MIECZYSLAW
GIGIERA
16/07/1921 – 04/03/2007
(Written
by Mietek’s niece, Kath Harpley March 2020)
_________________________________________________________________________________
LUCYNA, JUAN, BOGDAN AND MIECZYSLAW GIGIERA (circa 1950)
Mieczyslaw Gigiera born 16 July 1921 in Eastern Poland (now north
west Ukraine) and between the 2 world wars -WW1 1914-1917 and WW2
1939-1945 in which he fought. Known as Mietek, the shortened name,
and from here-on-in, referred to as this.
Unlike
his half brother Mark, Mietek did not like to talk about his
early life or of his time in WW2. Many people who experienced
the horrors that they went through felt like this as they had been
traumatized by their experiences. Nowadays we would diagnose this as
PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. With the help of Mietek's
family in Argentina, in particular his grand daughter Giselle and
great grand daughter Agata, we are trying to piece together his
life. I am also going to add some historical facts so that we can
build his life into the times in which he lived.
Kath
Harpley. October 2018.
______________________________________
To put Mietek’s (and Lucyna and Mark’s) life into the context of
the time period, here is a short history on Poland at that time:
In Eastern Europe, there were three major powers, the German
Empire, the Russian Empire (including Ukraine) and Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Ethnic groups, including the peasants saw themselves as
whatever they were in terms of nationality and whoever was running
the country saw them as what they were. Mietek was born in Poland in
1921 and Mark was born 1923. Prior to 1918 the country was under
Russia and the Czars
HISTORY. The
history of inter-war Poland comprises the period from the
re-recreation of the independent Polish state in 1918, until the
joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union in 1939 at
the onset of WW2. The two decades of Poland's sovereignty between the
world wars are known as Interbellum. Poland re-emerged in November
1918 after more than a century of partitions by Austria-Hungary and
the German and Russian empires. Its independence was confirmed by the
victorious powers through the treaty of Versailles of June 1919, and
most of the territory won in a series of border wars fought from 1918
to 1921. Poland's frontiers settled in 1922 and were internationally
recognized in 1923. The Polish political scene was democratic, but
was chaotic until Jozef Pilsudski seized power in May 1926 and
democracy ended. The policy of agrarianism led to the redistribution
of lands to peasants and the country achieved significant economic
growth between 1921 and 1939. A third of the population consisted of
minorities, Ukrainians, Jews, Belarusians and Germans, who were
either hostile towards the existence of the Polish state because of the lack of privileges or often discriminated against in the case of
Ukrainians and Belarusian's who faced Polonization (the acquisition or
imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular the Polish
language). There were treaties that supposedly protected them, but
the government in Warsaw was not interested in their enforcement. The
aftermath of WW1 went on until the early 1920's in Eastern Europe and
so things were only just settling down when Mietek was born.
 |
Zot Gigera, Zapillya grave yard.
|
Mietek's
father was Zotik Gigiera b.1896, d1982. He lived in Zapillya, a village
close to Nudyze and just a few miles north of the town of Luboml. (Note; place
names can have various different spellings. This is because names were changed when different nations controlled or lived there, so
Luboml, pronouced Lu-bom-ul can be spelt Liuboml-Ukrainian,
Ljuboml-Russian, Luboml-Yiddish. Pre WW2 there was a large Jewish
population in Luboml). We have found birth records of a sister to Zotik
called Jewstafij and we believe he had a brother called Stakh or Stash. Stash has a son, Mykola living in Luboml. Zot's father was Dorofej. Mietek told his granddaughter that
his father was a Cossack Soldier.
Research from the State Administration, Archive of Volyn Region in Lutsk has revealed that in July 1940 Zots household consisted of his second wife Elena Parkhomuk 38 years old, his 4 sons (all half brothers to Mietek) Joseph-14, Vasily-11, Ivan-8 and Nikolai-5 and mother Marina Silyuk-58 and finally the illegitimate son Marco-17 (my father). Internet research has established that Joseph and Vasily both died in 2018. All 4 brothers have children . I have been in contact with Joseph's son in Lviv and am trying to contact Vasily's daughter Galina in Zapillia.
Letter from State Administration, Archive of Volyn Region in Lutsk and translation
 |
We didn't find Iryna's grave in the village cemetery
at Nudyze. This is the village cemetery. |
Mietek's
Mother, Iryna nee Rabyj b.3/5/1899 d.1/3/1931 aged 30, was born
into a family of peasant farmers in the hamlet of Zablocie (next to Nudyze and not far from Zotik's village of Zapillya). This is
just north of Luboml in West Ukraine (was E Poland prior to border
changes after WW2). To get to the village you drive up an unmade
road/track surrounded by forest. Prior to *The policy of agrarianism
they already had land and when
the redistribution occurred, Iryna was awarded strips of land. (You
can see evidence of strip farming on the land today and on Google Earth is it visible). Iryna died of
TB. We were unable to find her grave in the large cemetery in
Nudyze. It is possible she is buried in Zapillya or it could be one of the unmarked wooden crosses. The
family still own the land today and are still living on the family
plot in Zablocie.
Mietek's mother is listed as Zofia Dudek on his war records. I do not know who she is except to say the Rabyj family in Kovel today have generations of friendship with a family of Dudek's. We know that Iryna was
his blood mother and that she died in 1931 when Mietek was just 10
years old. We also know his father, Zotik remarried Elena Parkhomuk and their first son was born in 1925 (6 years before the death of Iryna).
Other relations that we know of are:
1. His grandparents: grandfather Jemieljan Rabyj b.18/7/1862
d. 11/10/1932 who lived in the family house in Zablocie. Marina Silyuk the grandmother mentioned in the Archive letter above and possibly Dorofej Gigera his grandfather.
2. His uncle Kuzma Rabyj (Iryna's brother) was a cooper. Church records show him as a man of god
and he regularly gave money to the church. He was married to
Uhiminka and they had a child who died. They then adopted a child
called Karple. Karple moved out of the area and they lost touch.
Kuzma had a second wife. They moved east and the Rabyja's lost touch.
I am told that he was somewhat a ladies man. It seems there are no
relations to easily follow up on here.
3. His uncle Pawel Rabyj (Iryna's brother) B1901 D1960 was a
farmer. We know from his son, also a Pawel b1934 (on picture below
with his own son Leonid), that he lived in the village of Zablocie
and that he built his own house, which no longer exists and which
was positioned near the blue house below.
 |
Leonid and Pavel Rabyj on the family land in Zablocie September 2018
Leonid built his own home. |
 |
The plot of land opposite Leonid's house. Iryna
lived here with her father and Mietek's brother, Mark.
the family home no longer exists.
