THERE IS ONE DESTINY - Part 04

While the fiercest fighting was still raging on, General Markos was deposed and replaced with Dimitri Partsalidis, president of the interim government, and Zahariadis, responsible for everything. A short time after DAG withdrew from Gramos, Gianulis, chief commander of Voio Gramos, was prosecuted and executed. It was the beginning of the end for the DAG military. The fighting in Gramos lasted for about 70 days, during which time the enemy was helped by the Western world, led by the United States of America. The partisans, especially the Macedonian people, were the first victims after the Second World War, but proved to be a tough nut to crack. They proved to be true fighters for freedom, democracy and independence.

A short digression…

Spiro Mavrovski – An impression of his father’s meeting with one of his co-fighters

While himself serving in the Yugoslav Army in 1985, Spiro Mavrovski had the opportunity, nearly forty years later, to learn about one of his father’s DAG co-fighters from the Greek Civil War. It was before the 1985 elections in Greece, before the Easter celebrations, when the Greek authorities, out of the goodness of their hearts, decided to open the borders and, for a short time, allowed people to enter Greece without any special documents. Risto and Sofia (Spiro’s father and mother) decided that they wanted to go and visit their places of birth, their native homes which they had abandoned 40 years earlier and had not been allowed to return to since then. When they returned they had little to say about what they saw. They did not find what they expected. Instead they found their places of birth in ruins, their former homes a depressing place. It was a picture full of sorrow about which they did not want to talk. Their homes were empty, their houses destroyed. It was a difficult visit and God saw to it that it was made even more difficult by making it rain continuously for five consecutive days while they were visiting. Despite the heavy rain, they made sure to visit the cemeteries and graves of their dead relatives. They also frequented the cafés and met with the locals.

When Risto and Sofia arrived in the village Pozdivishcha, as they did in other places, many of the local people came over to see them. They were curious as to who these people were from the Republic of Macedonia? When they found out that they were originally from there, they began to share various stories about what happened to them, good and bad stories of survival in the concentration camps and during the wars. At one point Risto asked about a friend of his from a neighbouring village, a co-fighter and how he was doing. He was told that the man Risto was looking for was a recluse. He had separated himself from society and did not want to make contact with anyone. He lived in the barns, Risto was told, with his sheep and he rarely encountered people. Risto then asked how he could make contact with this man and was told that the only contact this man had was the grocer from whom he purchased his food. The person who gave Risto this information also told him that he had the

grocer’s telephone number. While Risto and Sofia were still in the café, someone phoned the grocer and left a message for the man that “Risto Mavrovski from the village Zhelevo was here looking for him”. It was raining hard that day and word came back that the man was not going to come. Risto, however, did not believe that. Normally it was a 40 minute walk from the café of this village to the next village but the man, who supposedly was not coming, made it there in 30 minutes. Risto was not surprised. When the man saw Risto, he hugged him and cried without saying a word. He cried a long time without being able to say a word. At one point in his young life during the war, Risto had saved this man’s life which he had not forgotten and thought that it was a miracle for them to have been brought together again after so many years of being apart. After the war this man was sent to the Greek prison camps where he served a five year jail sentence before he was released. Upon his release he remained in his village. The villagers had thought that he was far from what was normal. But his struggle with society, with everything around him had left his mind clean of the corruption around him. What a normal person experiences in life and survives he will never forget. May the glory be eternal for the two great heroes of DAG! Life always writes the most beautiful novels about such people.

Forgive the digression, and now back to Risto’s story.

Risto’s second wounding – Bulkesh, October 1948

After a short stay in a local hospital until about mid October 1948, Risto and other wounded partisans were transported through Prespa to the Republic of Macedonia to the Skopje Katlanovo Spa. Risto remained at the Spa until the end of November 1948, at which point in time he and seven others were trucked to the Skopje Railway Station, loaded on freight cars, covered with dry grass and straw and shipped as cargo to Belgrade. Risto was put in charge and was responsible for acquiring food and medical supplies for them when they arrived in Belgrade. They were expected. A person was waiting for them at the railway station. Risto remembers being approached by a stranger and called to the side and directed to the supplies. Risto and his group remained at the station until the evening. When the train started pulling out of the station Risto was told that

someone would be waiting for them at a designated place. The trip from Belgrade to their final destination was not long so they were told to be ready to get off the train at a moment’s notice.

