[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Deportations

[E Sonnenburg]

The Bolscheviks weren't the only party that were dirty during the 1920s
in Russia.  Some parties especially didn;t like Jewish people. After the
Germans returned to Volhynia WW1 came to a close
and until the mid 1920s they lived relatively peaceful.   Because Czar's
family was gone there was a power vacuum and many parties tried taking
control.  First they went to the cities and by 1929 they had spread out to
rural areas of Russia.    My grandmother says one day a group of men knocked
on their door and talked to them. They were all dressed in a uniform.  My
grandfather didn't say anything bad about anybody and told these men that
whoever comes to power he will support them.  After their talk one of the
men asked my grandmother for something to drink and went into the kitchen
with her.   This man told her they were really the other party but were
dressed like the other party to trick people.  Other villagers weren't so
lucky.   One family was all found dead with their tongues hammered to the
table.  Grandfather's neighbour was badly beaten.

By 1930 land was being confiscated for the communes.  Many opposed to this
were killed or taken away and never seen again.  In late 1930 my grandfather
was taken 1000 km away to Siberia.  Eight weeks later my grandmother and her
sister were rounded up with many other villagers and taken about 3000 km
deep into Siberia.     Through letters grandmother found out where
grandfather was, cut the fence at night, got on the train, found
grandfather, came secretly back to their village, gathered their children
and others and crossed to Poland. 21 people got across There was shooting
and 2 men were killed.
Some of those people are still living today.

15 years later when the Russians were coming west towards Berlin they were
looking for these people that had fled.   When my relatives heard this the 3
brothers took off.  The next night the Russians came into their houses but
didn't find them.  Surprisingly they left the women alone.

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> I have been following  this topic with interest and see that it only
refers
> to the deportations that took place prior to the first world war.  Were
> there things taking place that would have indicated conflict prior to
that.
> My great grandmother came to Canada in 1896, but when talking with one of
> her grandchildren she always made reference to the "dirty bolshevics".
That
> is not in reference to anyone's nationality or to offend anyone.  I just
> wonder what would  be taking place in Volhynia in that time frame that
would
> cause her to have such an opinion.
>
> Delores
>
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