It was positioned near where the big tree is. |
Before the war, Mietek's Grandpa Rabyj had a very good horse which was used for
everything, i.e. travel, ploughing and carting. Today, in this part of Ukraine the houses all have a good sized garden and it is usual to grow their own food and to keep chickens and pigs and live healthily off the land. Some of the
family have moved to Kovel, a near by town. The reason for moving was
for work and better education for the children.
Mietek was born in Eastern Poland. Due to border changes this is now
North-Western Ukraine. He told his grand daughter, Giselle he was
born in Luck (Lutsk). His war records say place of birth,
Wlodzimierk, Wolyn. Both Luck and Wlodzimierk are administrative
towns in the Volhynia Oblast (County). I am confused on this. It seems that
it was the custom for a girl, on marrying, to move to her husbands
village. This was Zappilya. I am therefore unclear as to why Luck
and Wlodzimierk, both towns of some distance away, would be given as
place of birth. I have been unable locate birth records for Mietek and have been told they are in the Polish archives as apposed to the archives in Lutsk, where Marks are stored. This is something to do with the dates of birth and system changes and this might determine where the birth was registered. I believe the Polish records are accessible 100 years after the birth day, so in 2021-soon.
 |
A typical village house. Mietek would have lived in something similar with his family.
Note the space around the house which would have been used for growing fruit and vegetables and keeping chickens and maybe pigs. The roads are hard pack soil which no doubt become muddy in winter. The area is very flat agricultural land with lots of forest and the Shatski National Park (lakes) just a few miles to the north. |
MAP OF UKRAINE
Bottom
yellow square is Luboml.
This was the closest town which pre WW2 was
mainly of Jewish occupancy.
Most of the Jews were affected by the
holocaust at the hands of the Germans.
Top
yellow square represents both Zablocie where Iryna was born and Zapillya where Zot came from, two small villages. It is most likely that
Mietek was born in Zapillya.
We have
to assume that Mietek, the first born (1921), was born into the
happy relationship of Zot and Iryna Gigera and no doubt, like all
new babies, he was a joy to his mum and dad. This was short lived
and with justifiable bitterness Mietek recalls his mother going off
with another man and having his half brother Mark in 1923. Lets put
this into context. He was just 2 years old when this happened. It
would have been traumatic in his very young life, but lets question
how much of the detail he would understand at that age and how much
he would have been told by his distraught father as he got older?
Lets also consider Iryna in this. The man she went off with was
reputed to be a mill owner and former Officer in one of the Czar's
Cavalry Regiments who had moved to the area, possibly in
fear of persecution by the Bolsheviks. How much of this is true we do not know and can only speculate. We are assuming here that she
had an affair. In this case you can see that bitterness harboured by
her husband and child would be well justified. However, it has been
pointed out to me that this might not have been the case and she, a
young pretty women, might have been abused by a more wealthy and
married man. Of course this could mean many things from gentle
seduction with promises that would never be met to abuse. We also do
not know if she left Zot or if, being pregnant by another man, she could have been thrown out. I believe a 2 year old would not truly
understand the circumstances and would believe whatever he was told
by those closest to him and in this case it would be his distraught
father who's life had been shattered. So we must all draw our own
conclusions about the relationships of Zot, Iryna and Marks father
(no name) and later his step mother-Elena who hopefully rescued the
situation for young Mietek. Both brothers were innocent casualties
of these circumstances and in different ways they both sadly had difficult and traumatic young lives.
Having
left the family home in Zapillya, Iryna did not run off with the mill
owner as clearly he was happily settled into his own life with his
wife, running his mill business. Instead she returned to her
father's home in Zablocie and continued as a farming family. My guess is that Mietek was also born
Orthodox although his war
records state him to be Roman Catholic and he told family he was
Catholic. It is possible he converted to Catholicism in later years when he married Lucyna in Italy. Alternatively, when he joined up, he may have stated RC in order to be
recruited into the Polish army. Poland is a Catholic natioN, but his mother was Russian Orthodox and I believe his father was too. Mark,
his brother, recalled that you were recruited into the army if you made the sign of the
cross in the RC way and not the Russian Orthodox way. Also, consider
Mietek's father was a Cossack. The Cossack's were Christian Orthodox.
We
do not know if Zot and Iryna divorced. I am told that divorce was
very difficult and it is therefore unlikely. I have heard of others remarrying without first divorcing a first spouse. Confusingly there are
records showing that after the separation in 1923, they had a third
son called Gieorgji, b12 Apr 1929.
We do not know if this child survived infancy. The Ukrainian
researchers did not come up with a death certificate. We do not know
what happened to him and neither Mietek or Mark ever mentioned this brother.
 |
| The stunning church interior. |
Given that Zot is incorrectly recorded as Marks
father, of course it is likely that Zot is also not Gieorgji's
father, especially as he had a second wife. This is 10 years before the outbreak of WW2. If Goerogji
survived infancy, then Mietek and Mark must have known him.
There is about an 8 year gap between Mietek's mother,
Iryna leaving when he was 2 and her death of TB. . From at least the age of 10, he
would have been brought up by his step mother, Elena. Lets hope
that this was a happy, contented and secure part of his life and he
was a part of a nice community in Zapillya. We do not know if Zot was a farmer or if he had some other occupation except to say that Mietek listed farmer as his occupation when he joined up and on his emigration papers to Argentina..
Mietek
sometimes told his grand daughter, Giselle, of a younger sister that
he had. As yet, we have no records of this. If she existed, she
could either be Iryna's child, although unlikely, as Mark never made
mention of a sister, or she could be Mietek's step mother's child either by Zot or by a first husband. There is no mention of a female child living in the Gigera household on the letter from the Volyn State Archive.
We know
that Iryna came from a farming family and she owned strips in the
open field system and was entitled to portions of land at the share
out. When she sadly died of TB in 1931 (Mietek would have been 10
years old). what she owned was divided between her 2 or 3 sons, Mietek and Mark. So
it is possible that Zot would have taken this land on and farmed
it. However, Iryna's land is likely to have been in Zabocie, several miles away and it is more likely that Mietek's uncles from Iryna's side would have farmed the land and the Rabyj family probably still own it today.
Mietek,
who's young life had been shattered as a 2 year old, must once again,
some 8 years later, have been very distressed, knowing that he was
never going to see his blood mother ever again. It must have been
very hard on him and there must have been all sorts of emotional
hurts going on. Mark at this time became an orphan and his life
certainly took a distressing and unhappy turn, but that is a different story.
Life would have
settled down in the family of Zot, Elena, Mietek and his half brothers, although his
grandfather, Jemieljan Rabyj died a year or so later in October 1932.
When you look at the records we can see lots of births and deaths.
