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.

From: "Karl Cordell" <K.Cordell@...>
I assume my grandmother died in the Masindi camp in question. Do you
know what kind of graves did these people have? Does anybody look after
them today? As far as I'm aware Stanislaw Chruszczewski was/is not
related to me. My uncle Cesiek was in and around Palestine from
1942-1948. He's now living in northern England.

As for a biographical note: Karl Cordell was born Karl Chruszczewski in
London in 1956. His father was born in the Dubno area in 1924, and his
mother was born in Warsaw in 1930. Karl Cordell is Principal Lecturer
in Politics at the University of Plymouth, UK, and is the author of
numerous academic works on various aspects of German politics, Polish
politics, and the politics of ethnicity in central Europe. He runs a UK
research group on ethnicity, and is co-editor of the journal
'Ethnopolitics'.

So, add me to your mailing lists, and keep in touch.

It's a funny old world.

Karl C

----- 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@...
*

Dear Peter, I wish you good luck in your searches, I only found out my

story from astranged family after he died so I empathise with your need to
find out the past. Apparently a brief story of my father leaving poland

in find a fortune the tv programme some years ago, as his last wish was

his family home to be found, a lot of information was gleaned from

on a door in a last ditch effort by the researchers and the gentleman that
answered apparently worked for my grandfather and was able to pin point

land for them. They were also introduced to chilhood friends who were not
deported (for whatever reason). I hope that you too find the right
door/people and the information you seek. Good luck in your travels.

From: "Peter Grabowski" <peter@...>
Reply-To: Kresy-Siberia@...
To: <Kresy-Siberia@...>
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Introduction
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:08:54 +0100

Hi everyone.

My father never talked about the war or even his family or his child

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

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

to get him to talk a little about his past and he didn't tell me that

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

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

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

_________________________________________________________________
Use MSN Messenger to send music and pics to your friends

KRESY-SIBERIA GROUP = RESEARCH REMEMBRANCE RECOGNITION
"Dedicated to researching, remembering and recognising the Polish

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@...

Yahoo! Groups Links

Hello Peter

Where are you in UK?

You will find what you need to and you will learn more because that has

the one thing which drives any of us, to find out about ourselves and this
we do by finding out and understanding about outr parents and

Since I have hd the honoour and privilege to belong to this group I have

times been ashamed at my behaviour towards my parents and their generation
in the past, but i am so lucky that I now understand them more and feel so
humbled that and so grateful that they are my parents. I am so lucky too
that I can still have time with them and take advantage of my new
understanding of them and maybe redress and compesate them for any hurt i
might have caused them through my own ignorance and behaviour.
The one thing you will find we all have in common too is the reluctance on
the part of our parents or grandparents to discuss these things. There

many theories why this is so.

Good luck
Never lose faith




Bye 4 now Hela.

From: "Peter Grabowski" <peter@...>
Reply-To: Kresy-Siberia@...
To: <Kresy-Siberia@...>
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Introduction
Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:08:54 +0100

Hi everyone.

My father never talked about the war or even his family or his child

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

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

to get him to talk a little about his past and he didn't tell me that

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

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

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

_________________________________________________________________
It's fast, it's easy and it's free. Get MSN Messenger today!

KRESY-SIBERIA GROUP = RESEARCH REMEMBRANCE RECOGNITION
"Dedicated to researching, remembering and recognising the Polish

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@...

Yahoo! Groups Links

?

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??

?

·???????? ?

-----Original Message-----
From: zakster43 [mailto:teresazak@...]
Sent: 24 October 2004 22:13
To: Kresy-Siberia@...
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Introduction to the group

Hello Everyone,

I would first like to thank the moderators and members in starting
and continuing this group.
My name is Teresa (Tereska) Zak and am second generation of this
horrible,indespictable part of history which somehow never did make
it's way into our history books, until now.

My fathers family lived at 52 Eleonorowka Osada, Powiat: Skalat,
Tarnopol.

His parents were Anna and Wawrzyniec Zak. They had 5 children:

Helena, Jan (my father), Aniela, Stefan, and Katarzyna.

They were deported Feb. 10th, 1940 to the Siberian camps. My father
does not know the name of the camp, but he says it was @100 K from
the station. They lived in the cramped barracks for @ 2 years.
During that time his father and sister(Katarzyna) died from sickness
and starvation. I am saddened I never was able to meet them.

My father, being the oldest, joined the Allied army under Poland as
a paratrooper. They told him his family would be taken care of, but
when they were freed, they were left with no where to go and
traveled with thousands of other refugees to Persia, India, and
eventually England. My aunt (Helena) married an American soldier,
came to the US and her siblings followed. Except Aniela, She married
a Lebanese and lives there since the war.

Our family lives in Peabody, Massachusetts. There is a fairly large
Polish community here, esp in the neighboring cities of Salem and
Lynn. I would like to order the DVD of "A Forgoten Odyssey", and
maybe get in touch with some of the historical groups in this area
for viewings. Thank You.

Best Regards, Tereska





*
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@...
*

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Krystine Tomaszyk"
The following is the text concerning my book Essence, that Joh Roy Wojciechowski suggested that the members of the 'Kresy Siberia' should be informed about -
?
The book, Essence by Krystyna Tomaszy, the daughter of Mrs. Krystyna Skwarko, the author of "The Invited, The Stoory Of 733 Polish Children Who Grew Up In New Zealand', was launched by Dame Fiona Kidman (the most acclaimed current New Zealand author) during a ceremony 12 October 2004, at the Unity Books, Willis Street, Wellington, New Zealand. The following is a fragment of the Advice of publication notice -
?
"In this Memoir, Krystine Tomaszyk reflects on her life, the earliest memories of which take place as her world, and that of all around her, shatters with the invasion of Poland by the German and then the Soviet army and her deportation to Siberia.
??This poignant narrative is, at the same time, both a dramatic physical journey, by a very long route to New Zealand, and an exploration of the mind of a child, coping with and making meaning of the events she is caught up in.
???Essence is a thoughtful exploration of being and becoming, an experience the reader can participate in and be challenged by.
???Essence is a mosaic of emotional colours, pieced together with honesty and artistry. The author's candour offers an intimate insight into deep-felt and beautifully expressed human emotions.
??
Krystine Tomaszyk studied at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, and her professional life included Maori and child welfare, social work, marriage guidance, Post primary teaching, community advice and award of Meritorious Service by Fairfield Rotary in Hamilton, New Zealand."
?
ISBN 0-86469-475-X, 135x210mm, 235pp, RRPNZ$27.95
???
Essence can be purchased or ordered from all quality bookstores in New Zealand, or by sending a cheque for the direct sale price of $NZ25.00 plus postage to: Dunmore Press, POBox 5115, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Ph.64 06 3587169; fax 64 -6 357 9242; Email: books@...
?
Thank you and warm regards.
?
Krystine Tomaszyk