Wlodzimierz Specjan

Wlodzimierz was born to Anna and Lucjan Specjan on 14 February 1912 in the Village of Zahortze, Belarus, close to Minsk. He finished school and started tailoring at the age of 12 in 1924.

Wlodzimierz joined the army in 1939 and fought in the September Campaign as an artillery gunner, reaching the rank of corporal. He was captured by the Russians and sent to a POW 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. Wlodzimierz was one of those emaciated skeletons.

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.

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.

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.

On reaching Persia, Wlodzimierz joined the Polish 2nd Corps and served in the Middle East and in the Italian Campaign, including the Battle of Monte Cassino. He then went to England with the Polish 2nd Corps in 1947.

Wlodzimierz worked as a tailor in London for four years. Wlodzimierz met and married Elzbieta in 1948. They came to Canada in 1951 and settled in the North End of Winnipeg where he continued his craft. Wlodzimierz started working for the T. Eaton Co. in 1954 and continued until his retirement at the age of 70. He was a member of the Winnipeg Polish Canadian Legion, branch # 246. and a member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Wlodzimierz Specjan passed away in Winnipeg on 10 November 2002, at the age of 90. He was buried at Brookside Cemetery.