When the train arrived at the train station in Bulkesh, the car Risto and the others were in was disconnected from the composition and was left on the platform. There were people with village carts waiting for them. They took them to a designated quarantine area in a cinema hall where they spent the night. The next morning a doctor came and examined them. There was also another person who came with the doctor and who informed them of what they would be doing and where they would be working.

This was Bulkesh, a state within a state. Here Risto met up with people from Zhelevo including Aleko Balko, Aleko Ioannou, Petre Zega, Lambro Marko, Anastas Flora, Lazo Altano, Tanas Luchko, Vasil Luchko and Vangel Bogdanov. A little later, in December 1948, Spiro Mavrovski, Risto’s brother, also arrived in Bulkesh but stayed only a short time. He was soon transferred to Hungary.

Bulkesh was a large village of about 7,000 people, long inhabited by a German and pro-German population, which was helping the occupier throughout the war. After the war was over, the survivors fled to Germany and the village was transformed into a political refugee centre for Greece. This was done under contract between the CPY and the CPG and became a haven for partisan training, manufacturing, material warehousing and other activities. The nearest village to Bulkesh was Giakova, which was close to the town Bachki Petrovats. Bulkesh was an industrial area where hemp and hemp products were processed. Four wheel village carts and saddles were also built there. Leather goods were processed. Shoes, agricultural and farming equipment were manufactured. Many cows, sheep, ducks and chickens were raised. There was also a hospital where wounded from the war in Greece were treated. Many Macedonians and Greeks worked in these factories. The village had many restaurants, a mill, a movie theater, a church and a football stadium. The place was run by CPG Greek officials and had its own special currency, the dinar, exclusive to Bulkesh. Because this was considered a state within a state, there were no Yugoslav authorities present inside Bulkesh. Outside the village, the border, was guarded

by a Yugoslav militia which checked travel passes and made sure no one escaped. Travel was not allowed without special permission. There were two very important slogans to remember in Bulkesh: “Those who do not work cannot eat” and the second and more important slogan was: “Everything produced will be sent to the front in Greece in support of the DAG units.” That briefly was Bulkesh.

Risto remained in Bulkesh until the end of March 1949, during which time he worked at the hemp processing plant which ran three shifts. There he attended political school where he was taught Marxism, political science and military skills. The population there was different, mostly mixed with many Greeks from Evro and less Macedonians, most of who were from Voden and Karadzhova Regions. After the Greek Civil War ended Bulkesh was disbanded. Rumours were circulating that many bad things had taken place there involving the work and the CPG leadership.

Risto Mavrovski - Back to the front in April 1949

Early in April 1949 Risto, along with six other men and a Greek woman named Doksa, were put on a train and sent back to Greece via Belgrade, Skopje and Bitola. From there they traveled to Liuboino and arrived in the village Rabi, Prespa Region. From Rabi they were escorted to the village German and from there to the village Rula, to the Headquarters of the 11th Division. As soon as they arrived Risto found himself back on the front. Luckily Risto ran into Vasilko, one of his former commanders from 1947 who was now political commissar of the division. He personally received Risto into his division and ordered food and clothing for him and set him up in a bunker in the area around Lisets. So once again, even before his wounds had a chance to heal, Risto was about to enter a new page in his military life.

Here Risto met and befriended a man named Thesaliotis, an officer in the Information Division who made Risto’s life and work easier for a while. At this point Risto got to see and study forensic and other intelligence materials.

Some time later, Risto and thirteen others from the various brigades, all officers, were selected, combined as a unit and deployed in the

