1. Personal data:
Senior Wachtmeister Bolesław Kusiak, born on 15 October 1899, Senior Constable of the State Police, married with two children.
2. Date and circumstances of arrest:
On 6 June 1940, I was taken from my home at Łazarza Street 5 in Lwów and incarcerated in the prison on Zamarstynowska Street in Lwów.
3. Name of the camp, prison or forced labor site:
I was incarcerated in the following prisons: from 6 June to 6 August 1940 on Zamarstynowska Street in Lwów; from 7 August 1940 to 9 March 1941 on Jachowicza Street in Lwów; on 10 March I was transported to the camp in Starobilsk and stayed there until 15 June 1941; on 16 June I was transported to the camp in Vorkuta and stayed there until the day of my release, that is, 16 October 1941. On 17 October 1941 I set off in the direction of Buzuluk, and then Chardzhon, and then I went by Amu Darya to the Uzbek Republic, to Nukus Oblast. I worked there in several kolkhozes until 15 March 1942, and on 16 March I returned to Kermine, where on 24 April 1942 I was admitted into the Polish Army, the 7th Infantry Division.
4. Description of the camp, prison etc.:
In the prisons in Lwów on Jachowicza and Zamarstynowska streets and in Starobilsk, the living conditions were very bad, but the hygienic conditions – taking into account that we are talking about Soviet prisons – were bearable.
5. The composition of prisoners of war, inmates, exiles:
In each of these places there were prisoners of various nationalities, but the majority were Poles, who weren’t in favor with the prison authorities. Mutual relations between Polish prisoners and the prisoners of other nationalities varied and depended on the prevailing intellectual and moral standing of the prisoners in a given cell.
6. Life in the camp, prison:
In the prisons in Lwów and the camp in Starobilsk life was monotonous, and each day passed just like the previous one. There were constant searches, prisoners were transferred from cell to cell and were kept in strict isolation from the outside world. Social life wasn’t bad, but food was very poor.
7. The NKVD’s attitude towards Poles:
Very bad, defying description. Prisoners were interrogated all night long and tortured, which led to death in a few cases, as I witnessed myself. I don’t remember the surnames of these tortured people.
8. Medical assistance, hospitals, mortality rate:
Medical assistance in the prisons was practically non-existent. A huge number of prisoners died; I don’t remember their surnames.
9. Was there any possibility of getting in contact with one’s country and family?
None.
10. When were you released and how did you get through to the Polish Army?
On 17 October 1941 I was released from the camp in Vorkuta, from where I was sent to Chardzhon and then by the Amu Darya to the Uzbek Republic, where I stayed in various kolkhozes until 15 March 1942. On 16 March I travelled to Kermine, where on 24 April 1942 I was enlisted into the Polish Army, the 7th Infantry Regiment.
Official stamp, 19 January 1943