大象传媒

Helena's story is part of a collection recorded for a reminiscence project to celebrate the history of the Ukrainian community in Gloucester, and contributed to the 大象传媒 People's War with permission.

I was born in Dobrzeszow, Kielce, Poland on 14th March 1927. I had four brothers and sisters: Marian, Janek, Maysia and Janka. I also had another brother, Roman, who died of pneumonia at the age of 14. We lived with my grandparents.

My father worked in the forest cutting down trees and Janek used to help him. In the evening they would make wooden roof tiles to sell. From a young age I worked as a servant for a lady in the village, she paid me in potatoes and wheat. My next job was in Warsaw, working on the land and looking after the cows.

One day I was home visiting my family when the Germans came. They were taking people to work in Germany. They were going to take Janek. I knew that my father needed Janek so I offered to go in his place. My grandmother watched me being taken away, her last words were that she would never see me again. I did return but it was 35 years later.

I went to work in Solingen,in a factory packing razor blades whilst downstairs they made ammunition. It was in Solingen that I met my husband Wladyslaw.

We were married in Solingen in October 1945. I had to borrow my wedding dress and Wladyslaw had to borrow his suit.

We arrived at Hull and were taken by bus to an army camp in Malvern. Here we were given 5 shillings a week and we were fed and housed.

Wladyslaw went to work in Tewkesbury on a farm. and I went to work in Brockworth, where I cleaned rooms for the men that were working atICI. I went to join Wladyslaw on the farm in Bushley, Tewkesbury. Wladyslaw鈥檚 father joined us here from Solingen.

Our first son, Bogdan, was born in 1949. We moved to Tewkesbury and our second son, Frank, was born. Our daughter, Teresa, was born in 1961. We have seven grandchildren.

We moved to Gloucester and Wladyslaw went to work at a foundry. Wladyslaw鈥檚 father became very ill and died of cancer in 1960.

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