Wacław Łapiński was born to Antoni and Jadwiga (nee Jarocka) in Wilno in 1902. At the outbreak of WW2, she was living in Jadokłanie, Wilno province. He was married to Helena Łapińska  (nee Mazurkiewicz) and they raised 2 children: Małgorzata and Zbigniew-Jan.

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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. 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.

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When WW2 broke out, Wacław was mobilized into the Polish Army.  He was arrested by the Russians and sent to hard labour in a gulag in Kamczatka. His wife and children were then deported to Siberia in 1940.

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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 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. Wacław was one of those ‘skeletons’ who made it to the Polish army gathering point in the south.

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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.

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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 necessities, like water and latrines. The soldiers and civilians filled these ships to capacity for the 1–2-day t familyrip. When there were storms, the situation got even worse – with most of the passengers suffering sea sickness.

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Wacław joined the Polish 2nd Corps, served in the Middle East, fought in the Battle of Tobruk and in the Italian Campaign.

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After the war, he reunited with his wife and children in the UK, and they decided to emigrate to Canada. In 1949, the family travelled to Canada on a 2-year work contract on an Ontario farm.

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Wacław passed away in 1992 in Canada at the age of 90 years.

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Copyright: Łapiński family

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