Updated 4 January and 5 January 2025
NOTE: Vaclavs* Kozlovskis was just 23 when he kept this diary of his journey to Australia and his first days in the new country. Another version of the first days of the journey is on this blog also.
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| Vaclavs Kozlovskis' photo from his Bonegilla ID card Source: NAA: A2571, KOZLOVSKIS VACSLAVS |
DIEPHOLZ, 29.10.47, Wed. Tomorrow our journey begins. This afternoon I received 100 Turkish cigarettes and four blocks of chocolate, and exchanged almost everything for vodka, so as to befittingly farewell Germany. The others bartered all their available stores as well, and as our bundles lightened the bottle count grew.
In the evening, when there was nothing left to barter with the Yugoslavs and Poles, we seated ourselves at the table and began our party. Drinkers weren’t lacking and the party became quite large, and our loud voices were joined by the shouts from other rooms full of drinkers bound for Australia.
I went to the hall, where our farewell dance was in progress. As if through a fog I saw many men, but few women, and in a corner somewhere someone was jerkily playing something similar to music. There was no one to dance with, so I went to bed - after all we have to get up early in the morning.
DIEPHOLZ, 30.10.47, Thurs. We rose at six and hurriedly sorted out our belongings, all the sooner to leave this room which was so reminiscent of the battlefield…
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| Diepholz: the journey begins on 30 October 1947 Source: Kozlovskis collection |
One man from our room, Briedis, wasn’t able to come with us, so we gave him a pile of blankets and other leftover goods, and he ended up with a substantial bundle. He accepted them gladly, for Europe is a poorhouse and such items are very useful in Germany.
The Poles, who wanted the blankets and discarded items for themselves, placed guards everywhere and wouldn’t let anyone leave the camp, so he needed some assistance. Lanky and I went to his aid, but came up against the guards again.
We showed these hobgoblins our pass, which was signed by the colonel, and one of them held it before his eyes for some time. Right in front of his eyes in fact, but apparently he couldn’t read and took us to the guardroom. We argued with our detainers all the way, then for another half-hour in the guardroom, but without success.
We decided to leave but another Pole appeared in front of us and wouldn’t let Briedis out. I simply pushed the Pole out of the way and we went out onto the street, heading towards the office.
We were in luck and at the door we ran into the same English colonel who had written Briedis’ pass. I hurried over and immediately, in English, explained our quandary. Angrily he headed for the guardroom and began swearing at the Poles.
They tried to make out that we hadn’t shown them our pass, but as I understand a little English I hastened to explain we had indeed done so, and twice at that; but that the reader had been more interested in Briedis’ bundle than in the pass.
The Englishman was annoyed with the Poles, but the Poles were even more annoyed with us for complaining to the colonel. Unconcerned by the Poles’ complaints and long faces, we escorted Briedis to safety in the Yugoslav camp, then raced back, where the rest of the men had already climbed into the cattle cars.
Having found our car and once more cursing the Poles we climbed in, and at nine the train moved off. No doubt this is the last time I will travel in a cattle car, for I’ll soon reach a land where they are not used to transport people.
Along the way cigarettes and sweets poured from the carriages, meant for the Fritzes standing by the railroad tracks, who gathered them up.
The train halted at Bremen near a bridge, under which wound the highway. Here we stood for a whole hour, and some of the fellows, overcome by high spirits at our journey, started getting up to all sorts of mischief.
One group found a trolley and began riding from one end of the track to the other. Another group put some obstacles on the track and just laughed when the trolley bounced off it. The trolley was lifted back in place, and it started all over again.
Still others gathered on the bridge and threw down confectionery, cigarettes and money, to a large crowd of scuffling children. Even the old women watched …watched … and then suddenly threw themselves into the fray after the cigarettes. One fellow tied some chocolate onto the end of a string and in this way gave some chocolate to whichever child he chose.
Alongside the halted train walked a bespectacled Fritz railway worker. Finally he got to the handful of cigarette butts someone had thrown out and he started gathering them up. Noticing this the fellows threw cigarettes at him, some singly and even whole packets, and he hurried to put them into the large pockets of his coat. Then the train sounded a long whistle and the journey continued.
Finally, at four in the afternoon, the train halted in front of the American army transport ship USAT General Stuart Heintzelman. This is a twelve-thousand-ton motor ship, built as recently as 1944, and it seems that travelling on her will be quite pleasant.
We were immediately transferred from the cattle cars onto the handsome ship. With my belongings in my left hand and my visas in the right, I climbed past the inspectors and military police to my cabin, receiving my ration card on the way.
