How war affected my family

Муниципальное бюджетное общеобразовательное учреждение

       Луговская средняя общееобразовательная школа.

         Конкурс эссе по английскому языку

                 «Война глазами молодых».

                     How war affected my family.

                                                                     Автор: Тараканова Елена

                                                                     Руководитель: Валуева

                                                                      Ирина Сергеевна

                                   2015 г.

           Hello, dear great-grandfather  Gregory Nikanorovich!

I met you viewing photos from our family album. You looked at me from an old pre-war photo. I asked my granny who is this person and heard a wonderful story.

 You were called up for a military training   in May 1941.
Great-grandmother received a letter from you, where you wrote: "If your life will be hard, sell my fur- coat". Nobody was expected the war. «What will you wear when you get back? Such clothes to find! »- thought granny. But when she got the notice about your missing, exchanged this fur-coat for wheat at the market to feed your little daughter.

Life without you was unhappy. Great-grandmother   worked much and hard at tannery. She was never married and your marriage certificate is still kept in our family album.

Unfortunately, your wife didn’t wait news from you, but we were lucky. 4 years ago we found the information about you on the website "memorial".  You were in the lists of war prisoners of Stalag No. 352 near Minsk. There, in wooden barracks and stables, prisoners lived in inhumane conditions. Grandmother cried when I read about your untold suffering. We know that you were dead from Tuberculosis and exhaustion on 22 February 1943.

We don't know anything about how you fought. We don't know whether you made any feat. But you  were a soldier, a witness and participant of the terrible events, part of the history of the country.

It would be a crime not to remember your courage. I am very proud of our meeting. And I tell about you my children.

                                                                     Your granddaughter.