When I was about 13, I was shocked to discover that my mother, Leokadia had been a slave. She and her family were forcibly removed from their farm in Poland by the Russians and taken to a slave labour camp (gulag) in Siberia, where temperatures often fell below minus 40.
Many thousands died. Eventually they escaped. On the journey, my Grandfather died and my mother had to throw his body off the moving train. After many close calls, she ended up in Central Africa, where she met my father, a young British army officer…
Dearest Leokadia died in August 2016. This series is dedicated to her. It’s also dedicated to all victims of war and slaves, of every colour, throughout history.
