From Siberia to Wales: A memoir of wartime deportation is published by UWTSD’s Confucius Institute Executive Director

A new book published by UWTSD’s Krystyna Krajewska connects Polish wartime exile with Wales’s post-war history of refuge and resilience.

Krystyna Krajewska, Executive Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), has edited and published The Dolls We Left Behind: A Child’s Wartime Journey from Poland to Persia — a moving memoir written by her late mother, Eugenia Marta Krajewska.

The book has already received strong critical praise:

“A fascinating and historically significant memoir… I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of eastern central Europe in the twentieth century.”
— Dr Ben Dew, Associate Professor of Cultural History, Coventry University

“A touching account… well researched, clearly written and shines light on the tragic impact of war… with important lessons for our own times.”
— Professor Antonia Bifulco, Middlesex University, London

The book shines a light on a little-known chapter of Polish history, when in 1940, Soviet authorities deported more than a million Poles, Lithuanians, Jews and Ukrainians from eastern Poland, tearing families from their homes and sending them to remote labour camps in the Soviet Union.

The book traces Eugenia’s deportation from the Polish border town of Mołodeczno to Siberia; her survival as a child in the harsh labour camp, and her eventual journey to safety in Persia in 1942 with General Anders’ Army. It offers an intimate portrait of loss, endurance, and rebuilding — themes that echo the experiences of the Polish families who later made new lives in Wales after the war.

Following the war, thousands of Polish soldiers and civilians who had fought alongside the Allies settled across Wales: in Llanelli, Penrhos, Brecon, and beyond. Their stories of exile and community-building form an important but often overlooked part of Wales’s own modern history.

“Although my mother only came to Wales herself in her later years,” said Krystyna, “her story mirrors that of many Poles who found sanctuary here after the war. It feels fitting that she spent her final years at the Polish Nursing Home in Penrhos, surrounded by the community whose journey so closely reflected her own.”

The book launch was held at the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London on 25 October and was attended by members of the Polish and academic communities. Plans are now under way for Welsh-based talks and exhibitions celebrating the post-war Polish diaspora and the book’s contribution to this shared history.

In her professional role, Krystyna leads UWTSD’s Confucius Institute, promoting intercultural understanding between Wales and China. Her work on The Dolls We Left Behind, published under her independent imprint Siostry Krajewskie Press (which in English translates as ‘Krajewski Sisters’ Press), extends that mission by preserving human stories across borders and generations.

For details of the book and future events, visit www.siostrykrajewskie.com/events.

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

Principal PR and Communications Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email:  arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467076