Prisoners in the Promised Land

by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

  What I am most thankful for is that the fire didn’t hurt my Pikogan friends in the woods. They have lost so much already.

  September–December 1915

  Thursday, September 2, 1915

  Dear Diary, it has been hard finding the time to write because we have been cleaning up after the fire. All of our blankets and clothing are smoke damaged and my hands are raw from washing them. A new bunkhouse is partly built, but in the meantime the men from that building are sleeping in the main camp and the women and children are scattered throughout the rest of our bunkhouses.

  Saturday, September 4, 1915

  Still cleaning up from the fire. Hands too sore to write more.

  Wednesday, September 15, 1915

  Dear Diary, do you remember Private Palmer and his camera? He came by today with some more photographs. One of them was of Lyalya before she got sick. He gave that one to Natalka so that she could remember her sister in better times. That was a very thoughtful thing for him to do. He is the nicest soldier here.

  Thursday, September 23, 1915, after supper

  We were given more newspapers for the outhouses and of course we saved the parts that were still readable before tearing them into strips. The news is bad yet again. I thought the war was no longer in Galicia, and it wasn’t, but now the Russians have pushed the Austrians back there and the war is raging right in Galicia again. I am sick with worry. How can anyone at home still be alive?

  Tuesday, September 28, 1915, at dawn

  Dear Diary, it has gone below freezing three nights in a row. At least the blackflies are gone. Mary and I need to think of something different to do with the children because we have run out of things to teach them. I think we should just let them run and play. After all, the weather is mild right now but it won’t be for long. If we had a ball and sticks, we could play street hockey.

  Later

  Mary thinks we should show the older children how to mend and knit. This isn’t a bad idea. They don’t have to do it for very long. Maybe an hour a day.

  Monday, October 4, 1915

  It never seems to rain just a little bit at Spirit Lake. It is dry forever and then it comes down in buckets. Everything is muddy and the children cannot play outside.

  Tuesday, October 5, 1915

  Dear Diary, my smart brother has made up a card game with his own handmade set of cards. You place all of the cards on the table, number down, and then each person gets to pick up two cards. If they add up to eight or less, you get to keep them. If it is more, then you have to put them down in the exact same place. Each person around the table keeps on getting a turn until all of the cards are gone. It is quite fun! What is even better is that some of the children who were bored with arithmetic are enjoying it and I think they are learning their numbers better.

  Wednesday, October 13, 1915

  When Tato came back from the woods today he looked very angry. He said that some of the men in his unit are refusing to work because they are just too tired. The soldiers put them into solitary confinement. Tato said that the rest of them had to cut down more trees to make up for the fact that there were fewer of them working. That doesn’t seem fair!

  Thursday, October 21, 1915, at lunch

  In the newspapers it sounds like the “enemy” is doing better than the Allies, but the fighting is in the Balkans, not Galicia. This is still not good news, but it is better than the worst news. Why can’t the war just end? How does a war end anyway?

  Monday, October 25, 1915

  I finally got another letter from Irena. I have been so worried about her. I can’t read the whole thing because there are black lines through some of it, but from what I could read, it sounds like her neighbour is still in an internment camp. At least her own father has not been arrested. The government has given their neighbour’s farm to a Canadian family because they said Mr. Feschuk had abandoned it.

  Oy, Dear Diary, I am glad that Irena’s family is all together and that her father has not been arrested, but I do feel sorry for her neighbour! How can the government say he abandoned his farm when they have taken him away? It does not seem fair.

  Sunday, November 7, 1915

  Dear Diary, when we got the newspapers today, everyone gathered into one bunkhouse so we could read the articles together and talk about them. The war is still going strong, but there is no more mention of Galicia so I am hoping that is a good sign. Something that got me angry was a story about how Canada is getting lots of orders for ammunition. In fact, Canadian business will be selling nearly half a BILLION dollars worth of ammunition to Britain!!!!! It scares me to think of how many people will be killed with all of this ammunition.

  Thursday, November 11, 1915

  Mama got a letter from Mrs. Haggarty! Mama says I can paste it into my diary. Here it is:

  23 Victoria Avenue,

  Montreal, Quebec

  November 2, 1915

  Dear Mrs. Soloniuk,

  I have been in discussion with the mayor and have expressed to him my displeasure with the circumstances of you and your family’s internment. He says that the matter is federal, not municipal, and is thus out of his hands. He did, however, make note of my complaint.

  Please know that I have written the authorities on your behalf. I think it is scandalous what the government has done, not just to you and your family, but to all of those unfortunates of your race.

  When you are finally released from prison, please let me know. I shall hire you back in an instant.

  Sincerely,

  Mrs. Albert Haggarty

  Dear Diary, Mrs. Haggarty uses such big words that I hardly know what she is saying. Mary explained that she is contacting important people to see if she can get us out of here! I could understand the last part about Mama’s job. That is good news too. I think it is interesting that there were no black lines through Mrs. Haggarty’s letter. That’s probably because those censor people didn’t understand the big words either.

