PREECEVILLE, Sask. — On Remembrance Day, Richard and Agnes Gulewicz of Hazel Dell are remembering the wartime experiences of family members who survived Soviet labour camps, served in the Polish Army and later built new lives in Saskatchewan.
Their family history includes Richard's father, Jan (John) Gulewicz, his mother, Marcelina (Celina) Gulewicz, Celina's brothers Stefan and Stanislaw (Stanley) Nurkowski, and her parents, Franciszek and Weronika Nurkowski.
Marcelina (Celina) Gulewicz
Marcelina (Celina) Gulewicz (née Nurkowski) served as a section leader with the Polish 2nd Corps' 3rd Medical Hospital during the Second World War.
Her father, Franciszek, was a First World War veteran who received a homestead in Sudkowszczyzna, Wolyn (now Ukraine).
On Feb. 10, 1940, Soviet soldiers arrived at their home at 2 a.m. and forcibly deported the family to Siberia. After weeks in overcrowded cattle cars, followed by travel by sleigh and truck in temperatures as low as -37 C, they were sent to a forced-labour camp in the Siberian taiga.
Following an amnesty, the family was allowed to leave. Celina's older brothers, Stanislaw, Zygmunt and Stefan, joined the Polish Army, leaving her, at only 12, to help care for her wounded father, Franciszek, her mother, Weronika, and two younger sisters.
Eventually separated from her family, she travelled through Central Asia and the Middle East, working in hospitals to survive. At 18, she added 10 years to her age so she could obtain work and food.
In Italy, she continued her nursing education while serving with medical units caring for wounded soldiers. After the war, she moved to England and, in 1949, immigrated to Canada, settling in Rama, Sask.
With her husband, Jan Gulewicz, she ran a gas station and farmed. They raised four children: Irene, Richard, Veronica and Edward.
In an account preserved by her family, Celina recalled her experiences during the Second World War.
“I was only twelve years old when the war began. I was born in Poland and had attended school there for six years. On February 10, 1940, at two o'clock in the morning, Russian soldiers came to our home. Poland had been divided between Germany and the Soviet Union, and our area was under Soviet occupation. The soldiers ordered my parents to get dressed, wake the children, and prepare to leave. My father asked why, and they replied, 'Because today you are leaving for Russia.'
“My father woke us and dressed us as quickly as he could. We were not allowed to take anything with us except the clothes we were wearing. We were taken to the train station and loaded into cattle cars used for transporting livestock. There were no toilets — only a hole in the floor. Every two or three hours we were allowed to get off the train, not for fresh air, but only to relieve ourselves. There was no privacy. Children, teenagers, and adults all endured these humiliating conditions together because there was no alternative.
“We received a little boiling water, and food was scarce — sometimes once a day, sometimes twice. After travelling for nearly two weeks, we arrived near Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, close to Finland. There was nothing there except forest. We lived in rough log barracks, with seven or eight families crowded into each one. Although I was only twelve years old, I decided to go to work. I wasn't thinking about earning money. I wanted to receive a larger bread ration so I could help feed my two younger sisters. My father had served in the First World War and had been wounded, so he was unable to work. My mother cared for my younger sisters, while I helped support the family alongside my three older brothers. We shared whatever food we received, including an occasional bowl of fish soup. It wasn't much, but it helped keep us alive. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, an amnesty was declared for Polish deportees. In 1942, we were finally allowed to leave the labour camp. Before then, anyone who attempted to escape would simply be shot. Following the amnesty, we were free to travel by train or boat in search of better conditions. We moved from one camp to another, hoping to find a safer place to live.
“We eventually reached China, where we met quite a few Polish people. They told us that a Polish Army was being organized under British command. Many people may not understand what that meant, but Poland had been completely devastated by the war and there was no functioning Polish government or military left in the country. Great Britain helped organize and support the Polish forces, which is why it was known as the Polish Army under British command.
“As a young girl, I was eligible to join the group for younger children, but the transport was already full, so I was left behind.
“I wanted to survive. Although I was only eighteen years old, I added ten years to my age so I could find work and receive food. Having even a small piece of bread in my pocket meant survival.
“About six weeks after being separated from my family, I found work in a hospital. Believe me, many people died from starvation. It was heartbreaking to witness.
“When the time came for us to leave, I had two brothers serving in the Polish Army. My father was no longer able to travel with us. Our family was separated once again. My parents were sent from Iran to Africa, while I was sent to Iraq, about ninety miles from Baghdad.
“Something that has always stayed with me was being astonished to learn that one local man had seven wives and thirty-eight children.
“From Iraq, I continued working, including time in a hospital. After about three months, I was reunited with my family in Egypt. However, we could not remain there because the war was still raging. We had to wait until it was safe to cross the Mediterranean by ship from Egypt to Italy.
“While I was in Italy, I attended nursing school in the evenings, from seven o'clock until eleven, so that I could complete my nursing education. During the day, I served with the medical units, transporting wounded soldiers from one place to another. We often had to carry water and supplies wherever they were needed. Those experiences taught me the importance of determination and perseverance. It is through persistence that we overcome adversity and make progress. Looking back, I realize how quickly life can change. Although I experienced many hardships, I was also fortunate after the war ended. I had the opportunity to visit many beautiful places in Italy. One of the most unforgettable moments was seeing St. Peter's Basilica in Rome with my own eyes. It was truly magnificent. I have never regretted working so hard, but I will also never forget the suffering and tragedy of those years. That history has remained with me throughout my life. My greatest prayer is that the world will never again experience another war. No one should have to endure what so many of us lived through during the Second World War. To the younger generation, I offer this advice: never give up. Appreciate the life and peace that you have today, because they are precious gifts. When I was only fourteen years old, my education came to an end because of illness and the hardships of war. My mother had to take me out of school, and there was no opportunity to continue my education.
