Narrative

The Journey of a Survivor

The Warsaw Uprising led by the Polish Resistance Home Army called, Armia Krajowa (nation army or AK in short) broke out on September 1, 1944. The Nazis invaded Warsaw thinking that they wouldn't put up much of a fight. The Nazis believed that it would take them only a couple days to conquer the capital. The Nazis were wrong. The Poles fought powerfully and kept their spirits high. During this dark time period, people risked their lives to survive, as well as to save others. The resistance fighters were afraid but filled with hope because they believed that they will succeed. Barbara Mula was one of these people and was generous enough to share her extraordinary story.

Barbara Mula was born on November 25th, 1928 in Warsaw, Poland. When she turned eighteen, she participated in the Warsaw Uprising.  During the Uprising, she was in charge of transporting messages. She took orders from her generals and stayed focused on her duty because all she cared about was to fulfil her duty, “There was no time to fear...we had to do our jobs, it was chaos.” Mula delivered the messages by going through rundown buildings, abandoned apartments, and the sewers. She stayed off the streets to avoid getting caught by the Nazis and she rarely got any sleep. She slept where she could, mostly in abandoned homes. She couldn’t undress and fall asleep peacefully, because she always had to stay alert. “I missed sleep”, Barbara recalled with a grin.

Towards the end of the Uprising, Barbara was captured and sent to a death camp along with other members of the army. She lived there for eight months, surviving on a ration of food that was just enough to survive. At this point the Nazis were low on food themselves, so the prisoners received even less food. The AK fighters sang songs together, to brighten their moods, and let them escape reality. Barbara smiled as she recalled, “We were one big family.” After being released from the camp following its liberation at the end of World War II, Barbara Mula couldn't live in Warsaw anymore, so she moved to Italy along with General Anders and 300,000 troops. Since the Nazis closed down the schools and universities when they invaded Warsaw, she finished high school in Italy and there she met her husband. After living in Italy for a year, she and her husband moved to England. After staying in England, Barbara Mula decided to move back to Poland. She fought for her country's freedom and decided to go back to her “home”. She also wanted to be buried in Poland and for her children to speak the native language of her country.

It took her a few years to get back into a routine. She had to get used to it. She will never forget what happened during those turbulent days of the Warsaw Uprising even though her memory is fading. Barbara Mula’s final message was, “Stay far away from war, nothing good ever comes out of it.” Through her story, she made sure that we won’t forget that, because war is a horrifying experience that is forever remembered.