Koket Maria Stepanovna

Interview with Maria Stepanovna Koket  on 10^th August 2010 in her garden.
Interviewers: Konstantin (Ukraine), Tonya (Russia), Katrin (Germany), and Ina (Germany)

About myself 
My name is Koket Maria Stepanovna. I was born on 21^st June 1924 in the village Vladimirovka/Nikolaevsky area. In 1927 my parents and I moved to the village Novopoltavka/Konstantinovsky district. My father worked as a mechanic in a mill, my mum was a housewife. I had a brother and a sister. My older brother died in Poland during the war. In school I finished the 7^th class.

Beginning of the war

In 1941 German planes started bombing our village and we realized, that the war had begun. In October German forces arrived in our village.

Work in Poland

In summer 1943 young people from our village were collected in order to work in Germany. Jews were immediately separated and killed. We were brought to a small town near the German-Polish boarder, where I stayed till the end of the war. At a meeting point a Polish farmer, named Titov, collected me and another young man. When we arrived at the farm in Konnica, two Polish people were already working there.

First we lived in the attic, later we slept in the cowshed. We worked from the early morning till night. We got neither clothes nor money. But I must say, that I was never treated bad.

Liberation

In spring 1945 we were released by Russian soldiers. We were brought to a distribution point, from where we were sent to Novopoltavka by train. Among the young people I am the only one who came back home. In Novopoltavka I met my mother and sister again.

Maria Stepanovna with volunteers: Katrin, Tonya and Konstantin

Life after war

In 1946 I got married to my neighbour Ivan Anisovich Gut. We gave birth to a daughter. In 1955 we bought a house in Konstantinovka and moved there. My husband worked as a bookkeeper and I was employed at a dry-cleaner’s till pension.