Jan was born on 16 September 1919 in Reszkowce, Poland and was the youngest of seven children who predeceased him. He lived in Reszkowce until the age of 21.

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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.

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Jan was forcibly conscripted into the Russian Army in 1940. He had no choice but to serve until he was sent to a Russian Island in Siberia with other POWs to perish.

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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.

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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. Jan was one of the emaciated skeletons that reached the southern USSR.

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General Anders was in charge of the army, and he tried hard to get the Russians to provide the food and equipment they had promised. When this became more and more impossible, he negotiated the right to evacuate the army to Persia, where the British would provide what was needed.

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Anders insisted on taking as many of the civilians that had reached the army as possible. There were 2 mass evacuations: in March/April 1942, and in September 1942. Then Stalin changed his mind and closed the borders. Those who had not been evacuated were now stuck in the USSR.

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The evacuation took place by ship over the Caspian Sea to Pahlavi in Persia (now Iran). The ships that were used were oil tankers and coal ships, and other ships that were not equipped to handle passengers. They were filthy and lacked even the basic necessities, like water and latrines. The soldiers and civilians filled these ships to capacity for the 1-2 day trip. When there were storms, the situation got even worse – with most of the passengers suffering sea sickness.

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Jan joined the Polish 2nd Corps and served in the Middle East and in the Italian Campaign, including the Battles of Monte Cassino, Ancona, and Bologn.

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After the war Jan had a choice, either to go back to Poland or come to Canada and work on a farm for two years, which then would give him his freedom. He chose Canada because his home was under Communist control, and he knew that meant more suffering.

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Jan arrived in Canada in 1946. He worked as a farmer for two years, even though he was a tailor and had other skills. He then had his freedom and went on to work at Dominion Tanners for 10 years, and later for Swift Meat Packers for 24 years until they closed in 1980. Jan was then 61 years old. He was too young for a pension and too old for other employers. He and his wife Weronika then survived with the only help available from Veteran Affairs until he was eligible for Canada Pension.

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Jan later battled leukemia for 10 years, beating it completely and living out his days with Weronika and family until he passed away.

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Jan Walenciej passed away in Winnipeg on 23 September 2005 at the age of 86 years.  

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Copyright: Walenciej family

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