partisan free territory. In the beginning Apostoli was appointed commander and Risto Mavrovski was appointed political commissar of the new unit. This unit’s role was to move among all the other units and sometimes operate behind enemy lines. From April to June 1949 Risto worked at the 11th Division Headquarters. Risto’s direct commander was Pando Vainata and his political commissar was Vasilko. Risto was given the task of safely transferring units and mail from one place to another through enemy patrolled areas. One time Risto transferred Commander Pando Vainata and one of his units from Radusha locality located under Neveska to Mount Vicho. When the task was successfully completed and the unit safely arrived at the village Kolomnati, Risto was asked to report to division headquarters where he was told to go to the interim government office to receive his Medal of Honour. Risto, however, declined because he had another task, a more important task to carry out. His task was to guide Commander Pando Vainata’s unit on a long trek through Radozh, Siniachko to Voio in order to get to Gramos. On the first day, the unit was discovered by the enemy in Radusha and a battle ensued which lasted all day. Fana Dimova Misheva from the village Oshchima, a second cousin of Risto’s, was killed in that battle. In the evening the column continued on its way and arrived in Siniachko, over the village Empore, where it spent the day. The next evening it continued its trek through the village Kostoradzhe, crossed the Bistritsa River and arrived in the villages Sklalohori, Nestimo and Lakomata in Grevena Region. There, the unit was attacked from all sides during the day. It was also bombed by aircraft taking off from Rupishta. Most of the fighting was hand to hand combat and many were killed and wounded. Falling bombs killed many of the unit’s horses. After dark the commander ordered the unit to collect all the dead and bury them. All the wounded able to walk were taken with the unit. The badly wounded were hidden and command was notified to send medics to care for them. The unit was ordered to turn back, but was again spotted by the enemy and attacked while crossing the river at Bogachigo. And as such an all-day tough battle ensued under the gorge in Siniachko. Again many were killed and wounded. During the evening the unit climbed Vrbitsa Mountain above the villages Mokrenim, Zagorichani, Lehovo and Srebreno. The next day the unit was again attacked and experienced an even more severe battle with heavy losses on both sides. At this point Commander Pando Vainata ordered the unit to

disband into smaller groups and meet at Mount Vicho at a later time. This was Risto’s last joint action with Commander Pando Vainata as an expedition leader and as main courier. Risto was given this job because he was familiar with the terrain.

Upon Risto’s return to Mount Lisets, the 105th Brigade was formed. Skotila was appointed commander, under whose request Risto Mavrovski and Iani Tanopoulos from the village Srebreno were appointed staff officers, Risto as a platoon commander and Iani as platoon political commissar. Risto remained at this position until Vicho fell in August 1949.

Risto’s third wounding – Lisets, August 12, 1949

On August 11, 1949, the Monarcho-Fascists began a major offensive on the entire partisan held territory. Risto, at that time, was in Liset’s and unfortunately was heavily wounded in battle. The right side of his shoulder was badly torn up, but thanks to the help he received from Sofianoto and his unit, with which Risto was fighting side by side, his life was saved. Sofianoto ordered his fighters to carry Risto to the first aid station. From there he was taken down the road to the village Trnaa, put on a truck and transported to the village Orovnik, Prespa Region. The next day, August 12, 1949, Risto was re-bandaged and injected with an antiseptic drug. This was done by Sevda Stanisheva, a woman from Zhelevo, Risto’s village. From there Risto was taken to Lak, put on a fishing boat and transported over the lake to the village Drobitishta. There he was secured in a cave and on August 16, 1949 Risto ended his sufferings on the Greek held Macedonian territory.

Spiro’s own findings about his father’s Lisets episode from talks with people from Zhelevo

From talking to people from Zhelevo who had lived through the war, Spiro (Risto’s son) had heard a different story about what happened to his father at Lisets. During the fierce battle Risto was badly wounded and was unconscious when he was discovered by his co-fighters who took him as being dead and tossed him in the pile of dead bodies to be buried later. But as luck would have it, one of Risto’s cousins, a woman, and an older man from Zhelevo, who

were passing by, recognized Risto and wanted to take him home and bury him in the Zhelevo cemetery. The older man, not being convinced that Risto was actually dead, took Risto’s shoes off, lit a newspaper on fire and placed it under his bare feet. Risto reacted to the burning flame and as such they realized that he was not dead. From there the two carried him to the road and hailed the next truck heading for Prespa. Risto was loaded with the other wounded, taken to Prespa and from there to a hospital in Albania where many surgeries were perfumed on his arm and shoulder and as such Risto was rescued from having his arm amputated.

The trip to Poland and to the Hospital “250”

From the cave, as Risto remembers, he was taken to a hospital in Korcha, Albania, along with many wounded who were fighting in the Vicho and Gramos fronts. He remained in Korcha until October 1, 1949. Risto received excellent care in the hospital from the many doctors who had come from Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, other parts of Albania as well as from Greece. After that Risto was transferred to Elbasan, to a hospital where many wounded Macedonians were sent. Risto spent fifteen days in Elbasan. After that, on October 15, 1949, he and the other wounded were taken by truck to the port city Durasi in the Mediterranean Sea, loaded on a Romanian ship and sent off onto a voyage towards the Atlantic Ocean. Besides the wounded there were also civilians on that ship. And as such Risto’s stay in Albania ended.