Health care was poor and is still not up to UK standards. If you were
seriously ill the chances are there was not the care or medication to aid
recovery. There was about 7 years before the outbreak of WW2 in
Poland in 1939 when Mietek would have been a young man of 18.
HISTORY. The
nearest town was called Luboml and had mostly Jewish residents and a
very impressive synagogue (Google: Luboml synagogue). Luboml was an
important regional market town with electric lights, numerous trades
and businesses, factories and workshops. It had a cinema, theater,
sports teams and community welfare. Many of the Jewish population
were involved in Zionist organisations. As Anti-Semitism and the Nazi
threat grew in the 1930's many Jews able to leave began to emigrate.
Some to Palestine and others to the US. One resident recalls: 1
September 1939, Sounds of artillery and shooting in Luboml, then
tanks appeared. They were Germans who stayed for a few days. They
returned to the other side of the bug River and said the Russians are
coming. Some residents with Communist sympathies built a gate to
welcome the Red Army. The Russians arrived in tanks, exhausted after
a long journey. The Soviet authorities ruled the city until June
1941. All social activities independent of the official Soviet
organisation were banned and the old Jewish cemetery destroyed. On 22
June 1941, the German army returned. In December 1941 the Germans
organised a Jewish ghetto covering an area of just a few streets
where the remaining Jewish population were moved to. On 1st
October 1942, the Germans who now controlled the town, with the aid
of Ukrainian police units rounded up the remaining Jewish inhabitants
of Luboml and marched them to the local brickworks.. They were lined up
in front of open pits and shot. The Soviet Red Army liberated Luboml
in 1945 and at that time only 51 Jews from Luboml survived the
Holocaust.
The Jews have been methodical in telling their story and we all know of their sad plight. History that is little documented or taught is the Ukrainian Holodomor, the starvation of the Ukraine's by Russia; the persecution of people of other origin by the Germans; and the mass deportation of Polish people of the Kresy area of Poland (now Ukraine) to Siberia These are all very tragic parts of history that happened within a short time span from which our family has been directly affected.
There are many Jewish
towns in the area. Many people were
killed; Poles/Ukrainians by the Russian's and then Jews and others by the
Germans. People were frightened and did what they had to do to
survive. It could mean lying about your identity or joining up and
fighting with the Russians or Germans, even if you did not believe in
their cause. In an area further south a friend of mine recalls his father fought with the Germans against the Russians. They were promised they would not have to fight their fellow Poles who had joined Ander's Army. Some people would have fled, many were killed and many were
deported to Siberia. One of our own relatives was killed by the
Russians at this time. Mietek's and Mark's cousin called Mark Rabyj b
8 May 1932, d1946, aged just 14. He was the son of Pawel (Iryna's
brother) and Julita Rabyj and he was the brother of Pawel Rabjy
b1934, whom Jim and I met on our trip to Ukraine in September 2018.
Mark Rabyj was shot in the head by the Russians. I do not know why.
He is buried in the cemetery at Nudyze.
HISTORY. June
1940-the Polish Government in Exile moves to London. Approximately
100,000 Polish citizens were arrested during the two years of Soviet
occupation. There was three waves of mass deportation of Polish
citizens into the depths of the USSR in 1940. The prisons soon got
severely overcrowded, with all detainees accused of anti-Soviet
activities. The NKVD had to open dozens of ad-hoc prison sites in
almost all towns of the region. The wave of arrests and mock
convictions contributed to the forced resettlement of large
categories of people to the Gulag labour camps and exile settlements
in remote areas of the Soviet Union. Altogether the Soviets sent
roughly a million people from Poland to Siberia. It is estimated that
almost half had died by the time the Sikorski-Mayski treaty between
the Soviet Union and Poland had been signed on 30 July 1941.
A
deportee recalls: In January 1940, I was arrested and sentenced to
10 years for an unknown crime. In April 1940, I was thrown into a
crowded cattle car on a train heading for a Soviet concentration camp
near Tarza, in the Archangelsk region of Siberia. Hunger, disease,
dirt and exhaustion decimated the exiles along the way. Most of the
victims were among the weakest; the elderly, but little children
also died in huge numbers during the lengthy journeys. In
Archangelsk, for a period of 19 months, I worked cutting trees, while
trying to encourage everyone, spiritually and emotionally. Life in
the camp was hard. We were given a ladle full of porridge at noon and
a watery soup with some cabbage leaves in the evening. There were no
fats, meats or potatoes. We worked in the forest from 7am to 7pm, and
would get no rest at night because the barracks were infested with
millions of bedbugs.
Mietek, along with many other Poles is about to suffer more trauma in his life. His war records state: Deported by the Russians from Poland to USSR:
There
is a 'List of the Repressed', those sent to Siberia. I have discovered
Mietek's name on this list. It seems Mieczyslaw Gigera and his family were
deported to Siberia in 1940. However somewhere on this journey
Mietek was taken away from his family and arrested as a 'Counter
revolutionary'. He was sent to a prison in Minsk. It was common for
a trial to be held without the accused being present and he would
have been sentenced to a term in Siberia. This was 5 years. Mietek
finally ended up in **Sevzheldorlag, a penal labour Goulag camp in
USSR, doing railroad construction.
In 1940 Mietek would have been 18 or 19. I do not know who the family are. It is unlikely to be Zot and his wife and children as they lived in Zapillya up until their deaths, Zots being in 1982. It is possible that Mietek was married with a child. Whoever the family was,
it begs the questions as to what happened to them and did they
survive the war. More research could be done on this by searching records.
**Sevzheldorlag
also
Sevzheldorstroy,
Northern
Railway ITL)
was a penal labour camp of
the gulag system
in the USSR. The full name was Northern Railway Corrective Labour
Camp of NKVD.
Established on May 10, 1938, in July 24, 1950 it was merged with North Pechora ITL to
make the Pechora ITL. Top head count was 84,893 (January 1941). The main operation was
railroad construction.
The
sites of the camp were within Komi ASSR, East Siberia at Kotlas railway
station, Knyazhpogost settlement
(including headquarters), and Zheleznodorozhny settlement (now the
town of Yemva).
Mietek's War records state: 1940-1942. Mietek released on the amnesty, on the basis of the Sikorski-Maisky agreement in order to join the Polish Armed Forces which were being organised in 1941-1942 on the former Soviet territory.
'The amnesty' so called, by the Russians, was the release of Poles from the goulag work camps in Siberia. Russia did not acknowledge that the Poles had been sent to Siberia on trumped up charges. The amnesty came about when Germany invaded Russia on 22 June 1941 (when Mietek was 20) in Operation Barbarossa. Russia and Great Britain signed a new pact leading to the Anglo-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance-1942 and consequently Russia became an ally to the West.
