JADWIGA SZCZEBIOT


Volunteer Jadwiga Szczebiot, born on 23 September 1924 in Głębokie, Wilno Voivodeship; Military Hospital No. 3.


On 20 June 1941 in Głębokie, I was arrested by the NKVD, along with my whole family, and deported to Altai Krai, to the town of Barnaul. The conditions on the way were terrible. We traveled in freight cars, 70 people in each. The NKVD abused us as much as possible. We were given food once every three days, and water was also hard to get.

As soon as we arrived, we were placed in a single barrack – over a hundred people. Each bunk, made of boards, had to accommodate five people. We did physical work. No one was allowed to work in their profession. I worked in a brick factory, so I had to carry wet bricks on wheelbarrows.

Following the amnesty, I could not get a lighter job either and I continued doing physical work. Living conditions were terrible. There was no food, firewood, or light. In April 1942, I went south because the hard living conditions were still impossible to endure. On 16 May, I joined the Women’s Auxiliary Service. Then, I made it possible for my family to leave Siberia and come to the south, and I went abroad in a transport, with my entire family.