The ship sailed towards Italy, passed by Sicily and through Gibraltar where it entered the Atlantic Ocean. Then, after what seemed like a long voyage, the ship entered the Baltic Sea in Polish territorial waters and offloaded its passengers at the port city Gdynia. The trip lasted eleven days and nights. The Poles were expecting the ship and prepared a special composition of train cars. The wounded separated from the civilians and transported to the city Mendzheguzhe.

Spiro’s version of hospital “250”

All the conversations that Spiro had with his father and the mystery surrounding Risto’s experience, led Spiro to do some of his own research, particularly about the Macedonian experience during the

war years in Greek occupied Macedonia. This led him to some interesting information, especially about hospital “250” and his father’s way to it.

Spiro was able to find the information he was looking for thanks to Mr. Petre Nakovski and his latest book “On the road of Time”, published in 2010. The reader can find more information about the refugees taken to Poland in the book “The Greek Hospital on the island Volin,” whose author was the organizer and chief surgeon of the special military hospital, code named “250”, then Major, later Brigadier General, Dr. Vladislav Barchikovski. Among his valuable and worthy recorded testimony the reader will also find the following information:

“As can be seen from the story told by General Leszek Kshemjenj, then deputy commander of the Shlesk Military District for political and educational issues, in the beginning of the summer of 1949 he asked to see Boleslav Bjerut, the first secretary of the Central Committee of PORP. Considering the complicated international situation, he brought to his attention the plight of the Partisans from the Greek Civil War. He was particularly touched by the fate of the wounded and sick, especially the children, women and elders. He was shaken by the prospect of their destruction as a result of the defeat of the Democratic Army of Greece. Boleslav Bjerut strongly emphasized the importance of Proletariat Internationalism as a basic ideological principle of communism and stressed that, as we were helped by other countries in our struggle comrades, it is now our turn to help and provide humanitarian aid...

The military, which was equipped with the best organizational readiness, could take care of the evacuation, transportation, treatment and rehabilitation. The civilian authorities could then take care of accommodation and adjustments to life. He said he was personally interested in giving those unlucky people, not only material assistance but also friendship from the heart. As a member of the military leadership in the territory where the new immigrants were to be accommodated in the future, General Kshemjenj ordered that he be regularly informed about their situation. General Kshemjenj began to work on this project immediately but only for a short time. He was replaced by General Vaclav Komar, chief

organizer and implementer of the immigrants from the Greek Civil War case in Poland.

A group of doctors, under the leadership of Dr. Bohdan Bednarski, later Minister of Health, was dispatched from Poland to Albania towards the end of the Greek Civil War. The doctors provided the Partisans with professional medical help. There was another group of doctors who worked inside the ships that transported refugees from the shores of Albania to a place near the Polish port Shvinoujshche. These doctors provided assistance and emergency surgery as required. The wounded Partisans offloaded in Shvinoujshche were transported by public health vehicles to hospital ‘250’ on Volin Island. Later ships began to arrive in Gdansk where the wounded were offloaded and taken to Szczecin and from there were loaded on buses and taken to the hospital. Basically there were four periods during which refugees were transported. The first was at the end of July 1949, the second in the middle of September and part of October, the third in November and the fourth in December. The latter ones were sporadic and very few refugees were transported.

The first batch of refugees transported from Albania took place on July 13, 1949. The ship, with a crew of 50, that took them was called ‘Koshchushko’ and carried 750 wounded. They were in bad shape and needed specialist help and fast. The partly healed patients were housed at the bottom of the ship and those who needed immediate attention and dressings changed were placed in the cabins. Each patient was issued a number written on a card which hung from their neck. They were supposed to memorize the number.

While they were still in Albania, before they were loaded on the ship, rumours began to circulate among them that they would be loaded onto a Polish ship, which meant that they would most likely be taken to Poland. Some had met Polish doctors in Albania. Many remembered being treated by a female Polish doctor in Sukt but they did not know her last name. She was constantly with them and cared for them, especially for women. The Greek nurses and health personnel were subordinate to her.

The wounded were not allowed to leave their bunks while passing through Gibraltar or during the short stay in Copenhagen. But the ship found itself in a terrible fog while traveling through the English Channel. The sirens blew for long periods of time and the trip lasted twelve days before it docked in Shvinoujshche Harbour on July 25.