In Teheran in August 1942 a Documentation Office was set up to take statements from all those who had been through the Soviet prisons and goulag camps. The hand written text below appears to be the statement, in his own words, that Mietek gave at that time. It is unlikely to have been written by Mietek.
The very poignant hand written document above says:
Gigiera
Mieczysław rok urodzenia 1921 w Włodzimierzu. Byłem wywieziony z
rodzina
w
marcu 1940 roku. W drodze w Mińsku odłączyli mnie od rodziny i
zabrali do więzienia jako " konterewolucjozier "
Przy
badaniach śledczych zostałem bity każdorazowo. Następnie byłem
wywieziony do lagru do Kożwy i gdzie po upływie kilku tygodni
wyczytali mi wyrok zaoczny 5 lat.
Pewnego dnia przy pracy
zachorował kolega mój na robocie Jan Sobczyk 1919 r. i prosił
wartownika o odstawienie go do obozu,
otrzymał odpowiedź :
trzeba pracować - dosyć tej symulacji, oczywiście nie otrzymując
żadnej pomocy lekarskiej do wieczora mój kolega zmarł. W tym
samym obozie pewnego dnia o godz. 12 w południe podszedł kolega mój
Gołądzka Józef nieco bliżej do żony i nie uprzedzając przez
wartownika został od razu zastrzelony.
It roughly translates to:
Gigiera
Mieczysław was born in 1921 in Włodzimierz. I was taken away from
my family in March 1940. On the way to Minsk, did they separate me
from my family and take me to prison as a "counter-revolutionary"
. During my investigations I was beaten every time. Then I was
taken to the concentration camp in Kożwy and where after a few weeks
they read me a default judgement of 5 years. One day at work, my
colleague Jan Sobczyk fell ill at work and asked the sentry to
return him to the camp, he got the answer: you have to work - enough
of this slacking, of course, without receiving any medical help until
the evening my colleague died. In the same camp one day at 12 noon
my colleague Józef Gołądzka approached his wife a little closer
and was shot without warning by the guard.
So this seems to be a testimony given by Mietek. We can see from this that he
experienced a very bad time after he and his family were arrested. He
seems to have been separated from his family. We
do not know who his family were as we know his father and half
brothers remained in Zapillya. Could
it be that he was a young married man with children and that he never
saw this family again?
The investigation he
talks of, sounds more like a very painful interrogation where he was
beaten and presumably as a result of this he consented to the
accusation of being a 'counter revolutionary' and was subsequently
sentenced to 5 years. He refers to work, but really it was slave
labour and whilst there he witnessed the death of two men. Oh,
Uncle Mietek, this is so sad and is quite heart breaking.
 |
| Index card from the same time period. |
Now consider this. Mark and Mietek were fortunate in getting away
from the Goulags, albeit that they saw much more hunger, illness and
discomfort along the way and they were then off to fight a war.
There were many that were not released from the Goulags and who
served their sentence. They were simply born at the wrong time in
history and in the wrong place when the Russians invaded and accused
of things they had not done.
Lviv prison now a museum. This
room shows victims of the occupation. Some of the many people who
were not released on the amnesty and who served and survived their
sentences in Siberia, many in excess of 25 years. They remarked that they had
not had a life. These people were all born around the same time as
Mietek and Mark and had they not got away, then this too would
have been their lot in life. This was the first time Jim had
thought about this and the tragedy and trauma really hit home.
|
The room where the inmates were
photographed and documented .
There were prisons like this in
every town.
|
Back to the amnesty: We know that Mietek was released from the
Goulags and that he made his way back to Russia to join the Polish
Army. One view on the amnesty to release the Poles from Siberia is
that thanks were given to Hitler for breaking its pact with Russia by
invading her, as otherwise the released Poles would have been worked
to death in Siberia. The Jews of course have a different experience
of Hitler.
People were left to make their own way out of Siberia. There were
trains which aided the fleeing refugee-prisoners. The trains were
packed with people clinging on and riding the roof. They would have
traveled for long periods of time in cramped, smelly and bug ridden
conditions. After the horrendous conditions of the goulag camp,
malnutrition, illness and disease was still rife. However, there
must have been an element of elation at being released and
desperation to get away.
Even though the amnesty had been declared, not all Poles were
released from the goulag camps. Some were released too late to catch
up with the Polish Army and they were returned to the gulag camps for
more hard labour and working in appalling conditions We can only
imagine how they must have felt. Our two fathers, Mark and Mietek
were so lucky that they managed to get away and to join the Polish
Army, although we might say, out of the chip pan and into the fire.
We know that the deportees/refugees traveled on many trains in
their bids to escape and travel south. If you got off for food or comfort, it was easy
for a train to leave without you and you would have to catch up or
travel separately and some lost relatives entirely. They traveled
through many countries; Siberia, Russia, Kazahkstan, Uzbekistanu.
Mietek's journey must have been very similar. They were not going
home. The young men were going to join the Polish Army and the
civilians were going to try and get under their protection. They were
all now refugees fleeing Siberia and fleeing their war torn country
and without money, food or very much in the way of belongings. They
had no baths or comforts and their cloths would have been inadequate
tatters. Life was still very miserable.
HISTORY. on 4 August 1941, General Wladyslaw Anders was released
from Lubianka prison, Moscow. He began the formation of the Polish
Army in Buzuluk. This resulted in a massive gathering of Polish
citizens to the centers where the Polish Army was being formed,
namely Totskoye and Buzuluk, both in Russia. It is estimated that at
one time there were approximately 1.7 million Poles in Soviet Russia
though by this time, about one third had died.
These people came to the Polish army camps in rags, totally
exhausted, some of them dying from disease and malnutrition within a
few days of arrival. Their quarters were tents which, at freezing
night temperatures of -50C augmented their misery.
Mietek's Middle East postings: 1942-44 Served in Mid East; Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt.
On the back of this picture it says, Mietek, 1942.
14/01/1942 Mietek joined the Polish army in USSR, posted to 9
Infantry Division.
01/04/1942
After crossing the Russo-Persian border with his unit, came under
British command in Middle East. The
recruits and many escaping civilians were taken across the Caspian
Sea to Persia (now Iran). The boats were filled to overflowing in
order to get as many military and civilian people away as possible.
The relief of leaving the Soviet Union and loss of oppression was
great. Life in Persia was exotic compared to the recent past and many
lives were saved by the provision of food and shelter. Mietek's army
records say: Served
in the Middle East; Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, The
Polish Army became known as 2nd
Polish Corps, part of the 8th
British Army. It consisted of 2 Divisions; The 5th
Kresowa Infantry Division and The 3rd
Carpathian Rifle Division under who's flag Mietek fought in Italy.
