大象传媒

Wasyl's story, written by his widow Lucia, 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.

Wasyl was born on 4th October 1924 in Duplyska, in the Ternopol region of Western Ukraine. His sister, Tanya, was transported to Siberia for 13 years, for allegedly working with the Resistance movement.

He and his friends would ski to school in the winter and would spend his winter evenings polishing his home-made skis.

His father wanted him to become a cobbler (this would have entailed his father paying for an apprenticeship) but Wasyl was insistent that he wanted to become a miller, his argument was that the miller made more money! So at 14 he went to work in a mill.

One day, as he was escorting his mother to the village, he was taken forcibly by the Germans. He was 17 years old. He was sent to a prisoner of war camp in Munich where he was put to work firstly on a farm and then later on in an open cast coal mine until the end of the war.

After the Americans liberated the camp he was given the job as guard and translator as during his time in the mine he had become quite fluent in German.

He was given the choice of going either to Canada, South America or England. He chose England as it was closer to his homeland and he wanted one day to return.

Wasyl arrived in Harwich in February 1948 with two other men, who were later to become life-long friends. As he didn鈥檛 have a passport the Americans gave him a certificate of identity. Initially he was sent to Bradford to work on a farm. After his 3-year contractual obligation was completed he worked as a labourer on a building site then as a bus driver.

Wasyl first contacted his family via a friend in Germany who was in contact with a Ukrainian priest. The priest covertly contacted the family and gave them Wasyl鈥檚 address in the UK. His parents had died thinking he had been killed during the war, his sisters were overjoyed at finding out he was still alive and immediately made contact after a 26-year gap.

He met up with his sisters in Poland in 1974. In 1989 he returned to his homeland for the first time in 48 years. He visited again in the summer of 1991 this time taking his wife Lucia with him. Whilst they were there they witnessed the Declaration of Independence of the Ukraine.

Wasyl was overcome with emotion and overjoyed to have witnessed and participated in these events. He tragically died the day after he returned from this visit to his homeland.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.