Wieslawa Swiercz

Following the Russian invasion of Poland in 1939, the Soviets began transporting men, women and children to a region known as Siberia.

The transports started on 10 February 1940.

Siberia is not just a geographical region; it is a symbol expressing the martyrdom of hundreds of thousands of Poles fighting with a murderous system which never had any respect for human freedom or dignity. The word ‘Siberia’ became synonymous with oppression, slave labour, martyrdom, captivity, and struggle for independence.

Forced onto cattle trucks, they were taken to camps where they worked like slaves, felling trees, building roads and railways and working in coal mines. Wieslawa Swiercz went to Siberia aged four.

Wieslawa recalls a terrifying journey with her parents and two-year-old brother.

“Sometimes the train suddenly stopped, and people would get out to find berries and water. Once it started moving again, many women were still outside and they had to run,” she recalled. “I remember screaming ‘Mama!’ Somehow, she managed to get back on, but some people were just left in the wilderness.”

Wieslawa’s family spent two years in the camp. She and her brother were too weak to stand up. Their father brought then bread and milk and all they could do was hold out hands. Her brother caught dysentery in Siberia and never recovered. He died when they reached Persia, now Iran.

After Persia they were sent to a Polish refugee camp in East Africa, where they lived for six years. They lived in huts, there was a school, a church and a hospital – it was paradise after what they had known.

Wieslawa Swiercz came to Bradford in the UK aged 12 in 1948, , living initially on Great Horton Road. She was one of many survivors who came to Bradford as displaced people.

Two years ago, she was awarded the Siberian Cross by the Polish government.

Now her memories are being recorded so the world can remember, and learn from these harrowing but remarkable experiences.