Czernogorsk, June 1945. From the left: Jan, his mother Maria and brother Romuald. It is the only photo we have from the entire time in Siberia.
“Each deported person survived this time differently and each returned with a different baggage of memories. There are as many stories as there are people.”
This page is dedicated to the memories of my grandfather Jan Staniszewski, who passed away in August 2022. A brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and a living survivor of deportation to Siberia where he spent 6 years of his childhood.
In the last few years we started capturing his memories in a book outlining his journey from being deported to his return to Poland and a video, where he shares his memories.
Please contact us if you want to get in touch with Jan himself and learn more about his experiences.
What’s coming next? We are looking to translate the memoire into English.
What’s behind the title? Gavroche is a twelve-year-old Parisian streetman from the novel “Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo; an orphan street boy, clever and resourceful; hustler and thief, but good and cheerful, ready to help and sacrifice.