大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 war website on behalf of Janina Zarebski by a national trusts volunteer. Mrs Zarebski fully understands the site terms and conditions.
I was born in Poland in 1939 and the Germans invaded our village when I was four years old. They lived in our house and cooked meals in a big pot in our front garden. They lived in our best room. I remember one soldier Hans was very good looking and and he gave me some sweets. He told my mother he liked me and the other soldier stopped him from giving me any more sweets. A river ran through our village with the Russians on one side and the Germans on the other. I can remember hearing bombs and was put on a farm cart with my grandmother. My sister took milk from the cows by the river for the children and my catholic grandmother was telling me to shout Virgin Mary save us. We were underneath a blanket when a bomb exploded and rubble covered us and people were screaming. We went to stay with a farmer in a bar and never returned to our homes just to the edge of the village. My mother saw a German soldier doubled up in pain and took him to a barn . she took a great risk we would be in great danger for a period of time. She took him a hot water bottle. Beggars used to come to our house and my mother used to give them scraps. I came to England in 1959. My brother was taken from Poland in 1939 when I was two weeks old and I didn鈥檛 see him for 20 years until he sent for me.

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