Letter and fragments of reminiscences
of Dr Teresa Borkowska-Wójtowicz

Warsaw, December 31, 2004

Dear Doctor Wajszczuk,

I want to thank you for your efforts in recreating the history of the Wajszczuk family in Krasnystaw. Wise, interesting, intelligent, good (people). Memory of Their Home remained with us until this day. In the evenings, Mrs. Wajszczuk read to us the "Hurricane" by Gasiorowski, or "Adventures of Beniowski", this exerted a great influence on us.

I re-read this letter many times. I made corrections, moved around the sections, trying to express best the atmosphere of the Wajszczuk Home. However, I cannot express with words, how much did the experiences shared with the Wajszczuk Family left in me. Because they encompass everything - the children's plays, quarrels, happiness, and later pain and tears.

Teresa Borkowska-Wójtowicz

Warsaw, January 3, 2005.

Dear Doctor Wajszczuk,

My memories of the Wajszczuk family start with the arrival of Basia Wajszczuk at the A. Mickiewicz Grammar School (in Krsnystaw - WJW), it was the year of 1936. Our appartments were separated by a narrow street and the windows were facing each other. It was 1936, because in the fall of 1937 we moved to the Leszczynski house, where the Post Office is now located. We were friends with the whole family. Parents with parents and children with children. (...) The Wajszczuk house was full of love, warmth, happiness, easy manners and prosperity. One did not have to apply oneself too rigorously to studying, and the parents were quite tolerant. We were envious of this aspect - I and my two brothers, who were contemporaries of Wojtek. The rest of the day after school, we were spending again together. In summer, we run in the meadows. The boys played war games and the girls - hide-and-seek. We were also making excursions by bicycle. All three young Wajszczuks owned bicycles, so did I - a "Zawadzki" lady's bicycle. (...) In winter, we were attaching skates to the shoes and then we were spending whole afternoons on the artificial skating rink, on the frozen Wieprz river or on the sleighs. In the evenings, our parents were going to the Social Club. (...) They played cards, danced or gossiped. These activities continued until the outbrake of the war.

"Emilia Plater" Girl Scout Squad from Krasnystaw. Independence Day celebration. Krasnystaw - 11 XI 1938. The squad is led by Teresa Borkowska. Barbara is in the second row (indicated with a white cross)

As we have been raised in families who fought for free Poland and fed us stories about the war adventures of our grandfathers, fathers and cousins, we considered the war to be an adventure which we also were allowed to experience. We were looking forward to it. Basia and I were the Girl Scouts. Our squad was named after Emilia Plater. As a squad leader, I was requested to organize services in the District Office after the regular employees left their jobs. The task included preparation of list of persons who wanted to see the "Starost" (Head of the District) to receive gasoline coupons. Gasoline meant life for many people, who were running away in cars from the advancing German army. The town was full of abandoned automobiles, because of the fuel shortage. We were working in two shifts. One day in the evening, during a bombing raid, the Starost, Mr. Olejniczakowski approached us and asked, who would be willing to volunteer to ride to the railroad station to search for a Mr "X". Basia and I volunteered. By car, with the lights turned off, curled up and scared, we arrived at the station. After entering - the station was full of people and of smoke, extremely crowded - we called the man's name, but to no avail. This trip produced an even stronger bond between us.

From left: Teresa Borkowska and Barbara Wajszczuk. Krasnystaw - 4 V 1940 Picture taken by Basia's brother - Antek 0083

In the late fall, we entered the seventh grade of Grammar School. However, it was dissolved very soon, since it was attended by children who were 14 years old and those were being deported to Germany for forced labor. The winter of 1939/1940 was very frosty. (...) There were skates and sleighs until the curfew hour - plenty of free time. First sweethearts - Antek kissed my hand, I did not wash it for quite a while. German officers and soldiers lived in our apartment. (...) Liquidation of the Jews started in 1941; we were forced to leave our apartment and given two hours to do it. We were given replacement quarters at the 3 Maja Square. (...) We lived again "across the road" from the Wajszczuk family. (...) At that time my brothers lived with the grandparents and I stayed with Dr Wajszczuk's family. German soldiers were replaced by the Gestapo men, German police, collaborating Polish police and German gendarmes. A Gestapo man took residence in Dr Wajszczuk's drawing- room. Polish Police station was placed on the first floor of the apartment building. Arrests of the Poles began. (...)

At the time of my stay with the Wajszczuk family, Dr Wajszczuk worked in the morning at the Hospital and in the afternoon was seeing patients in a private consultation room, which was part of the apartment. The apartment had two entrances. Rear (kitchen) entrance and front entrance with a large but dark waiting room. The doctor had many patients and was earning good money. National Health Service did not exist. Nobody was insured. Everybody was a private patient and the doctor's waiting room was always full. He did not have time to sit with us at supper. Milk soup with noodles was the most frequently served meal, which I hated, but ate. Bread was available on ration-cards, it was like clay and available in small amounts. A sort of pancakes, called "prenadels", were prepared from sugar beets, stolen from the farmers' carts and mixed with flower. We were carrying them with Basia on trays to the bakery, where they were baked for a few pennies after the baking of bread was finished. At one time, while eating the milk soup or prenadels, Dr Wajszczuk was telling us a story about a visit to the horse races in Warsaw, where he suddenly overheard some words of admiration "about a beautiful woman with green eyes". He looked around to see her and then realized that they were talking about his wife. Dr Wajszczuk was telling me: "You will stay in our family - you will see".