As soon as everyone was aboard, the ship threw off our last tie with Germany, the anchor was raised, and with my watch showing 4.20 pm the journey began.
Shortly after I began my adieus to Germany and sent my last greetings to her disappearing shores, we headed towards the blue, distant horizon which beckons enticingly from the ship's prow.
Ah, distant places - at last I am heading towards you, and fulfilling the longing you’ve tantalised me with - will I be happy when I reach the other shore?
Perhaps there will be no peace for me there either, even from there you will call me and entice me, never allowing me to settle before longing to escape again.
Do you really want me to follow you and wander without peace, or a place to call home, until my final breath?
I glanced back and once the shores of Germany had become a small, grey stripe on the edge of the horizon, I went to my cabin. This is meant for sixteen men, and has white walls with even whiter beds. A large ventilator turns its iron wings, hopefully to provide some coolness once we are in the hot regions.
Overall this ship is a modern crate, as demonstrated by the many facilities such as bathrooms with mirrors, water closet and shower cubicle with hot and cold water. My cabin is right near the prow of the ship, so I have the greatest prospects of a lot of rocking and seasickness.
I don’t feel anything yet, but soon enough we will be in Biscay… I showered, and afterwards climbed into my inviting bed and quickly fell asleep.
HEINTZELMAN, 31.10.47, Fri. I woke around one in the morning and felt the ship rocking heavily, but soon enough fell asleep again. I woke again when the others got up.
The ship was still rocking, only not as badly as it was in the night and I haven’t seen anyone be sick yet.
I went in to breakfast and saw food such as I haven’t eaten for a long time. I’ll have to say goodbye to rye bread for a long time, though, after all English countries don’t know about it.
After breakfast I fulfilled my room duties and, working with broom and scraps of rags, time passed unnoticed and soon it was lunchtime. I went below to the dining room and had a pleasant meal.
Enjoying such food, and using the showers and other facilities, the past seems only a quickly disappearing dream, the only reality being the gentle shuddering and rocking of the ship.
After lunch I rested and read books until a ship drill was announced, when I put a lifejacket on and went to the nominated place on the open deck. I learned about such drills at school, and now I’m taking part in them. The drill was soon over and I went to dinner.
Afterwards I went out on deck to smoke a cigarette and noted that the weather is starting to deteriorate - the wind has risen and fine raindrops are flying through the air. We have already passed by the English coast, and soon we will be in Biscay with its autumn storms.
BAY OF BISCAY, 1.11.47, Sat. I woke when we were in Biscay and realised that what I’d heard about it was no exaggeration. All night the ship’s prow leaped seven metres high, up and down, into the waves, as if forming large circles in the air, becoming bigger and bigger.
I went to breakfast and ate too many sweet things, which turned out to be an unpleasant mistake. This sweetness didn’t want to stay inside, and shortly after lunch I went to the toilet and threw up the delicious breakfast. Naturally I didn’t have lunch, in case I was sick in the dining room and ruined everyone’s appetites.
Shortly before dinner I sought the toilet again, but this time only green liquid came out, and the vomiting itself made me feel bad. To stop my queasiness I ate dinner, but within an hour that went overboard as well. I was only sick once, but even that was enough to feed the fish, and then I went to bed.
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| This photograph of Heintzelman passengers surely was taken in the Bay of Biscay Source: Private collection |
GIBRALTAR, 3.11.47, Mon. The sea is half-peaceful now, and Biscay far behind. It’s still difficult standing in the breakfast queue, especially when the ship takes a higher leap into the air, but after all I have to eat something, so I forced myself to go down to the dining room.
After this torture I went for a walk on deck, and my queasiness gradually diminished; it seems it’s persisted only because of my empty stomach. I climbed onto the bridgehead and watched the water churning, but by this time my queasiness and headache were completely gone; apparently they’ve swum over to Biscay to seek a new victim.
Now I felt the desire to smoke and my mood improved. Yesterday I thought I was one of the people who can’t cope with the ocean and that I would never make a seaman, but that was yesterday, and today I’ve changed my mind. After all I won’t wish to spend my entire life in far-off Australia ...
Today the food tasted delicious, as I discovered when I ate the lunch sausages. Also enjoyable are the Chesterfield A cigarettes I received today; I’ve got a whole carton of them.
After dinner I went onto the middle deck and saw that we’ve sailed quite close to Gibraltar. On the left I saw good old Europe for the last time, and on the right stretched the coast of Africa. Soon the last corner of Europe disappeared from my sight, it seems for a long time to come.
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| The coast of Africa viewed from Gibraltar with some sea traffic for scale Source: Wikimedia Commons |
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