Boleslaw Tkaczuk was born 4 July 1919 in the village of Tomaszew in Eastern Poland (now Ukraine). He spent his youth there and met his future wife Irena, whom he married on 12 February 1939.

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At the onset of the Second World War, he was conscripted into the Russian Army, then sent to Siberia by the Russians. 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. Boleslaw was one of those who made it to 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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Boleslaw joined the Polish 2nd Corps in Persia, served in the Middle East, and in the Italian Campaign. After his discharge from the army, he came to Canada on a two-year work contract and worked as a farm hand in Hyas, Saskatchewan. He later moved to Winnipeg and worked for the Canadian National Railway, the Winnipeg Arena, and finally at the Post Office, retiring on July 3, 1983, after 23 years of service.

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Because of the war and the communist regime in the Ukraine, he was separated from his wife and son for 48 years. He saw his son for the first time on Father's Day 1974. He spent the next 50 years trying to bring his family to Canada. On 13 March 1989, their dream was realized, and his wife was at last able to join him.

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Boleslaw was an active and dedicated member of the Winnipeg Ukrainian Baptist Church. He especially enjoyed singing in the church choir and the fellowship of many friends.

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Boleslaw Tkaczuk passed away in Winnipeg on 7 February 2005 at the age of 86 years. He was buried at the Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens.

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Copyright: Tkaczuk family

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