Sent by the Germans from Ukraine to a collective farm

Stefan's story is part of a collection recorded for a reminiscence project to celebrate the history of the Ukrainian community in Gloucester, and contributed to the BBC People's War with permission.

I was born in Selo Kosmyryn, Buchach, Ternopil, Ukraine.

I don’t have any happy memories of my early life, only despair. I had two brothers, two step-brothers and two step-sisters.

We earned our living off the land. We had a small holding with two horses, two cows, a sow, two pigs, 24 sheep a ram, 24 hens and a cockerel. On the arable land we grew crops.

I started school at the age of 8 and attended for 4 hours a day. I left school when I was 12 years old and worked on the smallholding until the Germans came. I was sent by the Germans to work on a collective farm.

After the war I had no other choice of country to go to but England. I was sent to a transit camp in Malvern and then on to Elmbridge Court in Gloucester. From there I was sent out to work on different farms in Gloucestershire.

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