Ochinjets and Fedina were a bit surprised when, the previous morning, they received a call from Colonel Kavinjski ordering them to prepare several hundred blankets, drinks in milk cans and many pots. Everything was then loaded onto trucks and ready to go. Among the column of trucks were also the public health vehicles ready to pick up the wounded. The column of trucks sat idle for many hours waiting for orders to depart. Everyone thought the alarm had been sounded a bit too early. Then in the evening a jeep appeared from the command building and signaled the column to move. Everyone was relieved when the column left. By then everyone was also tired of waiting. The Column of trucks passed by the Mjendzivodzhe guardhouse and then it was off on its way to the port to pick up the refugees.

While traveling on its way the column was diverted into a densely wooded grove. A dark looking older man with a large moustache, wearing an officer’s uniform, came out of the woods. It was Colonel Stanek. There were many people in uniforms and in civilian clothes hiding in the woods, along with many medical vehicles. At night the entire truck column moved out and drove into the harbour where it was met by a huge ship. They began unloading the ship at dawn while it was still dark. It was cold that day. The severely wounded were placed in special baskets and offloaded from the ship by cranes. The wounded had to endure the cold and inconvenience while being offloaded but the process was quick and soon they were set on land. While this was going on, a number of people in uniform appeared. They carefully covered the wounded with blankets, placed them on stretchers, loaded them onto the public health vehicles and drove them away.

When they were subsequently asked, all the patients said that their first impression of Poland was very pleasant. After the period of uncertainty that they had experienced before that, they found the Poles very caring and compassionate. They felt as if they were in

good hands. The lightly wounded got off the ship on their own and after stepping off the ship each was issued a blanket by the soldiers standing by the bridge. After that they were escorted to the trucks and to a small number of buses. There they were given hot drinks. The wounded who had amputated legs were carried onto the vehicles by hand. One of the men cried, not because he was in pain but because of the attention he was receiving, being carried by hand. Some, to express their gratitude, petted the metal eagles on the hats of the Polish soldiers who carried them.

The strange newcomers were dressed in half-civilian, half-military clothing, wearing American looking hats. They were dirty, thin-faced, neglected and sorrowful. They kept silent and to themselves. They left the impression that they were strange and unsure of themselves. They curiously watched the Polish soldiers standing at the seashore. Some newcomers wanted to touch their military medals, signs and symbols. All the heavily wounded were bandaged in dirty and bloody cloths and rags and under the bandages the wounds were leaking pus. It looked like there was no means to look after them on the ship or perhaps those providing the assistance were inexperienced? Some of the wounded had deformed limbs and did not want them seen by the soldiers, but once in a while the soldiers took a peek and showed their compassion by bowing and making hand gestures. When the entire operation was completed the trucks left Shvenoujashte in a hurry. They passed the empty Mjendzivodzhe without noticing those who were there on vacation.

The first transport was a great experience for the hospital staff. They had been preparing for this for a long time. They were nervous due to the responsibility entrusted to them. Would everything go right? Would they be able to receive all the wounded and sick during the night and the next day? All these issues were causing them stress. They walked from corner to corner, checking whether something should be done, if something needed to be prepared or fixed. The wait was long and caused them much stress. Then the moment they saw the public health vehicles arriving and stopping in front of their building, they all came alive with excitement and laughter. Their anxiety was gone. They wanted to show the newcomers that they cared not only professionally but enthusiastically with all their hearts. They felt that the newcomers deserved all their attention.

It was obvious, generally speaking, that these poor people had survived the horrors of war. They arrived tired, weakened, sick and generally exhausted from the prolonged suffering they had had to endure. Their limbs were sore and caused them much pain with any movement. Many had high temperatures. Some of the heavily wounded were very ill and were unable to rejoice in their arrival at their destination. Generally speaking everyone tried to express some enthusiasm with only a few showing mistrust saying, “Don’t touch me; I don’t know who you are.” That’s how it seemed to some of the staff when they heard the wounded newcomers muttering words at them.

Some even refused to surrender their weapons, although it was explained to them that the weapons would be placed in storage, they still did not want to give them up. They were attached to their pistols and makeshift Partisan guns made of cut pipes. Only a few refused to eat, the majority extended their hands and helped themselves to the sandwiches especially provided for them. They pointed at the bread and gestured if they could have more; looking for approval from their hosts. Later they said they could not believe that there was so much fresh bread. The partisans often dreamed of eating a lot of bread but here there was no limit to how much they could have. “You want more? There is plenty!” was the usual response from the hostesses who were more than happy to fulfill their wishes. And this is what the newcomers remembered the most and would never forget for the rest of their lives.

