Warsaw, 16 March 1946. Judge Halina Wereńko [handwritten:] Alicja [illegible]], has interviewed the person mentioned below as a witness. Having advised the witness of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the importance of the oath, the judge swore the witness on the basis of art. 109 of the code of criminal procedure.
The witness testified as follows:
| Name | Mieczysław Justyna |
| Date of birth | 9 March 1909 |
| Parents’ name | Jan and Marianna |
| Occupation | medical doctor |
| Education | University of Warsaw |
| Place of residence | Warsaw, Płocka Street 26 |
| Religious affilation | Roman Catholic |
| Criminal record | none |
I had worked in St. Lazarus hospital for seven years by that time. In the early days of the Warsaw Uprising I was at the hospital, as usual. I was in the building of the surgical and urological ward, on the side of Leszno Street. There were about 80 hospital patients and about 200 wounded, including several Germans.
The fighting did not take place in our area, only some single insurgent soldiers would occasionally come in and throw grenades from the roofs of the hospital buildings. The Germans were attacking from the side of Wolska Street, there were powerful sounds of fighting, we could hear bombing and shelling.
The pressure of the German army increased enormously on 5 August. Bombing from airplanes and artillery had begun, as well as shelling from the tanks. Artillery and tank shells were falling on the hospital buildings; the hospital pharmacy, located near Karolkowa Street, caught fire from shells fired from tanks on Karolkowa Street (I could also hear the sound of tanks). At this time, the insurgents withdrew completely from this area.
At about 10 p.m. one of the hospital workers (I cannot recall her name, I will try to verify the name and the address), who was staying in the hospital shelter located on the side of Wolska Street, ran into our ward. The shelter was a hiding place for many persons of the hospital staff and their families, as well as for some random residents of the surrounding houses. There were about 200 people there, as I heard. The worker whom I mentioned told us that Germans broke down the door and invaded the shelter. They robbed everyone of their watches and jewellery, and started shooting at people and throwing grenades. She managed to escape by the side door and crossed the yard to our building.
Along with a number of other doctors, I left the grounds of St. Lazarus hospital and made my way to the Karol and Maria hospital located at Leszno Street, opposite our hospital. After I left St. Lazarus hospital, two doctors remained there: Doctor Jerzy Zaleski, recently a resident in Pruszków, an internist whose name I don’t remember (and which I will try to verify), and nurses Otylia Trynka, a resident in Włochy near Warsaw (I will check the exact address later), Maria Szyllin, a resident in Skierniewice in the city hospital, Maciejewska (I don’t remember her given name), currently employed in the First Regional Military Hospital in Warsaw, 6 Sierpnia Street, Antonina Romanowa with her daughter Maria Romanówna (now a resident in Łódź, I shall find out their exact address), and some others, as well as a number of female physical workers and all the sick and wounded. Once in the Karol and Maria hospital, I watched St Lazarus. I heard shooting and cries of despair: “Help” and “Oh, Jesus”. Some single shots followed. These sounds were coming from the hospital building I had left, located on the side of Leszno Street, and from further buildings. At the same time I saw fire growing and spreading to all the the hospital buildings. At about midnight all the noises from St Lazarus hospital died down, no shots or human screaming were heard. All that could be seen was the fire.
I stayed in the Karol and Maria hospital until 6 August, when I was taken by the Germans with all the hospital staff.
I will also mention that I learned from Nurse Romanowa that everyone from St. Lazarus hospital, except the persons indicated above and several others, was shot by the Germans. As far as I know, until now no news has been heard from anyone, staff or patients, who were in the hospital building at the moment the Germans entered it.