Editorial Office of the “Zorza” weekly
Warsaw, Mokotowska Street 43
“List of persons reported missing”
In connection with the article entitled “Kim byli zaginieni jeńcy” (“Dziennik Bałtycki” no. 67 of 20 March 1989), I hereby take the liberty of attaching photocopies of mementos relating to my missing father, which had previously been kept by my mother, now deceased. These documents have been selected for the questionnaire form as per the questions set forward in the cited article.
1. Henryk Orłowski
–father: Paweł, mother: Antonina née Wiszniewska,
| – | born on 13 December 1906 in Tiflis (Russia), |
| – | address of residence: Wilno, Tomasza Zana Street 15d, |
| – | interned at the camp in Ostashkov. |
| 2. | A professional officer and a graduate of the Higher War School (shall I send documents confirming his graduation?). |
| 3. | A Captain on the Staff of the 1. Infantry Division of the Legions in Wilno. |
| 4. | Not applicable. |
| 5. | Unknown. |
| 6. | Ostashkov. |
I have attached the following documents:
| 1. | father’s photograph, |
| 2. | document of nomination to the rank of Captain, |
| 3. | father’s letter of 9 September 1939, in which he provided the detailed address of the field post office, |
| 4. | three “correspondence notes” from Ostashkov, dated 5 December [and] 12 December [1939], and 5 January 1940, |
| 5. | mother’s letter, dated 11 December 1947, to the Magistrates’ Court in Sopot. |
Please pass on my sincere gratitude to engineer Jędrzej Tucholski.
Yours sincerely,
[…]
Miss Zosia!
Please be so kind as to pass this card on to my wife, or otherwise inform me where my wife presently lives. I have already sent her one card, but received no reply. Without a doubt I will return soon and thank you in person for your favor.
Henryk Orłowski
Dearest Czecha!
Did you get my postcard? I will repeat what I wrote: I am more or less alright. It may be that I’ll be back soon. Wait for me in Wilno. I miss you all so much. I wish you a Happy Christmas. Please send me – of course if you can – a set of underwear and one [pair of] socks. Do not send anything else. Write back quickly, for I worry about you all. Send me a photograph of you and Jola. I send my kisses to all of you – write [illegible].
Yours forever faithful, Henryk
Ostashkov, 5 December 1939
Dearest Czecha!
I am more or less alright. It may be that I will return soon. I wish you a Happy Christmas. I will write you once monthly. Please write me more often, and use exactly the address which I have provided. I worry so much about you all. Please write back at once, and tell me about Jola and Mother. How are you coping? Has necessity compelled you to sell some of our personal items? Send me a photograph of you and Jola. The one that you gave me went missing during the war, along with my other things. Also send me a set of warm underwear and one [pair] of socks. Do not send anything else. Write back at once. Do not forget me.
Yours forever faithful, Henryk
5 January 1940 [?]
Dearest Czecha!
I received your two cards of 12 and 15 December 1939. I was so pleased – we haven’t had any news about each other for so long now. I was surprised that Jola and Mother were going to Łódź, but you are on the spot and know best what to do. And as for you – alright, stay put, do not move anywhere. Unless the matter of my return was to be considerably delayed, please go, dearest, to Łódź and father, but do not forget about me. We will correspond later concerning this matter.
Write me, dearest, as often as possible; each letter that you send is a great treasure for me. I will write you back at least once a month. Write also to Palik, so that he knows that his brother is still alive and hasn’t perished in the war. Have many of my friends returned to Wilno? I do not know what happened with Henio and Edek. Neither do I know what’s going on with Kowalski. I have already sent you two postcards.
Hope for the best, my love, and be sprightly and doughty. God willing, we shall be together again once I return. Write a longer letter, long letters always arrive. Write every few days, and if something urgent crops up, send a cable.
Your forever faithful husband, Heniek
Give my embraces to our daughter
and Mother
Point of stopover, 9 September 1939
Dearest Czecha!
I am availing myself of the kindness of Major Świderski and sending a longer letter. The war is only nine days in but I already feel as if long months have passed. This is not a pleasant period – in the main [?] one does not sleep or eat, and also [?] one feels terribly tired.
I have already had my baptism of fire – three German bombers pounced on me while I was on a road, shooting at me with their heavy machine guns and cannons. The vehicle was riddled with bullets (they were shooting from some 30 m), but I managed to jump out and flee to the forest. Unluckily, they pressed home their attack while I was in an open field, but even though I was running in a group [illegible], with people all around me, I miraculously escaped unhurt. You could say that it was a true miracle. You can congratulate me – and yourself. Those scoundrels are bombing us continuously, making our lives a misery. Worse luck! You can get used to it, I suppose.
I have sent you 450 Polish zlotys and two postcards through the field post office, but I don’t know if you received them. Write often and repeat your information from letter to letter, for some may not reach me. When it will be possible to send parcels, please send me that other thick sweater, a pair of warm, long underpants, and winter gloves – it gets bloody cold here at night.
I’ve met up [illegible] with Zaremba – I have no idea what is going on in the world, we have no radio or newspapers, but we see the product of war daily, [illegible], [illegible], the wounded, etc., and we are also hungry. Oh, and send me a pack of tea.
But [illegible] as regards that [illegible], dearest, I entreat you to go to Czecha Gudecka if things take a turn for the worse – remember, I obligate you to do so. It is said [illegible] are maltreating the civilian population and burning everything. Some day we will pay them back.
Give Jola my kisses and please write as often as you can. Keep in mind that my letters will be few and far between. My address: Field Post Office 12, Unit 314. Do not write anything, the entire [illegible].
Once again [illegible] love, and remain strong, for I have no guarantee that the money came through [?]. I send you an additional one hundred Polish zlotys. Also pass on the letter and the one hundred zlotys to Mrs. Jagoda.
[Illegible].