Volunteer Maria Burakiewicz, a nurse at Military Hospital no. 3.
I was deported to Russia together with my family on 10 February 1940. The journey was extremely arduous and lasted a whole month. We were transported in an overcrowded wagon, suffering hunger and cold. Our destination was a settlement in the Komi Republic, where we worked felling trees in the forest – a very difficult job. The wages were pitiful, while everything was so expensive. We sold all of our personal items just to get some food.
When we mentioned Poland, the Soviets said that just as you cannot see your ear, so you will not see Poland. And yet everyone lived in hope.
In September 1941, we were released and allowed to go where we wished. We embarked on another voyage, with the conditions even worse than before – many people died of hunger and disease en route. I lost nearly all my loved ones: my grandmother, two younger brothers, sister and parents. Only two of my sisters survived – no one else. We ended up in a kolkhoz near Margilan. In January 1942, while living in this hovel, without even a slice of bread, we dreamed of freedom; but we had to work very hard, digging ditches and clearing the land. This lasted three months. Finally, on 5 April 1942, I reached the Polish Army in Margilan.
Quizil Ribat, 8 March 1943