Halina's Story

Halina Cieślak (b1934)

Halina was born in Lublin (Poland) (* see comment below) and in 1940 at the age of six was deported to Novosybirtsk in Russia with her sister Danuta and their parents.

The journey in the cattle trucks was tiring and long about 2000km.

On one of the stations Halina’s mother (Bronislawa) got out to try and get some food because the Russians only gave them some food once a day and usually at night, when the children were asleep.

To the family’s horror the train moved off without her. Luckily they were reunited on the tenth day.

In Russia because of immense hunger Halina became weak and very ill (typhus) and stayed in hospital for many weeks initially with her mother but once her mother was discharged she stayed on her own for many weeks far from her parents.

In 1942 Stalin let polish people out of Russia so that the men could join the polish army under British Command and fight the Germans. With the army the civilians were taken to Persia (Iran) and from there to Palestine (Israel) where the family stayed for 3 years in a small village called Aim-Karem, seven kilometres from Jerusalem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ein_Kerem (If it's the same place - birthplace of John the Baptist and as such the location of the "Visitation")

http://198.62.75.4/www1/ofm//san/TSkarim04.html

Halina attended a newly formed polish school till the age of 13, when the family came to live in England in 1947.

Aim –Karem was heaven to Halina as there was plenty of food available especially tropical fruit and after school she loved playing with the Arab children when she learned to speak Arabic fluently.

In England she attended a polish secondary school for one year but her parents decided to move her to an English school and she attended Levenshulme High school in Manchester.

The first six months were hell for her as her English was elementary. Her polish English dictionary is in tatters as she used it continuously. She soon picked the language up so well that she even managed to get a GCSE O level in English Literature. Her favourite subject was maths and after leaving school she worked as a COMPTOMETER OPERATOR (old time calculator) at CWS (Cooperative wholesale society}

At weekends she used to attend the polish club in Manchester where she met Tadzik her future husband.

She also enjoyed taking part in a polish folk dancing group and with it visited many different places in England and Wales.

In 1956 Halina got married and soon after was occupied with bringing up her 2 children Edzio (Edward) and Hania (Anna)

When the children started school she worked as a secretary/bookkeeper in the family business (Leo, Tadzik and Jurek) opened their handbag factory and were very successful and worked till their retirement. Halina did not feel ready for retirement and still worked for 10 years doing the same work as in Tadlon Productions family’s business but in friend’s factory.

She adores her four grandchildren Krzysio (Chris), Adam, Asia (Joanna) Antos (Anthony)

In 2006 Halina and Tadzik celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary and as the years go by are visited by their children and grandchildren, their children both live over 100 miles away.

A story Halina often talks about;

- In Russia picking some edible weeds with her sister for their mother to cook, they came across a field with beetroots and Halina pulled out one beetroot as a treat. As soon as she picked it she threw it down terrified as she saw a Russian man walking towards them. Both she and her sister ran away terrified but were never caught.