WARTIME GUIDES

      Six years ago, we initiated actions to build a new monument in Lisak village, app. 40 km from Toruń. During the IIWW there was located a hard labour camp (Stutthof subcamp) for civilians. Those people were captured and forced to built fortifications at the Drwęca River againts Soviet counterstrike. From memories we also know that there worked also Prisoners of War camps. Thanks to our initiative, local organisations, passionates and Institute of National Rememberance got interested into the topic. Now INR is conducting an investigation. Because we are almost sure that there is a massive grave of people who were killed during the evacuation.      There are plans to do exhumations, clean up the area, and demarcate a new path to the monument. Here a radio programme about the topic

     This month we had great plasure to help Carole and her brother Terry in researching their father's war path. Thanks to memories and pictures, we were able to show places connected to his history. There were also new facts about Stalag XXA and treatment of POW by the Germans; sometimes far from offical statement based on Geneva Convention.      We also vistited Malbork to pay tribute to their father's friend who was shoot just because he made an ugly comment ...

Pawel was interviewed by a journalist from a prestigious magazin: :"Wiadomosci Historyczne" about  Stalag XXA history and comunists camp after the war. That was also an interesting discussion about prespecitves of using old camp area in future education. Thanks such activites we are trying to promote knowledge about less known part of city history in which  involved thousands of peoples' lives all over the world.

          We are happy to learn that Tom McGrath who vistited us last winter, to get information about his father's stay in Stalag XXA between 1940-1942, captured at Dunkirk in 1940  (We wrote about his visit here:  https://bit.ly/2SRBqSf ) fot. dailymail.co.uk During his research Tom McGrath discovered that his father - Tom McGrath snr was given 3 medals:  - The Military Medal  - 1939-1945 Star  - The War Medal but he did not receive them in person. And now after 75 years his son, at the ceremony at the British ambassador's in Dublin got the medals! fot. dailymail.co.uk Read more about the story:  https://dailym.ai/2SRCEgj https://bit.ly/2FpoT5q

       Last year, we did some research about POWs burials in Torun, Stalag XXA between 1939-1945. We have found quite a few names of late Prisoners of War. All of them, were exhumated after the IIWW. Today, we publish a first part of the document. name and surname rank POW date of birth date of death   funeral date Frank Grafrey (?) senior private POW 19.11.1920 01.07.1940 04.07.1940 Wiliam Alfred Winchester senior private POW 15.08.1915 14.07.1940 17.07.1940 Robert Smith senior private POW 15.12.1915 18.07.1940 22.07.1940 Aloys Ramsel POW 08.01.1916 07.07.1940 11.07.1940 Herbert Sykes senior private POW 22.09.1906 21.07.1940 24.07.1940 Edward Gaarden senior private POW 30.11.1914 22.07.1940 25.07.1940 Peter MacKay(MacRay) senior private POW 18.12.1917 08.08.1940 10....

It is great when we can help to discover family stories. This time, we were totally suprised when we got a parcel with picutres from Stalag XXA (20A). It had been dicovered accidentally on trash but before it was destroyed a man who found it, called and asked us if we are interested in them. After reseach, we know that this is a collection of pictures from a working camp  in the north east of Poland. What is more, on reverse of one of the pictures, was full data and address. Now we are waiting for response to finish this story.... we will inform you about  the results.

          As you can see in the picture, lately visited us twins! Ladies came to see Stalag XXA (20A) and get to know something more about their father's stay in the camp during the war. The visit was very unusual because both of them are history teachers! So we conducted continuous talks about diffrent perspectives of war! Hope they enjoyed the trip and learn a lot about Stalag XXA (20A).