Warsaw, 6 April 1989
Catholic Family Weekly “Zorza”
Mokotowska Street 43
00-551 Warsaw
I would like to kindly ask you to add my brother to the list of prisoners of Starobelsk camp. I’ve provided his personal data below.
I found my brother’s name in the book “Katyń. Wybór publicystyki 1943–1988” [and »Lista Katyńska«], Polonia, 1988. The data provided there is incomplete and incorrect.
Józef Kobierzycki
| – | born on 28 March 1910 in Bogumiłów, district of Sieradz, |
| – | son of Michał and Irena, née Sikorska, |
| – | captain on active duty, |
| – | occupation: lawyer, |
| – | the last position: military attorney, working in Warsaw, |
| – | the last place of residence: Warsaw, Marszałkowska Street 81. |
He was captured by the Red Army in Tarnopol, transported to Kamieniec, and then to Starobelsk.
Our mother and aunt received several post cards from Starobelsk (unfortunately, they got lost during the Warsaw Uprising), with last one dated 6 January 1940.
Mother sent the last letter from Warsaw to Starobelsk on 15 May 1940. It returned two weeks later with a stamp from Moscow: “Retour – partie”. From that point onwards we received no messages.
Our Mother reported his data to the Polish Red Cross – Office for Information and Search, in connection with the article published in “Dziennik Bałtycki”, issue 58 (unknown year), entitled “Społeczeństwo powinno pomagać w poszukiwaniu zaginionych” [Society should help in the search for the missing persons].
[Hand-written note:]
Czesław Gawla, a civil engineer, employed at the Central Industrial Region, enlisted by means of a mobilization card. He sent only one post card to his wife, Maria Gawla – from Toruń, on 24 August 1939, from the Artillery Regiment. From that point onwards there was no news about him. His wife did not know about his stay in Starobelsk.