MARIA FRĄCKOWSKA

Włocławek, 20 October 1989

“Zorza” Catholic Family Weekly
Warsaw, Mokotowska Street 43

I too would like to make an addition to the list of victims of the crime, this by submitting the surname of my Father, who simply vanished into the blue in September 1939.

Personal data:

Józef Szulczyński, son of Michał and Marianna née Zeidel, born on 22 February 1891 in Łaszew, district of Pleszew, Poznań Voivodeship. An inspector of the State Police – commandant of the State Police Station [in] Wysoka, district of Wyrzysk, Bydgoszcz Voivodeship (until 1 September 1939). When the Hitlerite armies advanced to the township of Wysoka, he – along with his colleagues from the Police – withdrew eastwards, intending to reach their wives and children (and other families of civil servants) in the township of Pułhany, commune of Brany, district of Horochów in Volhynia. Unfortunately, he did not meet up with his family, for in the meantime Poland was invaded by the Soviet Army (17 September 1939).

We learned that Father had been taken prisoner in Tarnopol (rail transport) only after the War, from my Father’s brother (presently deceased), Senior Sergeant Ignacy Szulczyński. By complete chance, the two brothers – my Father Józef and his brother Ignacy – met up in the beginning of 1940 in the POW camp in the township of Ciotkin [Tyotkino?], some 300 km beyond Kiev, deep in Russia.

Father’s brother, Ignacy, ended up in German captivity following an exchange of prisoners, and in 1945 he luckily returned home.

After many mishaps my Mother – together with her children – returned from the evacuation towards the end of December 1939 and took up residence with her family. During the occupation she searched for our Father through the Red Cross in Geneva and the Missing Persons Search Office in Warsaw. She continued her efforts after the War. The response was always the same: there is no information about the missing person.

There was no other correspondence – or indeed any other communication – from my Father.

More than half a century has passed, and I continue to cling to the hope that I will obtain some information about the fate of my missing Father.