joyfully reunited with most of her family.

As a young child, Janina possessed a passion to help the underprivileged. Inspired by her Christian convictions, Janina felt a deep calling to help the people of Africa. With the war in Europe over, Janina therefore decided to go to England - a country which she believed to be based on Christian ethics. After overcoming more difficulties, she found her way to Cirencester and the local diplaced person鈥檚 camp. Here she came across the Salvation Army and, after some months and a great deal of study, Janina entered the Salvation Army鈥檚 International Training College in London. She was eventually commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 1949.

In 1976, (after many varied and fruitful years of service to the people of Scotland) Janina fulfilled her childhood ambition when she and her Salvation Army Officer husband, Douglas, were assigned to work amongst the people of South Africa. Janina and Douglas now live in retirement in Aberdeen, Scotland.

More of Janina鈥檚 story can be read in a book written about her by Mary Wemyss Aitchison, entitled 鈥淐aught in the Crossfire.鈥� It is published by Christian Focus Publications (ISBN 1-85792-149-6) and has a forward by Terry Waite. Proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to 鈥淵 Care鈥檚鈥� work amongst street children.

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