  Saturday, November 20, 1915

  We got a newspaper dated just a week ago and the Russians have taken whole armies of prisoners. It also says that the “enemy” wants the war to end but the Allies will keep on fighting so that they are the ones to win. If the Austrians don’t want to fight anymore, doesn’t that mean the Allies have already won?

  Sunday, November 28, 1915

  Dear Diary, I am very lonely and sad. It is cold and the wind whips through our bunkhouse walls. Even all my blankets are not enough to keep me warm.

  I wish I knew where my Pikogan ladies went to. Did the government arrest them too?

  I am thankful that our family is all here together. At least I know that we are all safe. It is also nice to have Mary close by. I think we are a good team, looking after the children together. I wish Stefan did not have to work so much. I hardly see him except for Sundays. I find that I like him much better than I used to.

  Tuesday, November 30, 1915

  (cold and snowy)

  Oy, Dear Diary. Another newspaper and more loss of life. The Russians have captured 10,000 people in Serbia.

  Wednesday, December 8, 1915

  It is cold out and there was a heavy snowfall last night, but the soldiers are still forcing our men out into the woods. This is so unfair! They do not have proper boots or gloves for this kind of weather. Why is it that the soldiers are dressed warmly and our men are not? I don’t think

  Later

  I am sitting in the hospital, beside Stefan’s bed. He has finally got to sleep. This is what happened, and why I had to stop my writing and run:

  It was so cold this morning that Stefan’s hands were frozen clumsy. His saw slipped and gashed his leg wide open. The men carried him back. The doctor here often refuses to treat prisoners, because he thinks they come in to complain as a way of getting out of work, but when he saw Stefan’s leg he knew that Stefan truly needed a doctor.

  Thursday, December 9, 1915

  at the hospital

  Tato has carved me a crochet hook a
nd Baba has shown me how to use it. I have unravelled a blanket that was ruined in the fire and I am using that for yarn. I am crocheting a pair of gloves for Stefan while he dozes. When he wakes, we talk. Sometimes I read him the newspaper.

  While I am sad that Stefan has been injured and must stay in the hospital, in some ways I am glad. He has a chance to rest and they give him more food. Also, the doctor found out that he isn’t as old as everyone thinks, so when he gets out of the hospital, he doesn’t have to go back to the woods. Stefan says he wants to stay with his father. The doctor says that this is not a good idea. He says that he could find him a job here. I would love it if that happened.

  Friday, December 10, 1915

  Dear Diary, Stefan’s leg still looks very bad. I read him some articles in one of the newspapers that the doctor has in the hospital. It is from last Saturday. It says that the army has left Lviv, Galicia, because there is “scurvy” there. The doctor says that scurvy is an illness that happens when people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.

  Sunday, December 12, 1915, morning

  The priest from Amos came and said a Mass right in the hospital so that Stefan could attend. Stefan’s mama and my mama and other prisoners came to hear Mass too. I didn’t notice until after that Stefan was the only male! He told me later that he wouldn’t have gone if he had a choice. Why is it that men don’t like to go to church?

  Wednesday, December 15, 1915

  Stefan is feeling better and can get up and walk around. His leg still looks bad but he says it doesn’t hurt as much. I taught him that card and number game that Mykola thought up and Stefan enjoys playing it. Since he has been in the hospital, we have had a good chance to talk. You know what, Dear Diary? He said that he liked me from the very first time that he saw me. He asked me if I felt the same way and I said no and it is true. I did not like Stefan for a long time, but now he is very dear to me.

  Sunday, December 19, 1915

  St. Nicholas Day

  Dear Diary, is it silly of me to admit that even though I am a prisoner, this is the best St. Nicholas Day that I can remember? My family is all together and we are safe. Stefan is out of the hospital and he is not limping much. His father insisted that he take the job the doctor found for him so he is working as a cleaner in the hospital and this is much safer and warmer than going out into the woods. I just wish Tato and Mr. Pemlych could be given safe jobs too.

  I am also happy because I have managed to make a gift for each and every friend and loved one. Here is what I have given:

  Mama — a crocheted scarf

  Baba — same

  Tato — crocheted gloves to wear under his mittens when he works

  Mykola — a shirt with embroidered edging

  Slava — a blouse with embroidered edging

  Stefan — I made him a pair of gloves but he gave them to his father, so I made him another shirt, this one with a bit of embroidery. He loves it.

  Mary — an embroidered handkerchief

  I also gave an embroidered handkerchief to Private Palmer.

  In case you are wondering where I got all the cloth to make these gifts, remember how the Commandant wanted an embroidered handkerchief? Instead of being paid in money, I asked for an extra length of cloth. Mama made the coloured embroidery threads for me with her dyes and of course the gloves were made with the wool I got from the burned blankets.

  I have something very special for my Pikogan ladies. I hope I see them soon.

  Later

  In all the excitement of telling you what I gave to others, I forgot to tell you what I was given! Tato did some extra carving on my dollhouse and he also made more furniture for it. Mama gave me a beautiful embroidered nightgown from her hope chest and Baba gave me the silver spoon that has been in our family forever. I was so surprised by that. I am thankful that the soldiers haven’t found out. I have hidden it in a safe place. From the gifts, I can tell that Tato wants me to stay a little girl, while Mama and Baba see that I am almost a woman.