08/12/1942 Army records say: On the re-organisation of the Polish
Army in the Middle East, was transferred to 8 Heavy Anti-Aircraft
Artillery Regiment, 2 Polish Corps, 8 British Army.
01/11/1943 Transferred to 16 Supply Company, 5 Kresowa Infantry
Division, 2 Polish Corp
One
refugee recalls: When amnesty was declared, I headed south (along
with everyone else in the goulags who were released) to join the
Polish Army in Uzbekistan, and was evacuated with the army to Persia.
Polish women and children had traveled across the USSR to find the
Polish Army, in the hopes of coming under their protection (this may
well have applied to Lucyna and her son Bogdan TO
CONFIRM). Consequently, the army shared what meager provisions it had with these hordes of civilians. When the
evacuations began, general Anders issued an order that we must take
as many of the children as possible, even those that were sick, so
the ships crossing the Caspian Sea were spilling over with human
cargo, there was standing room only.
A
civilian recalls: On crossing the Caspian Sea, we reached Pahlavi,
in Persia (now Iran)in about 30 hours, and people were praying,
hugging, kissing the sand on the beach and crying with emotion. At
last we were free of fear and persecution. Our clothes were burned,
we were given new clothing. We were disinfected, hair cut off and we
bathed in the sea. The food consisted of fatty mutton and rice which
was disastrous for stomachs that had digested so little for so long.
Diarrhea was rampant and the stench around the camp was awful. We
soon started to behave like normal people. After staying on the beach
for about three weeks, we boarded open trucks for the trip to
Teheran. The road across the Elbrus Mountains was wide enough for one
truck, only allowing two trucks to pass at specific points. The
Persian drivers drove at break-neck speeds, and one could see the
wreckage of vehicles hundreds of feet below. In Teheran, we were
located in camp no 2, about 5 km from the city. Families were
allocated a number of beds in the barracks, and huge blankets for
privacy. The camp kitchen distributed food.
Being young, Mietek would soon have recovered his health from the
starvation of the goulag camps. They continued to be moved south,
through Syria and Palestine. They were transported through Persia in
huge army lorries through the mountain ranges where roads were highly
unsuitable. Many trucks fell over the edges of gorges. The convoys
never stopped, as the falls were so great it was presumed everyone
was dead in the lorries.
Colonel
Anders original HQ in Iraq Ribat was described as 'several primitive
little huts and were surrounded by a sea of tents pitched on the
sand of the desert'. The training site for the 2nd
Corps in the Middle East was Khanaqin-Quiz
Life in Iraq for the survivors of the Russian deportation and exodus
still remained harsh with the evacuees suffering from the after
effects of malnutrition and abuse through to coping with desert
conditions, malaria and disease epidemics. Spirits remained high
through training even though there was a shortage of arms and
complete uniforms. Social events and the comprehensive use of
theater productions or special educational programs were set up to
relieve boredom and to help with rehabilitation.
I have several files including
over 7000 photos of Anders Army (Polish Army) in Egypt and Italy.
There are no fighting or combat pictures among them, just
socializing, learning, parades and many
ceremonies and marches. I include some to show what our boys were doing.
Mietek joined up in 1942 and seems to have arrived in the Middle East
in April of that year. Training would have
began as soon as he arrived. In September 1942 the whole Corps went
on manoeuvres in different locations where Mount Sinai was stormed
and Nazareth 'captured' as the units honed their field and battle
craft. The Corps was then transferred to Egypt and located in Ismalia
and Al-Quassasin as a staging post for deployment in Italy.
The
invasion of Italy had started. The first unit to leave Egypt was the
3rd Infantry Division on 21st December 1943.
The majority of the units disembarked at Taranto (south Italy),
although some were sent to Bari and Brindisi to ease pressure on the
ports. Mietek was in this Division and the date on his war records
confers with this. (The
shipping course lay close to the North Africa shore, avoiding German
bombers based on Crete). All
the units were quartered in 5 camps strung along the Taranto-Monopoli
road. Protection from the air activity and the roads were good. However the harsh winter conditions meant the troops were
at risk from infection and epidemics and also the cold. As the Corps
finally came to full strength they were moved towards Barlotta in
order to relieve the 78th
British Division.
These
are the types of uniforms our boys were wearing (left to right)
1. Rifleman. Independent
Carpathian Rifle Bde. Tobruk 1941
2. Rifleman. 6th
Lwow Rifle Bde. 5th Kresowa Inf Div Italy
1944
3. Lieutenant. 4th
Skorpion Armd Regt. 2nd Armd Div. Italy 1945
A soldier recalls: There were many ships in our convoy,
surrounded by destroyers looking for U-Boats. We reached Taranto
(south Italy) on 21 December 1943 and spent 6 weeks preparing for
combat. In mid-February, my platoon was assigned to Pescopennataro,
our first combat position. The first casualty I witnessed – a
soldier killed by a mine – had a sobering effect on me, making me
realize that we were not just playing at soldiers.
Mietek's Italian postings:
13/12/1943 to 2/5/1945 Theatre of operations in Italy
31/12/1943 Transfer to 3 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment, 3
Carpathian Infantry Division, 2 Polish Corps
06/6/1944 Transferred to 2 Rifle Battalion, 3 Carpathian Infantry
Division, 2 Polish Corps
The
3rd
Carpathian Rifle Division, sometimes translated as The 3rd
Carpathian Infantry Division incorporated both of the above; 3
Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment and the 2 Rifle Battalion.
Engagements included Tobruk, Alem Hamza, Bardia in the Middle East
and Monte Cassino, Gothic Line, Ancona and Bologna in Italy.
Notable actions in Italy include the victories in the Battle of Monte
Cassino, Ancona and Bologna. Disbanded after the war, most soldiers
chose not to return to the new, Communist Poland. They were in fear
of being treated as traitors and being sent back to the goulags.
Records show that this did happen to some returners.
The Carpathian also commonly known as the Christmas Tree Division
due to its emblem It was an infantry division of the Polish Armed
Forces in the West that fought during WW11 in the Italian Front.
Formed in 1942 of the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade and the
forces of Lieutenant-General Wladyslaw Anders' Polish 2nd Corps
evacuated from the Soviet Union.