The patients lay on beds lined up on both sides of the huge hall. They were astonished to see so many clean bowls for washing, water containers, piles of pyjamas, robes and slippers, milk cans and drinks. Some took extra food and hid it under their pillows because they were not sure what might happen next. They were afraid that the food might run out as it often had during their Partisan days. But from what they saw happening all around them, they could tell that Poland was a country a lot richer than the countries in which they had stayed before. A lot of them had stayed in Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, which were nothing in comparison to Poland. Many were also amazed at how much better organized Poland was than the other countries to which they had been.

The wounded were quickly registered, undressed from their dirty clothing and cleaned up. They were washed, shaven and had their dirty bandages, rags and towels removed and burned. Those who needed new bandages and dressings were left on the beds. The others were given brand new pyjamas, put on stretchers and transferred to their quarters. Those who could walk were given the block number and sent off to their blocks where they were subdivided into groups and then transferred to suitable quarters. Only the severely wounded and sick stayed in the beds and remained under observation until they were better. Any of the clothing that was worth saving was sent for disinfection and then placed in storage.

Later transports were handled in a similar fashion but none could compare to the first. The number of patients in the later transports was significantly smaller and there was more personnel in the hospital staff. By now they had become more experienced in handling refugee patients and had much larger supplies of medical equipment and resources. The first transport of patients arrived in Dzhivnuv in September. Among the first patients to reach the compound were 29 civilians with amputated arms and legs. Then more than 150 Partisans arrived on October 8th along with about 2,500 who were transported to Shvinoujshche on the ship “Koshchushko”. The ship sailed from Albania during the night of September 27th and 28th, 1949 and arrived in Poland eleven days later. From what we were told, among the Greek crew there were also three Greeks translators.

The third transport (the one on which Risto was traveling) arrived in Gdansk on October 26th, most likely on the Romanian ship Transylvania (some however argued that it was the ship Carolina). The Transylvania was a luxury ship which, before the war, was intended for the personal use of the Romanian king. This ship reportedly left the Albanian coast in the middle of October and carried 2 to 3 thousand passengers. The crew was Romanian, among whom were also some Polish nurses and doctors. This ship was followed by an English warship all the way to Gibraltar until the Romanian captain convinced the warship captain that he was carrying tourists.

During the trip the hungry and starving passengers were given as much food as they wanted to eat. Unfortunately the consequences from this were dire which, in addition to the seasickness, had caused many to vomit violently and have bad diarrhea. As a result more than 500 became very ill and suffered from exhaustion, especially after they were put on trains and transferred from Gdansk to Szczecin. After eating too much and being sick, the patients then refused to eat or drink at all despite pleas from the nurses to do so. To add insult to their pain, when they arrived in Dzhivnuv instead of being issued pyjamas, because the hospital had none, they were issued long white nightgowns. This was too much for the men as they refused to wear the funny white women’s dresses. Finally, after much pleading, they were convinced that this was only temporary and that they would soon be issued proper pyjamas and they would look like men again. Later they all forgot those small, initial misunderstandings.

The last transport to arrive was in December. It did not carry many wounded but because the hospital was almost full to capacity it was only able to take 50 patients. When the patients from the first transport were all healed and began to leave more vacancies were created and a group of 30 was admitted. Then in early 1950 very small groups of Greeks arrived from other Eastern European popular democracies. In May of the same year, 50 people from Budapest arrived and were admitted. They had been treated in the Hungarian hospitals but many had unhealed wounds despite their previous treatments. This hospital had a good reputation so that is why it was highly recommended, mostly by word of mouth, among the Greeks.

They took their time treating patients in this hospital and used multiple procedures. Inflammation of bones unfortunately complicated surgeries and rehabilitation procedures. Of the 1,175 patients admitted, 215 had fractured bones. The Macedonians also played a special role towards mutual understanding between the Poles and the patients. The Macedonians spoke a Slavic language. They lived in Greece as a national minority but their mother tongue was Macedonian, a language they were not allowed to speak, a language that they said was prohibited from being spoken in nationalist Greece.

During the struggle, on the communist side, hostilities between the Macedonians and Greeks had weakened but were still active. The Macedonians had a strong sense of national identity and had not forgotten that Alexander the Great was one of them. Because of that and because they were mistreated by the Greeks they did not feel good being among the Greeks. The Macedonians had their own national ambitions and in confidence would say that all Macedonians must unite. The Macedonians living in Greece felt that they too should have their autonomy like those living in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. In talks with Greeks, the Greeks also admitted that the Macedonian problem had not been solved and agreed that it should be solved.

