1. Personal data (name, surname, rank, date of birth, occupation):
Corporal Feliks Fijałkowski, 44 years old, farmer, bachelor.
2. Date and circumstances of the arrest:
On 22 September 1939, I was disarmed in Turzysk and taken prisoner in Shepetivka by the Russian army.
3. Name of the camp, prison or place of forced labor:
POW camp in Dubno. POW camp in Omeliany. POW camp in Proskuriv.
4. Description of the camp, prison:
The camp in Dubno was located in two large brick buildings. In Polish times, hops were cultivated there. Now the buildings were surrounded by barbed wire and watchtowers – “dovecotes.” The inside of such a building was divided into two rooms. One was situated downstairs, the other upstairs. The room downstairs had small barred windows, while the windows upstairs were in the roof. There were bunk beds in each room. The conditions were certainly not bearable. The rooms were so crowded with people that not only were we unable to move around freely, but also sleep was impossible. There was no bathhouse or disinfection chamber at the beginning, so we were at the mercy of lice and bedbugs. The lack of soap and underwear contributed to this significantly.
The camp in Omeliany was housed in tents surrounded by barbed wire. There was a bathhouse and a disinfection chamber at that camp, but it was very cold there and we were cramped.
In Proskuriv, we lived in barracks. It was a huge building made of boards, covered with canvas, but with no floor or stoves. The prisoners slept on bunk beds. It was cramped and cold.
5. Social composition of prisoners, POWs, deportees:
The POWs were mostly of Polish nationality. There were also Jews, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. The Poles were on good terms and helped one another. The Ukrainians constituted a separate caste. Initially, they were hostile towards us, but their attitude changed over time. The reason for the change was that they got to know the USSR system and its benefits better. The dream of a free Ukraine and prosperity turned sour.
The nationality that the NKVD liked the most were Jews. They usually worked in offices and warehouses. The Bolsheviks also looked favorably at people who claimed to be Belarusians. They were given better jobs and were assigned to senior working groups (brigadiers, overseers).
6. Life in the camp, prison:
The living conditions in all the camps were very similar. We were woken up at 5.00 a.m. At 6.00 a.m. we marched off to work. From 6.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. we worked building roads. After we returned from work (located a few or even a dozen kilometers away from the camp) we had dinner at 5.00 p.m. The quotas were very high and difficult to meet. The food depended entirely on the percentage of the quota met. Physically weak men received 400–600 grams of bread per day, some soup twice a day and a few grams of sugar. For the most part, we received no remuneration. For meeting the full quota, workers were paid, but if they did not do the job the next day, they had to pay back. It was very rare for a worker to manage to receive a few rubles a month. We really suffered because of the lack of soap, which was never delivered from Moscow.
Clothes and underwear were generally not provided. Unless someone’s belongings burned in the disinfection chamber, then they were given old, shabby clothes.
7. Attitude of the NKVD towards Poles:
The attitude of the NKVD towards Poles was hostile. The entire camp was full of spies, mostly Jews and Belarusians. They scrupulously remembered every inconsiderate word we uttered, and reported it to the NKVD. For any “offense” we were locked in solitary confinement cells and they always tried to convince us that we were guilty. The following acts were considered offenses: admitting that we were Poles out loud, any conversation on political topics, but the worst crime was to criticize the USSR’s rule. There were frequent anti-religious and anti-Polish talks by politrobotniks [political workers].
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality:
Medical assistance was poor, and we were usually treated by our own medics. The lack of medicines and professional help contributed enormously to the high mortality. People who had suffered accidents or who were dying were sent to hospitals.
9. Was it possible to keep in touch with the home country and your family?
It was possible to keep in touch with the family by letters until 1940. After 1940 I had no contact with the home country or my family.
10. When were you released and how did you join the army?
Following the incredibly difficult stage of our march from Proskuriv to Starobilsk, a march during which dozens of people died of exhaustion or hunger, dozens were killed by the German air force. I was released from captivity on 25 August on the basis of an agreement between the British and the Russians, and I joined the army there, that is, in Starobilsk.