II
Polish Corps Troops
|
Artillery
|
|
1st
Polish Survey Regiment
7th Polish Anti-Tank Regiment
663rd
Polish Air OP Squadron
567th Searchlight Battery
8th
Polish Heavy AA Artillery
|
|
Army
Group Polish Artillery
|
|
10th
Polish Medium Regiment
11th Polish Medium Regiment
12th
Polish Medium Regiment
13th Polish Medium Regiment
78th
Medium Regiment
9th Polish Heavy Regiment
|
|
HQ
II Polish Corps Polish Engineers
|
|
4th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
5th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
6th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
|
|
3rd
Carpathian Rifle Brigade
|
|
7th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
8th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
9th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
|
5th
Kresowa Infantry Division
|
Artillery
|
|
Colonel
J. Orski Commanding:
5th Wilenska Field Regiment
5th
Wilenska Anti-Tank Regiment
5th Wilenska Light A-A
Regiment
7th Polish Horse Artillery Regiment
23rd Field
Regiment
|
|
Engineers
|
|
4th
Kresowa Filed Company
5th Kresowa Field Company
6th
Kresowa Field Company
5th Kresowa Field Park
|
|
|
|
Company
|
|
|
|
5th
Kresowa Machine Gun Battalion
|
|
|
|
25th
Wielkopolski Reconnaissance Regiment
|
|
2nd
Polish Armoured Brigade
|
|
1st
Polish Armoured Cavalry Regiment
4th Polish Armoured
Regiment
6th Lwowski Armoured Regiment
9th Polish Field
Troop (Engineers)
|
|
4th
Wolynska Infantry Brigade
|
|
10th
Wolynski Rifle Battalion
11th Wolynski Rifle Battalion
12th
Wolynski Rifle Battalion
|
|
5th
Wilenska Infantry Brigade
|
|
13th
Wilenski Rifle Battalion
14th Wilenski Rifle Battalion
15th
Wilenski Rifle Battalion
|
|
6th
Lwowska Infantry Brigade
|
|
16th
Lwowski Rifle Battalion
17th Lwowski Rifle Battalion
18th
Lwowski Rifle Battalion
|
3rd
Carpathian Infantry Division
|
1st,
2nd and 3rd Rifle Brigade
|
MIETEK
FROM 6.6.1944.
WOUNDED
10.04.1945
MIETEK FROM 21.12.1943
TO 05.06.1944
MIDDLE
EAST-IRAN, IRAQ, PALESTINE, EGYPT AND ITALY FROM 13.12.1943
|
1st
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
2nd
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
3rd
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
4th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
5th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
6th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
7th
Carpathian Rifle Battalion
8th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
7th
Lubelski Uhlan Regiment (Divisional Reconnaissance)
1st
Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
2nd Carpathian Light
Artillery Regiment
3rd Carpathian Light Artillery
Regiment
3rd Carpathian Anti-tank Regiment
3rd
Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
3rd
Heavy Machine Gun Battalion
3rd Carpathian Sapper (Engineer)
Battalion
1st Carpathian Field Engineer Company
2nd
Carpathian Field Engineer Company
3rd Carpathian Field
Engineer Company
3rd Carpathian Field Park Company
3rd
Carpathian Signals Battalion
|
A
soldiers recalls: In April 1944 we moved to the central part of
Italy where we again underwent intensive physical training. We
reached Cassino on 30 April 1944. The valley below the monastery was
covered in red poppies. Later during the battles, I often looked at
those distant beautiful flowers, the poppies were in striking
contrast with the immediate surroundings, where there was so much
death: trees with bare limbs, no grass, and dead bodies littering the
ground – decomposing, covered with lime. The odour was suffocating.
The flies were everywhere. Such a sharp contrast to the valley of red
poppies. After dark on 31 April, we started our march towards the
hills. On the way, some shells exploded right where our regiment had
just been. A few minutes earlier and there would have been massive
carnage. I had several close calls during the ensuing battles. Each
time, I experienced claustrophobia – an overwhelming desire to get
out into the open fields, away from any enclosure. Common sense told
me to stay put, but I really wanted to get out. We left the area of
the Monastery on 24 May. As we left, we passed the temporary
cemetery. Long columns of bodies wrapped in blankets were waiting for
burial. It had a chilling effect on us all.
The
Polish 11 Corps had spent the first months in Italy in a passive
defensive role on the Sangro river from north of Pso del Monte to
Castel Vincenzo. The 45km sector was vital in that the Polish Corps
was wedged between the British 5th
and 8th
Armies in order to protect their flanks and hold the front along the
river Sangro. 31/12/1943 Mietek is transferred from 16 Supply
Company, 5 Kresowa Regiment to 3 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of
the 3rd
Carpathian Infantry Division. At this time the 3rd
Carpathian Divisions enter combat along a quite sector of the Sango
River. The Polish 11 Corps remained attached to the 5th
and 8th
Armies in terms of major actions and was basically 'holding the line'
with patrols and localized actions taking place. On 13th
March 1944 the 5th
Kresowa Infantry Division joined the front as preparation for the
spring offensive got underway.
3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade - both pictures
The
battle of Monte Cassino has been described as one of the toughest and controversial battles in WW11. Previous attempts were made to dislodge German troops prior to the Polish 11 Corps. From 27th
April until 11th
May the Polish 11 Corps moved units into forward positions for the
'jump-off'. General Anders' order of the day just before the assault
on Cassino read “Soldiers, The task assigned to us will cover with
glory the name of Polish soldiers all over the world. The moment for
battle has arrived. At this moment the thoughts and hearts of our
whole nation will be with us. We have long awaited the moment of
revenge and retribution over our hereditary enemy. For this action
let the lion spirit enter your hearts, keep deep in your heart God,
honour and our land-Poland! Go and take revenge for all the
suffering in our land, for what you have suffered for many years in
Russia and for the years of separation from your families”.
The
rocky terrain meant the troops dug small 'sangers' to protect them
from shrapnel and flying splintered rocks. Water was rationed and no
cooking of hot meals could take place, forcing the troops to survive
on dry rations. On 6th
May action was seen across the front with the French making progress
and the 5th
Kresowa Division attempted to take hill 593 with 20% casualties in
the process of clearing bunker to bunker in order to secure the
heights. Colonel Anders ordered withdraw due to unacceptable
casualties. One Brigade diary reports, “In the valley and on the
slope lay corpses, twisted human shapes, shattered limbs, bloody bits
of bodies”. This gives an insight into the horrors of battle which
progressed with areas being taken. On 17th
May 07.00 the 13th
Corps and the Polish 11 Corps re-entered the battle. The 3rd
Carpathian Division, captured Phantom
Ridge before switching their assault onto San Angelo and Hill 575.
Casualties were high and despite
supporting fire from Polish artillery, the Germans attempted to
counter attack. By
the end of the day the 3rd
Carpathian Division had held onto the northern, southern and eastern
slopes of Hill 593 and
needed the additional support of the 5th
Carpathian Battalion, which had been held in reserve. The German
defenses had been cleared through tough hand-to-hand fighting and
repulsing vigorous counter attacks. On 18th
May 5th
Kresowa Infantry Division continued its bitter assault and the
Germans remained stubborn to the end. This resulted in taking out
individual isolated positions and a surprise counter-attack in the
vineyard area repulsed. 3rd
Carpathian Rifle Division renewed their assault and by 10.30
the Monastery had fallen with the Polish flag flying above the ruins.