The entire refugee population, be it wounded fighters, civilians, or children, was accepted in Poland as Greek. But many Poles quickly realized that among the newcomers there were differences in language, customs, songs and dances. These differences were not only appreciated but were supported by the Poles.”

Spiro is grateful to Petre Nakovski for making this information available and would like to wholeheartedly thank Brigadier General, Dr. Vladislav Barchikovski, a noble man who proved to be much greater than all of us, for his contribution, all the doctors and medical personnel, all the workers and all the Polish people for helping our people far away from their homes. Poland will always remain in Spiro, not only because he was born and lived there for 100 days, but because of all it did for us all. “Poles are beautiful people and I love them all!” says Spiro.

According to what Risto left for us in his notes, the wounded were taken directly to the hospital designated “250”. The hospital had fourteen large blocks converted to a medical centre by the Poles after the war. During the war these blocks were barracks which the German army occupied. The patients were placed in quarantine after they were brought to the hospital. Everything that they brought with them, clothing, bags, etc., was taken and placed in storage and later returned to them. The hospital was located in Volin, a peninsula in the Baltic Sea, close to the town Shchechin. The hospital was a quiet place fully equipped with surgical equipment and the best staff,

specialists and doctors available. Each block was equipped with specially trained personnel and specialists for certain types of wounds and injuries to different parts of the body. Even before Risto’s group arrived, there were many Macedonian patients in the hospital. Besides treating its patients, the hospital also provided living quarters for those who were healed and a school to attend in order to prepare them for life in Poland. There were around two to three thousand wounded brought to this hospital and who were going through various phases of treatment. This hospital healed many wounded and brought them back to life, but the good part was that, in addition to healing from their wounds, these patients were made to feel welcome so far away from home. Therapy was very painful, difficult and long-lasting for the badly injured but with help from the medical staff, the patients managed to turn their lives around. Risto stayed at the hospital until May 1950.

People from Zhelevo at hospital “250”

1. Micho Gaduchi 2. Micho Iankula 3. Andoni Iankula 4. Petro Kurzo 5. Atanas Trendov 6. Atanas Voinov 7. Dafina Vrantsidu Trendo 8. Micho Puchunga 9. Sotir Stepanov 10. Forcho 11. Stavro Bogdanov 12. Kicho Mazenko 13. Micho Flora 14. Lambro Rumiakov 15. Gligori Stamou Govedor 16. Filip Bekiari 17. Risto Mavrovski

Zgorzelets

Those patients who successfully completed their treatment began to migrate to the town Zgorzelets during the months of March, April

and May 1950. Very few patients remained at the hospital after May. The hospital closed in June 1950. The staff was moved and hospital “250” vanished.

At the beginning of 1950, Polish authorities allowed the immigrant population to move to many cities in Poland. Many moved to Mendzhe, Guzhe and a large part moved to Zgorzelets. Zgorzelets was divided in two parts. The larger part of the city belonged to the Democratic Republic of Germany. Only a small part was located on Polish territory. In 1950 the city was empty. Greek refugees were allowed to move there after an agreement was made with the CPG. After that, those who had gone to Mendzhe, Guzhe, the wounded fighters from hospital “250”, etc., all gathered in Zgorzelets where schools were opened to teach both Greek and Macedonian. CPG political parties were also started, the “Nikos Veloanis” for all the Greeks in Poland and “Ilinden” for all the Macedonians. The CPG Secretary was Timio for the Greeks and Maki for the Macedonians. The vice president of “Nikos Veloanis” was Barba Traiko from Voden Region, and for “Ilinden” was Lambro Moskov from the village Dmbeni, Kostur Region. Included among the people living in Zgorzelets, wounded, children and fighters, were the following people from Zhelevo.

