Oral history interview with Alexander Krutkovich

Oral history interview with Alexander Krutkovich

Oral History

Alexander Krutkovich, born in 1928, in Minsk, Belarus, explains the dynamics of his family; his father, who was a working-man during the Russian Revolution; the arrest of his father in 1937 and never seeing or hearing from him again; living in Berezino, Belarus before the war started; the beginning of the war and fleeing with his family by walking 300 km by foot to a town called Shkloŭ, Belarus; being put on a train going west; arriving in Chelyabinsk, Russia, where his mother had a family friend; living in Chelyabinsk for a short time; a family friend who helped put them on a train heading for central Asia; going to Kokants (Kokand), Uzbekistan; being sent with his mother to a factory to help clean cotton; the death of his mother and middle brother from an illness; being sent to a university (?) while his younger brother, Marat, was sent to an orphanage; visiting his brother as often as he could; being sent to Tashkent, Uzbekistan and not being able to meet up with his brother any longer; returning to Minsk after the war was over to search for his brother; receiving help in his search, including a letter from the orphanage stating that Marat had escaped three times but was brought back only twice and after his last escape they had no further information about him; never reuniting with his brother but his hope to find him one day; his thoughts about the life Marat might be having; and his desire for closure.