Aleksander
SEMIENIUK
Aleksander was born on 7 February 1912 in Poland. The Germans invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939, and the Russians invaded from the east on 17 September 1939. They divided Poland between them. Aleksander served in the Polish Army during the September Campaign. He was subsequently captured by the Russians and deported to a work camp in Siberia.
In June 1941, Germany turned on its ally, Russia. Stalin then quickly changed tactics and allied himself with the west so that the allies could help him defeat the Germans. This led to the signing of the Sikorski-Majewski agreement that called for the freeing of Poles imprisoned in POW camps and labour camps in the USSR, and the formation of a Polish Army in the southern USSR.
The news of this ‘amnesty’ did not reach every camp, but where it did become known, the men and boys soon made plans to make their way south to join the army. For most, this meant walking thousands of kilometers and only occasionally getting on a train for part of the journey. Many did not make it, and those who did were emaciated skeletons by the time they got there. Aleksander was among those that made this harrowing journey.
He joined the Polish Army and evacuated to Persia (now Iran) with them. As a member of the 14th Rifle Battalion of the Polish 2nd Corps, Aleksander served in the Middle East and in the Italian Campaign, including the battle of Monte Cassino where he was wounded.
Staff Sergeant Siemieniuk was awarded medals by both Poland and Britain, including the Cross of Valour.
Aleksander signed on to a two-year contract to work on a farm in Canada. He was married to Wanda for 60 years, and they raised two sons: Leszek and Witold.
He was a log time member of the Polish Combatants Association No. 13 and the Canadian Legion No. 34 Mynarski VC in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Aleksander later moved to Calgary, Alberta where he passed away on 3 February 2008, at the age of 96 years. He was buried at the Queen's Park Cemetery in Calgary.
Copyright: Siemieniuk family