Katyn Forest

In April 1940, the Soviet NKVD (police) put a memo from Stalin into action.  They were to execute 25,700 Polish prisoners of war, that had been placed in Russian prison camps. Prisoners were to be shot individually in the back of the head, many after being forced to dig their own mass grave in Katyn forest, where this Saturday’s plane crash occurred. I’ve just found out, that one of the Polish Officer’s killed in the Katyn Massacre was Ada’s father (my great-grandfather). Can you imagine what that would have been like?

Ada and her sister would have been unaware of his fate, as they were in a Siberian labor camp throughout the war. Both her and her sister never spoke about their experience. We have no idea which camp they were in, or what it was like. The only thing they ever said to Dad was that they were lucky to have enough food to survive, and while my Grandma did manual labor, Ada was spared and allowed to do administrative work indoors. Apparently Ada had the brains and my grandma had the brawn.

I have tried to ask Ada if she remembers the war. Like most things, she draws a blank. Probably better for her that way I guess.