Janina Muszynska

Janina (nee Chodkiewicz) Muszynska was born on 26 February 1930 in Poland. Her family came from the Province of Wilno, Poland, in a small town called Prozoroki. In 1939, Janina’s father, Leonard Chodkiewicz (b. 1894) worked in an administrative position with the municipality and was also a part of the Polish Reserve Army, as was common for men at the time. Janina’s mother, Wanda (b. February 11, 1907), stayed at home with her five children: Eliza (b. August 8, 1928), Emma (b. March 27, 1931), Emanuel (b. July 12, 1932), Wilhelm (William) (b. September 25, 1935) and Janina.

Her father was interrogated by the Russians many times, but always returned home. But on 5 April 1940, he did not return. On 13 April the family (mother and 5 children) were deported to, Pawlodar Oblast in Kazakhstan. They arrived there on 1 May. They were later moved to Doloni village, on the Irtsk River, 70 km from Semipalatinska.

Wanda had to work, and NKVD told her she would not be able to feed 5 children, so she had to send the 3 oldest girls to a Care Home. They spent 2 years there. Happily, they were well treated. There were children of many nationalities there, and they all attended school together.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union, altering the fate of Poland and its people, as the two powers had originally agreed to partition Poland between them. With the Soviets now needing manpower to defend the Western Front, Polish men and women who had previously been imprisoned in labour camps, like Leonard Chodkiewicz, were granted “amnesty.” On July 30, 1941, the Sikorski-Mayski agreement was signed between the Polish Government-in-Exile and the Soviets, allowing for the formation of a Polish army on Soviet territory under the command of General Wladyslaw Anders, who worked to arrange the release of the families of soldiers who were serving in his army. Out of the over 1.5 million Poles who were exiled to Siberia, less than 10 percent were able to exit with General Anders’ army, including the Chodkiewiczs, who left in August 1942, travelling by train to Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan.

Janina’s father had been n prison in Wilno, then sent to a camp near the Artic Sea. They had no idea about his fate, and he did not know if they were still in Poland or where they were. On release, her father made his way south and joined the Polish army being formed there.

He was at the barber’s one day, getting a haircut, and there was a lineup. When the barber called his name, Chodakiewicz, the fellow next to him said that he knew where his family was, because his own 3 children were in the same Care Home. What’s more, he showed him a photo of his daughters along with the three Chodakiewicz girls. Truly a miracle to have happened this way.

He sent his wife a letter containing a document that permitted them to leave the work camp and travel south to meet him. When they reached Guzar, he was no longer there. He had evacuated with the army to Persia. As a military family they were already registered, and so they were able to leave the USSR, not via the Caspian Sea, but overland, from Ashabat, through the Elbruz mountains, to Tehran. They were reunited there.

From Ashkhabad, the family boarded trucks and travelled for several days to Tehran, where they were reunited with Leonard. He had been discharged from the army due to poor health, and was preparing to join the family for the next leg of their journey. Between October 1942 and January 1943, the family travelled by train to Ahvaz, near the Persian Gulf, then to Karachi, Pakistan, then to Port Mombasa, Kenya, and then, finally, to Masindi, Uganda, where they lived for the next seven years. Another child, a boy named Olgierd (Alexander), was born to the family in Masindi on July 7, 1944.

There were 5,000 Poles in the camp, with schools, high school, etc. She graduated high school in 1947, with a degree that would be accepted by universities everywhere. They studied English in school, so she arrived in Canada with a very good knowledge of English.

The conditions for learning in Polish settlements in Africa were wonderful. The Polish authorities represented by the Polish government in London carefully took care of it, because the majority of the rescued were children and adolescents, i.e. teenagers. There was no shortage of teachers and middle school professors. Some instructors, including scouts, were deployed to Africa by General Anders from the army.

In Africa, they created normal living conditions. After the experiences in Siberia, the settlement in Masindi in general was an oasis of peace, security and abundance, although we were constantly aware that the rest of the world was at war.

Those who wanted to learn really could, because we had enough books and all kinds of scientific help at all levels of teaching. Elementary schools, gymnasiums and vocational schools were quickly organized, e.g. tailoring, commercial, horticulture.

A loudspeaker was installed in the common room, so they could listen to BBC messages, including messages about what was happening on the front. In addition, Polish magazines were published in Africa, e.g. “Pole in Africa.” There were also telegrams coming from the Ministry of War; about the killing of someone’s son, husband, father. They mourned the victim together.

By the end of 1948, the Polish settlement in Masindi was shut down and the family was transported to Koja, Uganda, near Lake Victoria. Soon after, Janina, Eliza and Emma passed the Canadian Immigration requirements, and in August, 1949, the three sisters left Mombasa by ship for the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, leaving behind their mother and brothers. From Halifax, they travelled by train to Montreal, Quebec, and then to Edmonton, Alberta.

Canada was accepting women from age 16 to 45 for domestic work, so they signed a contract with the Canadian Government to work for a year, to repay their passage from Mombassa, Africa. They arrived in Halifax and took the train to Montreal. There, they found a large board with names and destinations inscribed. There were 17 girls listed to go to Edmonton. This was August 1949.

When she finished her contract, she remained in Edmonton and met her future husband – a former sailor of the Polish Navy (ORP Dragon) in 1955 at the Polish Hall. Janina married Stanislaw Muszynski on April 23, 1955. They had three children: Anthony, Wanda, and Marie.

Over the years she belonged to many Polish organizations: Friends of the Catholic University in Lublin, Polish Canadian Congress, Polish Women’s’ Federation, etc. She was very pleased to meet the President of Poland, as she has followed his career with great interest, so it was a pleasure to meet him in person.

Janina Muszyńska received various distinctions and decorations, namely: the Silver Cross of the Kombatancki Council of the SPK in Canada (1977), the Golden Badge of the World Federation of the SPK (1987), the Golden Badge of the KPK (1988), the Gold Medal of the National Treasury of the Republic of Poland (1990), and the Silver Cross of the Servants of the Republic of Poland in Exile (1980).