People from Zhelevo living in Zgorzelets

1. Pop Spiro with his wife Sofia Balkou. Spiro died in 1950 Mendzhe Guzhe 2. Nikola Pachata, his son Atanas and his daughter Velika 3. Dane Chaku with his wife 4. Sotir Kiru Makria 5. Petre Barbalov 6. Gligor Stamo 7. Sandrina Traikovska 8. Tena Florova 9. Vasilitsa Kercu 10. Giorgi Markou and his wife Nasa and their children 11. Krsto Stepanov and his wife and sons Sotir and Micho 12. Giorgi Trendov and his daughter Dafina and son Tanas 13. Tanas Petreski Markou, wife Mara (died in 1951 in Zgorzelets) and daughter Ristana

14. Tanas Mavrou Shkavrev 15. Iani Sideri Dudumo 16. Hristina Nikolova, wife of Kole Shoferot 17. Tanas Voinove and Krstoitsa Voinovska 18. Tase Markov 19. Micho Puchunga, died in 1951in Zgorzelets 20. Spiro Iankula and his son and daughter 21. Done Iankula 22. Sofia Damovski (Foto’s) 23. Foteitsa Ianovski (Fote’s) 24. File Todorov Muto 25. Forcho 26. Lambro Rumiakov 27. Stavro Mazemko Kicho 28. Micho Gaduchi 29. Petre Kurzov 30. Malina Markou 31. Veselina Luchkova 32. Spiro Kirovski 33. Stefo Kirovski with his wife and son Micho 34. Tode Kirov with his mother Ristoitsa 35. Petre Pirpiko with his wife Elena 36. Hristo Sideri Daskalot 37. Lambro Florov and his son Micho 38. Hristina Mavrou Bekiarova 39. Micho Iankula 40. File Bekiarov 41. Tena and daughter Kotovtsi 42. Hristina Bukuri and her brothers 43. Krstoitsa Iandrovska 44. Risto Mavrovski

In due time more people from Zhelevo, living in other places, came to live in Zgorzelets. Included among them were Ristana Georgievski Luchkova, a family from Tashkent, Menela Florov (Lambro’s son) and his brother, and Kole Mavrovski (Risto’s brother). Most of the people from Zhelevo were given jobs in the cities Bogatinia and Zgorzelets. Bogatinia had an agricultural cooperative farm that was divided into two parts, one located in Markochite and the other in the city Bogatinia. These places made a

triangle between Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Bogatinia had a school which was attended by the following people:

Leftera Purova from the village Vmbel, Leftera Lulu from the village Vmbel, Tsotsa from the village Vmbel, Hristina, Ermionina and Nina were Greeks and Athena from the Kostur Region villages.

There were also children attending the same school. One child was Macedonian from the village Aitos, Lerin Region, and the rest were Greeks. The people of Zhelevo began to arrive here in the spring of 1950 and continued to arrive until 1952 when they began to move away, mostly to Canada. Some took on jobs in other farms outside of these cities while others remained in Zgorzelets. The most popular destinations for the people of Zhelevo were Brotslav, Shvidnitsa, Nemcha and Vaubzhih. Those who came later, from the other people’s republics, remained there until 1956-57 when mass evictions began with people heading for Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria, to be closer to home. After that very few people from Zhelevo remained in Poland. The one person, who Risto remembers, was Tanas Pacha, a man who took a Polish wife and decided to remain in Zgorzelets. While living in Zgorzelets, Risto was separated from the people of Zhelevo and that was one reason why he wanted to move away and live someplace else.

In May 1950 Risto was transferred from the hospital “250” to the city Zgorzelets and placed in a home for adult children, in which 18 males and females were living. Along with Risto there was Tanas Voinu and Micho Iankula from the village Zhelevo. Risto, a member of the CPG and a bit more educated than the others, was appointed assistant to the teacher teaching the children. Here they were located in Varshavska number 49, but not for long. They were soon moved to Bogatinia, an industrial city with many textile factories. This was beneficial for the children because, in addition to being taught the theory of textiles, they were given a chance to experience practical lessons in these factories. Risto, along with his fellow villagers who were badly wounded, was unable to stay long in the city where a lot of DAG fighters, now just ordinary workers, found work. There was a Party organization in the city headed by Dzhuma, a Greek. One day a member of the CPG “Nikos Veloianis” Central Committee decided to hold a grand Party conference in the city, during which

time Risto asked him to release him from his current job and allow him to return to Zgorzelets, which he did.

The man did as promised and ordered the organization to release Risto. Risto in turn packed his bags and took a bus the next day to Zgorzelets. Upon his arrival he, and the others who went with him, were placed on Dasinchego street number 39. Here they parted company. Tanas had found his aunt, Malina Markou, and took on a job at the Delta cooperative, after that he got married. Micho left immediately and went to the city Nemcha where he found a job and got married. Risto found himself alone and free, but soon afterwards the Party sent him on a course to learn the Polish language.