Jurko Family

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.

One cold night in February 1940 Franciszek and Walentyna Jurko awoke to a loud hammering on the door. Russian soldiers burst in and ordered them to grab a few belongings and follow them. They had no idea of the horrors they would have to endure during the three-week journey to Siberia.

They were taken to the railway station and loaded into cattle cars with 50-60 other people. This included infants, toddlers, children, teens, adults, and seniors. Most of the adults and seniors were women. The cattle car had two shelves at either end, where people could sit or sleep – the rest had to make do with the floor. There was a cast iron stove, but they soon ran out of wood to fuel it. There was also a hole in the floor that served as a toilet.

Franciszek and Walentyna survived two years of extreme hardship and labour, only to be rewarded by a slice of bread at the end of the day. Their child Anastasia survived seven months. Franciszek baptised her and they chose a place of burial in the woods.

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 families 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. Franciszek and Walentyna were among those who made this perilous 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. 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.

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.

The Jurkos crossed to Persia, then went on to Iraq and Palestine where Zofia was born in 1943. Franciszek unfortunately had a complete mental breakdown followed by a sunstroke. He was released from the army and spent the rest of his life in hospitals.

Walentyna and Zofia arrived in England in 1947 with one suitcase and lived for 12 years in the Polish Hostel near Fairford (Gloucestershire). When the camp closed in 1959, they moved to Swindon.