“So, do not complain about the challenges you face. Be grateful for what you have, and remember that life can change in an instant. Cherish peace, value your opportunities, and never take your freedom for granted,” she stated.
Celina died Feb. 20, 2014, and is buried in St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Rama.
Jan (John) Gulewicz
Jan (John) Gulewicz served as a private with the Polish 2nd Corps' 2nd Medical Sanitary Company during the Second World War.
Born April 27, 1924, in Molodeczno, Poland, he received his high school education in Molodeczno and earned an automotive mechanic certificate.
He served with the Polish Army and, during the war, was taken to Siberia, where he remained until 1941, when the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement paved the way for the release of many Polish deportees.
Jan enlisted in the Polish 2nd Corps' 2nd Medical Sanitary Company. He trained and travelled through Iraq, Egypt and Libya, and fought in Italy at the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Following the war, he and many other veterans went to England, where he worked as a caretaker for the London Academy of Music.
He married Marcelina (Celina) Nurkowski in St. Neots, England, on Oct. 23, 1947.
He eventually immigrated to Canada and farmed in the Rama, Sask., area from 1950 to 1960.
He worked as a mechanic for Reliance Garage in Preeceville, Sask., and was then the owner-operator of Corner Service in Hazel Dell, Sask., from 1961 to 1978, while maintaining a farm.
During this time, he was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion in Preeceville.
Together, Jan and Marcelina raised four children. He died Aug. 20, 2006, leaving a legacy of courage, perseverance, service and devotion to family.
Stefan Nurkowski
Celina's brothers also served in the Polish army.
Stefan Nurkowski was a lance corporal with the Polish 2nd Corps' 3rd Carpathian Signal Battalion.
Stefan was born Feb. 14, 1923, in Sudkowszczyzna, Wolyn (now Ukraine), where his father, Franciszek, a First World War veteran, received a homestead following his military service.
On Feb. 10, 1940, Stefan and his family were forcibly deported by Soviet authorities to labour camps in Siberia, where they endured harsh conditions until their release following the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement in 1941.
Unable to return to Poland, Stefan overstated his age and enlisted in the Polish 2nd Corps. He served with the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, training in Iraq before serving in Egypt, Libya and Italy, where he fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino.
After the war, Stefan was stationed in England before immigrating to Canada in June 1947 under a two-year farm contract near Yorkton, Sask.
He later settled in Rama and sponsored his brother Stanislaw, his parents, Franciszek and Weronika, his sister Marcelina and her husband, John, to immigrate to Canada.
Stefan met Maria Weglarz in 1962, and they married in 1963. They raised two sons, Bronislaw (Bron) and Joseph.
Stefan was active in Regina's Polish Combatants Association (SPK) until he died Sept. 30, 1995.
His military decorations included the 1939-1945 Star, Italy Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945, Poland's Service Medal, Monte Cassino Commemorative Medal and the Polish Bronze Cross of Merit with Swords.
Franciszek and Weronika Nurkowski
Franciszek Nurkowski and Weronika (née Kukulski) were born in 1889 in what was then Prussia and survived the First World War.
Franciszek served as a soldier during the war and the liberation of Poland. After Poland gained independence, he became a non-commissioned officer in the Polish Army in 1919.
They eventually moved to Sudkowszczyzna, near Horochow in the county of Wolyn (now Ukraine), and lived there until Feb. 10, 1940, when three Soviet soldiers entered their home at 2 a.m.
The family was forced to pack as much clothing and food as they could carry. They endured a four-week journey in overcrowded cattle cars, followed by travel in horse-drawn sleighs and trucks through temperatures as low as -37 C, before being sent to forced-labour camps deep in the Siberian taiga.
The doors to the train cars would only open when Soviet soldiers passed food and firewood to the captives.
Following the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement in July 1941, they travelled as refugees to Tehran and Uganda, and after the war to England.
Their son Stefan brought them from England to Rama, Sask., in 1949, where they were joined by Stanislaw and Marcelina.
Their other children, Bronislawa, Zygmunt and Krystyna, remained in England, while Wladyslawa, Genowefa and Aniela returned to Poland.
Franciszek died in 1963 and Weronika in 1980.
Stanislaw (Stanley) Nurkowski
Stanislaw (Stanley) Nurkowski served as a corporal with the 1st Polish Armoured Division during the Second World War.
Stanley was born May 19, 1925, in Sudkowszczyzna, Wolyn (now Ukraine), where his father, Franciszek, a First World War veteran, had received a homestead.
After Germany invaded Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, the Soviet Union occupied eastern Poland under a secret pact, leaving the Nurkowski family in the Soviet zone.
On Feb. 10, 1940, Stanley and his family were forcibly deported by Soviet authorities in crowded cattle cars to labour camps in Siberia.
They endured severe hardships until 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union and the Soviets granted an "amnesty" to many Polish deportees.
Stanley later enlisted in the 1st Polish Armoured Division, serving with the First Canadian Army.
After training in Scotland, he landed in France in August 1944, where he was wounded in action. He continued fighting through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Following the war, he served with the occupation forces until 1947, then moved to England, where he improved his English before immigrating to Canada in 1949.
He purchased a small farm near Hazel Dell, Sask.
Stanley married Stella Poterieko in 1952, and they had eight children: Julian, John, Cindy, Nathaniel, Darlene, Linus, Kelvin and Dew.
Stanley died July 23, 2000.
-Submitted by Agnes Gulewicz