The battle for Monte Cassino was
crucial to the opening up of Italy for the Allies to advance to Rome.
This is much disputed as critics argue that there would have been
other ways to achieve this and the generals lost sight of the end
goal in their aim to take the Monastery. I leave this here for the
interested reader to research more. However, we cannot detract from
the bravery and heroism of the troops and be sad knowing that 1150
were killed and 2629 wounded in just six days of fighting.
Because
Mietek was in Italy at the time of the battle for Monte Cassino 17/1/944-18/5/1944 and his division is mentioned, it is highly
probably that he fought there. Of course this was the big battle
that the Poles were best known for. The MC Cross is a commemorative medal
awarded to all soldiers of the Polish 2 Corps who fought in the
battle of Monte Cassino and the battles of Piedimonte and Passo
Corno. Mietek was awarded the Monte Cassino Cross, medal number 4719.
In the
aftermath of Monte Cassino Polish 11 Corps were honoured in London's
press and helped quash left-wing press supporting Stalin's stance,
even if it was short lived. The Corps was exhausted and units
depleted, but were re-tasked to capture the heavily fortified town of
Piedmont. Piedmont had been turned into a fortress with an extensive
minefield to be negotiated by attacking ground forces. Again, I leave
the interested reader to research more.
With so many losses after these battles, the troops were reassigned to fill in vital gaps. On 06/6/1944 Mietek is transferred to 2 Rifle Battalion, 3 Carpathian Infantry Division, 2 Polish Corps.
As
the allies pushed into Italy, supply lines became more stretched so
the strategy switched to capturing Ancona. On 17th
June 1944 Polish 11 Corps was now in pursuit with 3rd
Carpathian Division rapidly moving forward to prevent the
bridges from being blown as many rivers were in flood conditions. At
the Chienti River, the Germans had dug in and repulsed attacks. The
Germans appeared to be preparing a major attack when suddenly
withdrew. Italian partisan units assisted the Poles in their action
at Chienti and Esimo Rivers. The 5th
Wilno Infantry Brigade was reinforced by the 3rd
Carpathian Rifle Battalion and 4th
Armoured Regiment with a blanket of artillery fire to soften up the
defense captures the ridge at Monte Della Crescia-Offanga. On 17th
June after a hard day of engagement under heavy artillery barrage by
the Germans, the 5th
Wilno Infantry Brigade with the 3rd
Carpathian Rifle Battalion captured Monte Della Crescia. By
18th
June Carpathian Lances entered Ancona and captured 2756
prisoners and 351 deserters in civilian clothing. Casualties were
high with 2150 removed from the line and over 500 were killed. The
Germans carried out a systematic retreat, blowing bridges and mining
roads and other river crossing points to slow down the Polish 11
Corps advance. The Polish advanced. The Polish 11 Corps were
re-assigned the mountainous areas of the Appenines where roads were
few and mule tracks had to be used to navigate the region.
On 1st
November the 3rd
Carpathian Infantry Division had captured Monte Chioda,
Monte Trebbio and Gattone. Most observers recognize that the Polish
11 Corps had fought hard in difficult terrain and conditions
where mule trains were virtually the only means of supply and
mobility. For the troops, the heavy rainfall and slogging their way
through mud epitomized this part of the Italian campaign. Bollogna
and Ravenna were both strategically important to the Allies and their
strategy of containing the Germans and defeating them in Spring 1945.
Most of the Allied troops were using the mid-winter conditions to
withdraw and rotate front-line troops in order to regain combat
strength. The winter offensive was on hold as the shortage of troops
and munitions curtailed major actions. In January 1945, International events and foreign policy would now
impact the Italian campaign. Anders learned of the terms agreed by
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin at Yalta. He wrote a letter to
General McCreery saying, “I can see but the necessity of relieving
those of my troops now in line. We had marched thousands of miles
together and had suffered thousands of casualties. We had come from
the torture of the Russian labour camps to the brink of battle which
would seal our claim to be allowed to go home. Suddenly we are told,
without ever being consulted that we had no home to go to”. In
March at a meeting, “Anders asked, How can I ask my soldiers to go
on fighting, to risk their lives for nothing. I must withdraw them
from the line”. General Clark replied, “I know the great
confidence the Polish soldiers have in their commander, and I also
know that they would accept any decision coming from you without
hesitation” He added, “If you took your troops out of the line,
there would be no troops to replace them, and a 10 mile gap would be
opened up” Anders remained silent for a minute, reflected the
negative impact of withdrawal to a victory in Italy and also the
Polish claim to be an independent nation. Anders quietly said “You
can count on the Polish 11 Corps for this coming battle. We must
defeat Hitler first”. Later in the week, The Polish troops learned
that Chrchill was to speak to them by radio. His message was that he
had to give up part of Poland because of the Curzon Line. The
Anglo-American leaders had given Stalin that part of Poland which was
the homeland of the Polish 11 Corps. He then said that after the war
if you wished to go home you may, but if you chose not to, England
would welcome you with employment and homes. There was bitterness and
they wondered why they were fighting with no country to go home to.
This of course impacted on their feeling about fighting in the rest
of the war. After
re-grouping, the Polish 11 Corps had the 5th British
Infantry Division assigned to them as part of the Lombardy campaign.
The final offensive to break the stalemate on the Italian front was
scheduled for the night of 9th April 1945. The objective
was to break through the Pro Valley and seize the cities of Bologna
and Florence. The Polish 11 Corps was assigned the direct assault
across the river Senio straight to Bologna. The
3rd
Carpathian Rifle Division would spearhead the attack with the 5th
Kresowa Infantry Division in reserve. This
is one incident along the way: On 9th
April 1945 USAAF (United States Armed Air Forces) bombers caught
Polish units out at Bridgehead (Friendly Fire) with a high level of
casualties. The
Polish General Wladyslaw Anders, whilst in London, wrote of this
event “I went back to Italy as soon as I received news that the
1945 spring offensive was about to begin there so that I could take
part in what I thought would be the last battle of war. The fighting
started inauspiciously. April 9 was a beautiful day. With General
Mark Clark, I watched American bombers gleaming in the sun as they
crossed the cloudless blue sky. They were flying in large formations,
dropping their bombs on the German line of defense and seeming to
make the earth shake under us. Then suddenly we saw an approaching
aircraft release its bombs too soon, so that they fell on the Polish
troops waiting to launch the attack. I went to the scene and found
the losses were very heavy, though the coolness and courage of the
soldiers was remarkable. Commanding Offices took energetic action to
replace the losses at once, and thanks to the speed with which it was
done, the attack was not delayed and
they
achieved
their first goal in capturing the heights above
the river Senio.' Mietek's war records show him as wounded
10/4/1945! We do not know in what circumstances Mietek was
wounded. This is just one of many possibilities. This does however
tell us in what area and in what battle of northern Italy he is likely to have been
wounded.
