----- Original Message -----

From: Peter Grabowski

To: Kresy-Siberia@...

Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 11:35 PM

Subject: Re: [Kresy-Siberia] Odessa map

Zbyszek

?

Thank you for your message - Can you please try and send the map again as I cannot open it.

?

I will keep the you all informed of my searches.

?

Again many thanks for your message.

?

Peter??

----- Original Message -----

From: Zbigniew Bob Styrna

To: Kresy-Siberia@...

Sent: Monday, October 25, 2004 9:06 PM

Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Odessa map

Peter,

?

This was a very sad story about your dad. Welcome to the group and I/we hope you may find some peace with your searches.

I’ve enclosed a very old map, pre WWII of Odessa and area.? This area was Poland’s ancestral land for many centuries that is why all the towns are in Polish.

?

Maybe you can find your dad’s street on here.

?

Pozdrawiam

Zbyszek

?

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Grabowski [mailto:peter@...]
Sent: October 25, 2004 11:09 AM
To: Kresy-Siberia@...
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Introduction

?

Hi everyone.

?

My father never talked about the war or even his family or his child hood. As far his?new family was concerned he was a Pole who fought against the Germans who invaded his homeland and who ended up in England to start a new life. The impression we got from my father was that the past was too painfull for him to talk about.

?

It wasn't until just before he died in 1997 at the age of 77 that?I managed to get him to talk a little about his past and he didn't tell me that much.

?

His parents were Polish -?Bernard & Maria (nee Brzusinska) Grabowski they lived in Odessa. His father was a shoe maker and he had two younger brothers - Piotr and Leonard. He wrote down an address in Odessa where he lived and I believe that this address still exists.

?

When he died I had to sort out his affairs?and I found a black box (apparently he stole this?from a German - it has a swastika imprinted on it) in the box?I found about 30 photographs mainly connected to his travels through the war years. One is a photograph of the Polish army unit I believe that he fought in - Destazowana Kompani Saperow. I have obtained his army records from the 24th August 1942 when he served with the Polish forces under British Command. In these records it states; " Together with the Polish Army he crossed the Soviety-Iranian frontier, was evacuated to Iran, thereby came under British Command with effect from 15th August 1942". Via Iraq was transferred to Palestine. and then on to Italy

?

He fought at Monte Cassino and I am proud to have in my possession his "Cross for Monte Cassino".

?

On the 8th November my Polish friend Marian Rabczak has agreed to go with me to Odessa to start my quest to try and find?out?anything?I can about my father and his family. I am going to start by simply knocking on the door of the address my father gave me - I have to start somewhere!?

?

I did not know anything about the Kresy-Siberia group and its reason for being in existence but I am pretty sure that I am about to learn a lot more.

?

Peter Grabowski??

?

·???????? ?

*
KRESY-SIBERIA GROUP = RESEARCH REMEMBRANCE RECOGNITION
"Dedicated to researching, remembering and recognising the Polish citizens
deported, enslaved and killed by the Soviet Union during World War Two."
*
Discussion site :
Gallery (photos, documents) :
Film and info :
*
To SUBSCRIBE to the discussion group, send an e-mail
saying who you are and describing your interest in the group to:
Kresy-Siberia-owner@...
*





*
KRESY-SIBERIA GROUP = RESEARCH REMEMBRANCE RECOGNITION
"Dedicated to researching, remembering and recognising the Polish citizens
deported, enslaved and killed by the Soviet Union during World War Two."
*
Discussion site :
Gallery (photos, documents) :
Film and info :
*
To SUBSCRIBE to the discussion group, send an e-mail
saying who you are and describing your interest in the group to:
Kresy-Siberia-owner@...
*