1. Personal data (name, surname, rank, age, occupation, marital status):
Gunner Kazimierz Kleczkowski, born 29 November 1924, student, unmarried.
2. Date and circumstances of arrest:
I was arrested on 24 March 1940 in Postawy. On 21 September, I was deported to Wilejka, then to Borysowo on 22 June, and then to Ryazan.
3. Name of the camp, prison, forced labor site:
Prisons: Postawy, Wilejka, Ryazan.
4. Description of the camp, prison:
The prison in Postawy was built in autumn, steeped in dampness, and consisted of one building. There were 20–21 people staying in a single cell (3–4 meters). Hygiene was terrible.
Wilejka: two buildings. Living conditions and hygiene – terrible.
Ryazan prison: living space in the basements, hygiene below any standard.
5. Compositions of prisoners, POWs, exiles:
In three of the prisons mentioned above there were mostly political prisoners of Polish nationality. Intellectual and moral standing – average.
| 6. Life in | the camp, prison: |
| A | 20-minute walk around the prison during the day. Food: bread, hot water, soup for dinner. |
| We | wore our own clothing and prison underwear. No work. |
7. Attitude of the local NKVD towards the Poles:
Prisoners arrested in political cases were harassed at every opportunity. I went through a tough interrogation, which included beating, putting me in front of a hot stove wrapped in sheepskin coat, etc. The way Soviet authorities treated Poles was hideous, they criticized our authorities, etc.
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality:
Medical assistance was available in each of the prisons I saw. Treatments were based on aspirin or iodine. I don’t recall the surnames of the deceased.
9. Was there a possibility to contact one’s country and family?
Since the time of arrest until now, I haven’t had any news about my family. I’m aware that they were deported to Russia (Arkhangelsk) in June 1941.
10. When were you released and how did you manage to join the army?
I was released from the Ryazan prison on 3 September 1941, in the morning. At noon, I set off to Totskoye by train, as the 7th Division was being formed there. On 5 September, I appeared before the drafting commission in Totskoye. After three weeks in the 7th Division, I was transferred to the Students’ Army Corps. From there I was sent to another commission in Toshloq – to the 5th Division – which I traveled to Palestine with.
31 January 1943