1. Personal data (name, surname, rank, age, profession, marital status):
Gunner Robin Jakubowicz, born 1916, tailor, married.
2. Date and circumstances of arrest:
I was arrested on 20 January 1940, for not having a Soviet passport.
3. Name of the camp, prison, forced labor site:
Komi ASRR.
4. Description of the camp, prison:
I spent ten months in prison. It was really cramped, around 40 people in a small flat. After prison, they sent me to a labor camp. Conditions were very bad, hygiene was out of the question.
5. Compositions of prisoners, POWs, exiles:
There were around 500 exiles. Nationalities consisted of: Poles, Jews, and Soviets. Relations between Poles were good; relations between Soviets – bad.
6. Life in the camp, prison:
Life in the camp was very bad. We worked 12 or 15 hour [days], without remuneration. Food was very poor – you could find bugs in your meals.
7. Attitude of the local NKVD towards the Poles:
No information about Poland was given, besides communist propaganda. The NKVD’s attitude was very bad during the interrogations.
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality:
No medical assistance. The mortality rate was 15 percent.
9. Was there a possibility to contact one’s country and family?
I had no news about my family.
10. When were you released and how did you manage to join the army?
I was released on 15 August, and joined the army on 23 September 1941. I was released from the camp when the agreement between Poland and Russia was signed.