Dear sonny and Zhonushka!
Oct. 21st, 1942
I was very happy to receive two letters from you at the same time last night; the third one, however, did not arrive. I thought you might have died already; I have been asking everybody about you, but nobody was able to give me any reply regarding your where-abouts. My bread ration is 400-600 grams; and they distribute soup twice, occasionally three times, a day.
I have no idea when and under which circumstances Borusevich died; I was not at home at that time. Borusevich died. Bimba, Strazdas, Shileykis, Misiunuvna’s husband, also died.
I quickly want to reply to your yesterday’s questions; I am going to answer them today. I am working all the time, no matter where I get to. I do every kind of a job, no matter which work is turning up. Just in the same way as you, sonny, and your mum.
Please write! With love and kisses, your husband and father Gaigalas. The address of the Krasnoyarsk railroad station of Reshoty is: P.O. Box 235/10, separate camp sub-sector No. 10,
Kazimir Kazimirovich Gaigalas.
My beloved ones!
Nov. 17th, 1942
These days I received your third letter, which I intend to answer immediately. I am in good health. I recovered well and now have the same weight our Alfons had.
Please reply to my letter as soon as you received it, for the greatest pleasure inmy life is the reading of your letters, My dear, good son (and bride), do not forget about me, write more often. I will always write back immediately. Here it is winter now, with average frosty weather. You wrote your three letters a long time ago, almost at the same time. Please write as often as you can. Big kisses to both of you. Bye for now, your husband and father Gaigalas.
My address is: Krasnoyarsk railroad station of Reshoty, P.O. Box 235/10, separate camp sub-sector No. 10.
* On the reverse there is a stamp “Checked by the Krasnoyarsk military censor’s office” *
Dec. 15th, 1942
Dear son, dear wife,
I am writing my third letter to you today. I am alive and healthy. How are you? Are you in good health? I wish you a Happy New Year, all the best, health and success in everything you intend to do. Please write as often as you can. It makes me happy to receive your letters and I feel easier in my mind.
I often see you in my dreams. This year it is less frosty here. As soon as you are in receipt of my letter, sonny, write back immediately.
Good-bye. With love and kisses, your husband and father K. Gaigalas.
Dec. 15, 1942.
February 12th, 1943
My beloved ones!
I received two letters from you – one, in which you express your good wishes for the new year, and another one yet. I am so happy about hearing from you that I can hardly describe my feelings.
How much I would like to be with you and eat your little potatoes.
Yurkevich lives with me, but he is not easy to get on with; Frunski, who worked as a clerk in Koltyriany, lives here, too. Mother knows him. I get on with him very well. He received a parcel from his wife, and he did not hesitate to share its contents with me. Gena’s husband Lobsok did at the age of 32. Frunski, the Roman-Catholic priest, sister Anna and his brother died, as well.
I am not acquainted with any other people. I am so happy, my son, that you learn quickly, I sold all my unneeded clothes. Iam healthy and alive. Our porr mum is having a bad time. Well, you can’t do anything about it; she does not even dispose of warm clothes. It is very reasonable that she bought herself deerskin boots. I often see you in my dreams. We have severe frost, too. One of my remote relatives, Ostup Kovalevskiy, also passed away. He lived in Ovante. Please write as often as possible, I will try hard to answer your letters immediately. As soon as you are in receipt of my letter, please write back without delay. So long. Good-bye. With love and kisses to both of you.
Your father and husband.
March 15th, 1943
Beloved son and Zhonuskka!
Congratulations to your name-day. All the best to you. May all your wishes come true. I am healthy, but I feel very weak and exhausted. If you could only send me a pacel: just a few kilograms. ried potatoes, a few kilograms of flour and some dried fish. Cook the potatoes, cut them into slices and let them dry. Many of us do receive this kind of food-stuffs; it would mean a great support to me. But send the parcel only, if you can afford it; I do not want you to suffer hunger afterwards. I would be very grateful to you, since it would mean quite a good additional food supply to me. The weather is fine, only little frost and even a thaw has set in. How is your and mum’s health? What about your clothes? You should have boots, and mum, too. I often see you in my dreams. I am longing for you. Good-bye. With love and many kisses, your father and husband.
On the reverse:
-----------------
Do you have a river or lake nearby, where you an catch fish? When you were still at home, you liked to catch fish. In case you have no flour available, you may send me some pot barley instead.
You told me in one of your last letters that the wives of Dinda, Strazdas and Borysevich live with you, but this time you wrote that there is nobody from our region. If possible, send me some paper to write my letters on.
* Apart from this text – a stamp: “Checked by the military censor’s office, Krasnoyarsk 18”
My beloved ones!