  Stefan amazed me with his gift. It is a woven bead bracelet with a leather tie strap. When did he learn how to bead weave and when did he find the time to make it? I shall cherish it always.

  The biggest surprise was a box that arrived for Mama from Mrs. Haggarty. It was filled with used clothing and winter boots. There was also a box of chocolates. Here is what the Christmas card said:

  Dear Mrs. Soloniuk,

  It seems rather silly of me to be wishing you a Merry Christmas, considering the present circumstances, but please know that I do think frequently of you and your family. My fondest wish is that your freedom be obtained quickly.

  God Bless.

  Mrs. Albert Haggarty

  What the letter means without those big words is “have a Merry Christmas and come home soon!” I think Mrs. Haggarty is very smart to be able to find words that the censor doesn’t black out.

  Saturday, December 25, 1915

  Today is Canadian Christmas and so our men were given today and tomorrow off. This is the longest holiday that they have had since we got here. Mykola wanted to build a snowman but it is so cold that you can’t even build a snowball! We are all staying inside.

  Monday, December 27, 1915

  Dear Diary, we were given old newspapers again and the headline story is very scary. The Germans were planning on blowing up the Welland Canal! This is in Canada. The newspaper says it was German spies living in Canada and the United States who planned this. I am hoping that the government doesn’t blame this on us again.

  Private Palmer told me that the soldiers don’t get us confused with Germans, only Austrians. He said that there are some actual Germans who are prisoners of war in Canada, but that they are treated better than we are. They have good food and they do not have to work. In fact, some of them have brought servants to wait on them inside their camps! I guess they are treated better because they have more money. It doesn’t seem fair.

  1916

  January–July 1916

  Tuesday, January 4, 1916

  Not so cold today, but lots of snow.

  It was Baba’s idea to gather all of us women together today to prepare a traditional Christmas Eve dinner for all of the prisoners in the main camp. There are 80 or so of us women and older girls in the married prisoners’ camp and there are about 800 men in the main camp. That means that each of us is responsible for making food for about ten prisoners. We worked in teams. Some of us baked kolach and some of us made cabbage rolls and sauerkraut pyrohy and cabbage borshch. If there is one thing plentiful in this camp, it is cabbage!

  It was wonderful to see the men’s faces when we brought down all the food. It is prepared for them so all they have to do on Svyat Vechir is warm it up in their own cookhouses and they will have a twelve-course feast. I feel sorry for them because they are so lonely and far away from their loved ones. At least in the married village we are with our families.

  Wednesday, January 5, 1916

  More snow. Much colder, especially last night!

  We worked in the same teams and made the food for our own camp. These have been two work-filled days, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

  Thursday, January 6, 1916, Svyat Vechir

  Dear Diary, it has been a wonderful day. We are just back from midnight Mass. The thermometer says that it is 27 below zero, and I can believe it. I had to cover my face with a scarf, with just a small opening for my eyes, and even then my face was so cold that it ached.

  It is beautiful to look outside right now because the snow sparkles like diamonds. These bunkhouses are not made for the cold. I have my socks and shoes on and my clothing and coat and all my blankets. It is hard to write with gloves on!

  Just a year ago we were in our flat in Montreal and we were all together. Tato has been in this camp for nearly a year now, and it is over eight months for us.

  We had our Christmas Eve dinner with everyone in our bunkhouse and it was wonderful. The food was delicious and the men were allowed to come back f
rom the woods a little bit early today. We had a special surprise! Some Ukrainian newspapers and churches took up a collection on our behalf. We received a parcel filled with all different kinds of fruit. I think everyone who is interned has received one of the parcels. This really surprised me because I thought most of the Ukrainians in Canada were interned, but I was wrong.

  It is wonderful to have this fruit. Maybe we won’t get scurvy like the people in Lviv.

  Tuesday, January 11, 1916

  Lots of snow last night, very cold.

  I can’t believe that I am running out of pages! This was such a fat diary too. I will not write anything unless it is very important.

  Sunday, February 6, 1916

  (cold, clear, crisp)

  The newspaper says that women in Manitoba can now vote!

  Thursday, February 10, 1916

  Dear Diary, it is my namesday and a bitingly cold 13 below zero.

  I cannot believe that I am fourteen years old. It was two years ago that Tato gave you to me, and now your pages are running out. When I flip back and read, I am amazed at all I have seen and done.

  I am glad that I am with Tato on my namesday, but I am sad that we are still prisoners here at Spirit Lake.

  Mama and Baba had a big surprise for me at supper. They made me a birthday cake. It isn’t really my birthday, but my namesday, but they said that since I am now in Canada, I should start celebrating like a Canadian and that means a birthday cake. I think it was Private Palmer’s idea and he got some of the ingredients, including a bit of cocoa. Instead of having many layers like a torte, this birthday cake has two fat layers with a sweet creamy layer in the middle and spread over the top. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, but Mykola loved it.