The military settlement Narutowicze was located four kilometres south west of Wiśniowiec (seven kilometres by road), and 27 kilometres south of Krzemieniec, in a hilly terrain, partially flat. It was inhabited by 20 settlers, on the left bank of the Horyń River. A few of settlers also lived on the other side of the Horyń River, forming a small settlement called “Nowe Narutowicze” or “Polany”, which administratively belonged to Narutowicze.
I will omit the description of the first years after becoming “land owners”, since they were similar to other settlements – hard, even extremely hard. Instead, I will provide a list of settlers from the settlement Narutowicze: Turlej, Pociej, Wroński, Jurek, Gałka, J. Stencel, Prajsner, Guban, Wróbel, Matrejek, Warzecha (my father), Staszczak, Kowalski, Plata, Duszyński, B. Stencel, Ziemiański, and across the river: Rytel, Para, Wałaszek, Przełański.
State loans and a license to grow tobacco which gave a good income provided help to set up.
The biggest problem was the education of children. A school in Butyń, a village on the Horyń River, was two kilometres away and exceedingly difficult to get to in winter. There were many discussions about building our own school, but our small group could not afford it, and we could not access help from anywhere, so the matter of our own school was postponed till “better times”. Children, after finishing their education in the primary school, studied further in a secondary school in Krzemieniec, or in trade schools in Wiśniowiec. As time went by, neighbours and social relations became close. Together with settlements nearby we organised national and religious celebrations and discussion meetings. Readership developed due to subscriptions to newspapers and farming periodicals, and also by borrowing books from our own exchange library.
During the last years before the war, more impressive houses and farm buildings appeared here and there in the settlement. The outbreak of the war destroyed the accomplishments of our parents and the perspectives for continued development of the settlement, a bulwark of Polishness and European culture.
The indelible day of 10 February 1940 arrived and the Soviets forcibly deported settlers to the Ural region. Instead of a bright future, Narutowicze encountered annihilation.
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T H E H I S T O R Y O F K R E S Y
Osady - Military Settlements 1921-1940
Translation from the book
Z Kresów Wschodnich R.P. Wspomnienia z Osad Wojskowych 1921-1940
(From: The Eastern Borderlands of Poland, Memories of Military Settlements 1921-1940)
Pub: Ognisko Rodzin Osadników Kresowych (OROK)
(Association of the Families of the Borderland Settlers)
London, UK. 1992 and 1998 (out of print)
ISBN 1 872286 33 X
Province (Województwo) WOŁYŃ
JANINA WALBACH (WARZECHA)
OSADA NARUTOWICZE
District (Powiat) Krzemieniec