10
April
1945 Mietek's war records state - Wounded in Action.
He
would have been patched up.
On
21st
April, The Poles captured the 1st
Parachute Divisions battle flag and the 3rd
Carpathian Rifle Division entered Bologna ahead of the American 34th
Division. The German flag was eventually presented to general Anders
as a trophy. The liberation of Bologna ended 14 months of Polish 11
Corps operations during the Italian Campaign. The Polish 11 Corps
fought with distinction in the Italian Campaign, losing 11,379 men.
Among them 2,301 killed in action, 8543 wounded and 535 missing. WW2
in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 so
Mietek very nearly made it to the end of the war unscathed.
I do not know how Mietek and Lucyna met. My guess is that it was in Italy and having found love, they decided to
marry in Italy so that they could both be shipped to the UK together.
24/09/1945 Mietek married Lucyna Perekowna (Polish) in Bellaria,
northern Italy. Lucyna already had a son called Bogdon, so presumably
this was her second marriage. Bogdan was Born 26/11/1940 in Barycze,
Poland. Barycze is a village in the administrative district of
Gmina Stubno, within Przemysl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in
south-eastern Poland. It is likely that Lucyna's family were also
from this area. I have been told that Bogden made a trip back to
Poland hoping to find his family. He returned to Argentina
disappointed. I believe that Lucyna also made a trip back. I recall
that as a child both Lucyna and Bogden visited our family in
Nottingham, separately, and I think that they may have gone to Poland
and then visited us on the return journey.
I would love to know more about Lucyna's war time history and hope Gizelle might help me with this!!
20/11/1945
Bogdan Baptised as son of Mietek and Lucyna).
This document, included in
Mieteks war records seems to pertain to Bogdans Christening in Italy.
I think the details are: Bogdan born 26/11/1940 and registering the
parents as Mieczslaw Gigiera b16/7/1921 and Lucyna Perek b13/11/1921.
The bit that confuses me is on Mieteks side-left of document, it says
syn Franciszka (syn=son). Mietek is the son of Zotik and so I
wonder if Franciszka is Bogdans’ blood father!!
It is unclear from Mietek's war records as to why there is a gap of
about a year from being wounded to being shipped to the UK. It is
possible the wound(s) was superficial and he returned to fight
another day or remained with his unit until they were all transported
to the UK together. From the dates it seems he spent time in Italy
with Lucyna and Bogdan. At that time it had become clear from the
political situation in Poland, with Russia being the dominant force
that the Polish army, should they return, would be treated very badly
and may even have been returned to Siberia accused of being traitors.
Most soldiers chose to return to England and from there they made
decisions on their next move.
Autumn
1946 Arrived in United Kingdom, from Italy.
On arrival to the UK, it would seem that Mietek went to Scotland,
possibly for convalescence or to a resettlement camp and Lucyna and
Bogdan went to South Camp, Chippenham, Cambridge, E England. They
would have been given options as to what they wished to do next. His
brother Mark, decided to stay in the UK and learned shoe making in
Glasgow, Scotland before moving to Leicester in England. Lucyna and
Mietek decided that Argentina was for them.
11
November 1946 Service with the Polish Forces under British Command
ceases.
12
November 1946 Enlisted in the Polish Resettlement Corps (age 25). He
lists his occupation as Farmer. The Resettlement Corps were set up
to keep the bored young men occupied in learning new occupations or
moving them on. Mietek's last UK address is listed as Transit Camp,
Greenock in Scotland.
26
September 1947 Honourably discharged from the Polish Resettlement
Corps, his services being no longer required, on immigration to
Argentina.
These photos were taken in 1947 or 1948. They show Mietek (grey jacket) Mark (black jacket), Lucyna and Bogdan. They must have been taken somewhere in the UK.
______________________
There
is a very good 5 part documentary, in English, on You Tube about the
Polish deportation to Siberia, their slavery, the Russian amnesty
where some of them are released, joining the Polish army, travelling
to Persia and dispersion around the world and the soldiers fighting
in Italy and then coming to England or returning to Poland. This is
called A forgotten Odyssey. This is also the story of Mietek and Mark
and is well worth watching.
______________________
Passenger list including Mietek's emigrating to Argentina. Lucyna and Bogdan are on a separate list.
There
is no doubt that Mietek had a difficult early life in Poland when his
mother left him and his father when he was just 2 years old. As a
young man he was separated from his family and suffered the awfulness of a couple of years
in a goulag camp in Siberia and then the traumas of about a year and
half fighting in Italy and experiencing many horrors. Luck and love
obviously found him somewhere between the Middle East and Italy and
he had the good fortune to meet Lucyna whom he had a very long
marriage with and a child, Juan, along with Lucyna's son, Bogden
whom he formally adopted. When Juan was born in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, Mietek went along to register the happy birth. Somehow in
the translation from the Polish name to the Spanish version an 'I'
got lost and the family name of Gigiera was changed to Gigera. I
know that Mietek liked a tipple and I mischievously like to think
that wetting the babies head has forever changed the family name down
the Juan Gigera lineage. Having done some research in Ukraine, Juan and his descendants might take some comfort from knowing that the family in the local towns of Luboml and Kovel spell the name Gigera. We have to remember that when Mietek was born, many people were illiterate and when registering births and deaths the priest would write down how he though it was spelt. I have seen Gigiera, Gigera, Higera and other variations. Who is to say, which one is correct.
MIECZYSLAW
GIGIERA, the Polish soldier and our very dear relative was justly
awarded war medals for his bravery and valour.
MEDALS
AWARDED:
Polish:
Honorary decoration for wounds,
Cross for Valour,
Army Medal
Monte Cassino Cross-no 4719
British:
1939-45 Star,
Italy Star,
Defense Medal,
War Medal
1939-45
PIC MONTE CASSINO CROSS INFO
MIETEK'S
WAR RECORDS
A hand written note among Mieteks war records
showing that he was entitled to medals:
1939-45 Star
Italy Star
Defense Medal
The Monte Cassino Cross – number 4719
(MC Cross numbers 2044-14702 were issued to 'Other ranks listed alphabetically - 3 Carpathian Rifle Division).
FAMILY TREES
