Straws In The Wind

A number of events caused Eugene to record his story. One trigger was the formation of a new and independent Belarus. This new Country encompassed his birthplace and as part of the old Soviet Union had previously been inaccessible to him. The fate of his father had always preyed on his mind and a "journey home" seemed like an opportunity to discover the truth about what really happened. He made the trip but his investigations were not crowned with success. He did pick up some indicators and bits of gossip however, "Straws in the Wind", as he called them, which strongly suggested to him that the actual events surrounding his father's disappearance were very different to those he and his family had been led to believe...

A number of events caused Eugene to record his story. One trigger was the formation of a new and independent Belarus. This new Country encompassed his birthplace and as part of the old Soviet Union had previously been inaccessible to him. The fate of his father had always preyed on his mind and a "journey home" seemed like an opportunity to discover the truth about what really happened. He made the trip but his investigations were not crowned with success. He did pick up some indicators and bits of gossip however, "Straws in the Wind", as he called them, which strongly suggested to him that the actual events surrounding his father's disappearance were very different to those he and his family had been led to believe. He was also struck by how thoroughly the Russian Authorities had removed all physical trace of his family's life in that area. He determined to ensure that the Communists' attempts to rub out his father and the rest of the Krajewski clan from history would not succeed. Another factor was the death of his mother. He became concerned that, with her and other similar sources of information departing as a natural progression, the whole story would soon be shrouded in the mists of time and forgotten. Yet another spur was the, to him, surprising fact that the younger generation in the United Kingdom was completely ignorant of the crimes perpetrated upon the Polish Nation by Stalin's regime at the start of the Second World War. It is a fact still often met with reactions of amazement by many that Stalin was responsible for far more deaths than Hitler. The result is a personal account of events as viewed first-hand by the author as he moves through childhood into adulthood. Many moments of horror and depravation were seen as fascinating adventures through the eyes of the author as a child. In his book the author displays no sense of grievance, anguish or even hatred for the Nation that was the cause of his misfortune. Instead of seeking vengeance, he acknowledges that most of the people involved were also the victims of the System.

The author Eugeniusz (Eugene) Krajewski was born in the Northeast region of Independent Poland in 1935. At the outbreak of the Second World War, peaceful life in the author's family home was shattered once and for all. Soon after the invasion of his region by the Russian Armies his father was "arrested", never to be seen again. This was followed by the deportation of the remainder of the Krajewski family (the author included) to Siberia to be used as slave labour. What followed included journeys to far reaches of the Globe, some of them involving many harrowing ordeals in which the family battled against the surrounding starvation, illness and death. Due to political developments he, together with his mother, brother and two sisters, eventually found themselves in the care of the British and, having spent some time in Persia (now known as Iran) and India, finally arrived in England in 1948. After becoming a qualified engineer, Eugene lived and worked in England for many years, until he was called upon to employ his skills abroad - consequently in Russia (where he wrote this book!) and more recently, in Poland. He is now retired and lives in the UK with his wife, regularly giving talks about his experiences to a variety of audiences.