The Soldier, the Spy, and the Orphan
Fragments of Poland's Wartime History
by Anna Brychcy

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Amid the upheaval of two world wars, three individuals found themselves at the heart of Poland’s struggle for survival. Their extraordinary stories, shaped by war, resistance, and resilience, offer a deeply personal perspective on Poland’s complex and often tragic past. The Soldier—A fifteen-year-old boy from Prussian-occupied Poland fights on the brutal Eastern Front of World War I before joining his nation’s battle for independence. As Poland emerges from the ashes of war, he is swept into the chaos of revolution, border wars, and the fragile rebirth of a nation. The Spy—A daring Polish intelligence officer orchestrates a high-stakes espionage network, earning the distinction of being named "the most dangerous Pole alive" by Heinrich Himmler. In an unlikely alliance with the Japanese, his covert operations place him at the centre of Poland’s desperate fight against Nazi occupation. The Orphan—A young girl and her family are torn from their home at the start of World War II and deported to a forced labour camp in the Soviet Union. When Stalin joins forces with the Western Allies, the Poles who survived are set free. Orphaned and alone, she faces a harsh sentence in a Soviet detention centre for stealing a handful of biscuits. Meanwhile, her siblings embark on an extraordinary odyssey, first as guests of a maharaja in India and then to a Polish refugee camp nestled in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Woven into the broader historical context, these moving narratives reveal aspects of Poland’s wartime history that are unfamiliar to most Western readers, shedding light on the high price paid by the Polish people before, during, and after these conflicts ended.

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Anna Brychcy met the three individuals profiled in this book while working as executive director of Montreal's CHSLD Polonais Marie-Curie-Skłodowska, a long-term care centre. Most residents were Polish immigrants whose lives were marked by the dramatic historical events in Europe during the first half of the twentieth century. Hearing their firsthand accounts inspired her to preserve their memories and the historical context that profoundly impacted their lives. Born in Sheffield, England, to Polish parents who immigrated to Canada after World War II, Anna was raised and educated in Montreal. After a career in health administration, she was appointed to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. She currently resides in Ottawa.

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Author

Anna Brychcy