March 24th, 1943
I received your letter on March 23rd, and in the evening they told me that I was sentenced to 5 years and that the term of confinement is going to end on July 14th, 1946. My dear son, I am so much longing for you and mum, so much that it is even hard for me to write this letter. Oh, dear me, my beloved ones, my kind-heartes! I recovered quite well during the autumn. I weighed 60 kilograms. Now I weigh less; but I do not know my exact weight. It is a pity that they do not accept parcels here. As soon as they do, please send me something; it would help me a lot. Congratulations, my beloved ones, to the forthcoming holiday. All the best to you. The weather was also fine here, however, frost set in again during the past few days. I often see you in my dreams. And then I wake up, recognizing that you are not there. What a shame that it was merely a dream and not reality. Tell me, sonny, about how the landscape looks like in the place where you are living – hilly or flat. And let me know, whether it is far away from Tomsk. Good-bye. With love and kisses from your father and husband.
On the reverse:
I always say myprayers and ask God to be with you and give you health. Please write often, sonny. Your letters are my only heartfelt joy. Your father and husband Gaigalas.
* Moreover there is a stamp: “Checked by the military censor’s office, Krasnoyarsk 202”
My beloved ones!
July, 10th, 1943
I was happy to receive a letter from you again. I have not had any news from you since April. I was terribly afraid that you might not be among the living anymore.
I can hardly describe my happiness about your success at school. Congratulations, my dear son, to your abilities and efforts. You must have become a real grown-up by now. I am so much longing for you. They distribute 480 grams of bread and half a liter of soup every day. The area here is flat, the ground fertile; there are a lot of woodlands.
Mum and you can be cheerful, but I feel alone and bored. You have become a grown up, while mum has been aging. Some time or other I lived in Tomsk.
Please write often, for your letters are my only joy. I wish that your potatoes, turnips and beet roots are prospering.
Please write. Good-bye. With lots of big kisses,
Your father and husband Gaigalas.
July, 10th, 1943
July 21st, 1943
My dear son, dear wife!
I received your letter dated May 17th. You wrote that you would be able to send me a parcel, but that they would not accept it here. Our camp leader said that they would be willing to accept it, that you would, however, have to mention the prisoner’s name on it. If I would only receive a parcel from you, I would recover pretty well. Go to the post office, my dear son, and ask them, whether they are prepared to despatch it. If so, please also add some salt. In my last letter I forgot to mention what kind of a job I have [the rest of the line looks dirty and crumpled] …, and once they gave me a broom asking me to sweep the yard. For the present I am fit out with clothes and shoes. The fish here are small, but fatty; they taste good when dried. I told you that lots of berries are growing here, and mushrooms, too. It is fine that you are provided with milk. Well then, good-bye. With lots of big kisses, your father and husband Gaigalas.
* On the reverse: “Checked by the military censor’s office, Krasnoyarsk 34”
ANNOTATIONS on “Lietuvos Gyventoju enocidas”, Vilnius 1991.
1. Letter of Oct. 21st, 1942
BORYSIEWICZ, Mikolaj, son of Marcin, born in 1898, forester, lived in Linkmenis
(Ingalinsk district). He died in the camp in 1943 (judged from a letter of the year 1942).
BIMBA, Martinas Karolio (Marcin, son of Karol), born in 1893, owner of the Budris manor. Died in the camp in 1942.
STRAZDAS, Bernardas Vinco (Benard, son of Wincentego), born in 1908, farmer from the village of Pakeunis (Ingalinsk district). Arrested in 1941.
2. Letter of February 12th, 1943
JURKIEWICZ, Feliks (son of Jerzego), born in 1883 in the district of Shvenchonis, village of Ashvagaishchis.
PRUNSKIS, Pranas Stasio (Franciszek, son of Stanislav), civil servant in Kaltanenai (Koltyniany), district of Shvenchonis.
PRUNSKIS, Petras Mykolo, born in 1872, clergyman from the village of Zhvilbuchiai, Zarasaiy district. Deported to the village of Chekhanikha, Ust-Pristansk district, Altai region; died on Dec. 07th, 1942.
PRUNSKITE, Ona Mykolo, born in 1867, farmer’s wife from the village of Zhvilbuchiai, deported to Chekhanikha; died on Sep. 21st, 1942.
PRUNSKIS, Juozas Mykolo, born in 1871, farmer from Zhvilbuchiai; died in the Kraslagin December 1942.
3. Letter of March 15th, 1943
DIND, Mykolos Juozo, born in 1912. Farmer from the village of Pagauchizas, Shvenchonai district. Arrested in 1941. There are no information available about his wife.
B.V. Strazdas’ wife: Sofia, daughter of Adam, born in 1918; children: Antoni, born in 1940, Regina, born in 1938. Were deported to the Tomsk region.
M.M. Borisevich’s wife: Stefania, daughter of Stefan, born in 1900.