Zbigniew was born on 23 September 1919 to Wladyslaw and Wladyslawa (nee Draczynska) in Stryj, Stanislawow province, Poland. 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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Zbigniew fought in the September Campaign in Poland, was captured by the Russians, and deported to Siberia. He was 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.

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They travelled like this for weeks, and were given some water, stale bread, and watery soup, only a few times. When someone died, their bodies were cast out next to the tracks and left there. Many infants and elders did not survive this journey.

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Zbigniew was at the Forced Labor Camp in Workutłag, Komi RA county, USSR from August 1941 to September 1941, when ‘amnesty’ was declared and he was set free.

In June 1941, Germany had turned on its ally, Russia. Stalin had 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 men and boys left the camp and made their way south to join the army. Zbigniew joined the Polish 2nd Corps in Buzułuk, Orenburska county, USSR, on 23 September 1941 and evacuated with the army to Persia (now Iran).  He trained in the Middle East before being transferred to the Polish Air Force in England. He joined the Polish Air Force in the UK on 21 July 1943, trained as an airplane mechanic, and obtained the rank of AC2. He was awarded the 1939-1945 War medal for his service.

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He joined the Polish Resettlement Corps on 1 November 1946 and trained for civilian work. After spending some years in Leicester in the UK and marrying Sheila A Barrow, he emigrated to Canada.

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He passed away in Montreal on 15 August 1970 at age 50 and was buried at the Field of Honour in Pointe Claire, Quebec.

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Copyright: Szlamp family

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