Wladyslaw ZAKRZEWSKI

Polish 2nd Corps

Wladyslaw Zakrzewski was born in Brzozowka in the Polesie region of Poland in 1909. Before the war he was the Chairman of the Board of Education for the Brzesc-on-the-River Bug region.

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. In the Russian-controlled area, the plan to ethnically-cleanse the area soon took effect with the first of four mass deportations to Siberia that were carried out in 1940 and 1941.

Arrested by the NKVD (forerunner of today's KGB) Wladyslaw was sent to a forced labour camp in Siberia, where he toiled for nearly 2 years.

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 kilometres 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. Wladyslaw was one of those who made this treacherous journey.

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

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 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.

Wladyslaw left the Soviet Union with General Anders' Army. He served in the Polish 2nd Corps in the Middle East and in the Italian Campaign. He was awarded the Cross of Valour for bravery in battle.

After the war, he settled in Vancouver, Canada. He was a former Polish Combatants Association president and his house was the centre of organizational life of the branch which initially had its office and held its meetings there. In addition, Mr. and Mrs. Zakrzewski opened their house to choir practices and hosted official receptions.