We had our responsibilities - cleaning, washing dishes - taking turns with Danusia. Danusia was very delicate, quiet. Internal warmth radiated from her. (...) Danusia looked very much like her ancestress, in a portrait which the doctor and Antek brought from Siedlce. There were two portraits, without frames, rolled up.

Antek became very secretive. He was disappearing for hours. He attended the (clandestine) officer cadet's course. Wojtek became friends with various boys. He was also disappearing from sight. Did not want to tell, where he was going and with whom. Once, we were all looking for him until the police curfew time. When he reappeared in the morning, we found out that he spent the night at a taylor's house, with who's limping son he became good friends. (...) Everybody was very worried about Wojtek. He could, inadvertently, by talking too much, bring a calamity - Germans - on the family, which was engaged in a conspiratorial activity.

Children were visiting the summer home in Zolkiewka.* (...)

Basia Wajszczukowna (0084), shortly after the death of her father, in the company of her uncle Stanislaw (BG010) Biegunski and his wife Aleksandra. Photograph submitted by Wlodzimierz Biegunski

Doctor Wajszczuk died a cardiac death. I suspect that it was the so-called "instantaneous death" - Dr Wajszczuk was found in his office. He held in his hand a syringe filled with medication. He was found by patients waiting for consultation in the waiting room. Minutes were passing. Because, neither the doctor nor a patient were emerging, they opened the door and found the doctor dead, lying on the floor.

After Dr Wajszczuk's death, I met with the whole family: Mrs. Wajszczuk, Danusia, Antek, Basia and Wojtek. The women wore the mourning attire, I was surprised with them. Black dresses touched the floor and the faces were covered with black veils. Basia told me that this is the family tradition and these outfits will be worn for 40 days. I spent all day with them. The apartment was being liquidated, new arrangements were being discussed. (...)

When we lived "window-to-window" with the Wajszczuk family, we used to wrap letters around a stone, tie with a string and throw it across the street. We were standing on the balcony and they - in the window. Unfortunately, we were cought and this was the end of the game. My brothers were "cought" once by Dr Wajszczuk, while they were swinging from the radio antenna and because of that, he could not receive the broadcast.

(Continuation of the reminiscences after a telephone conversation).

I am sure that Dr Wajszczuk belonged to the Underground Organization ZWZ, which was transformed later into the AK (Home Army). I am basing this assumption on the following incident: One day in summer of 1941 in the afternoon Basia rushed to our apartment and asked my Mother, if she would allow me to travel with her to Rejowiec - this was on Dr Wajszczuk's request. My Mother agreed. In front of the house, where the Wajszczuk family lived, there was standing a chaise with a driver. In it was sitting an unknown woman. We were requested to sit next to her. The woman was telling us about Warsaw, entertaining us - we looked from a distance like a family. We arrived in Rejowiec to a mansion, which was owned by Mr. Budny. We were placed at a long table with many people already sitting there. We were served portions of patatoes with buttermilk and afterwards, we retured with the same chaise to Krasnystaw. This woman was a liaison officer or a courier. Mr. Budny was later shot to death, in his own home, by an NKVD officer. As simple as that - he entered, stopped, pulled out a revolver and fired a shot. In the secret documents dating back to that period, which were recently brought to light, a note was found from (General) Sierow to Stalin, in which he notifies Stalin about taking posession in Rejowiec of a large amount of gold and US currency, which belonged to the AK. Krasnystaw, as well as Rejowiec, were subordinated to Chelm. If there are any documents with the lists of names of members of the AK - I do not know. (...)

Dear Doctor, I enclose my greetings, wishing you success in the "Labyrinth of Ancestors"

Teresa Borkowska-Wójtowicz

* (WJW) - At the time of one of the telephone conversations, Dr Borkowska-Wojtowicz mentioned also that Dr Wajszczuk's wife most likely moved with the older children from Zolkiewka to Krasnystaw earlier, before the great fire of 1938 (perhaps only for the duration of the school year?), to alow them to attend schools there.

After the fire (and during the war?), the children continued to spend summers in Zolkiewka, in a small utility structure on the doctor's property, which probably survived the fire.

Dr Borkowska: I do not know, if the structure survived the fire or it was built afterwards, it was called "barak".

See also:

• 0084 Barbara Wajszczuk

Prepared by: Waldemar J Wajszczuk & Paweł Stefaniuk 2000-2024
e-mail: drzewo.rodziny.wajszczuk@gmail.com