Deportations in Estonia 1941

I saw a friend of mine post on this topic today and realized that with all the discussion and protesting about racism, I have a story to tell that most of my friends are unfamiliar with. Even some of my Estonian friends don't have a similar story to tell of their ancestors. If Black Lives Matter then hopefully so will the lives lost to Communism during and after WW2.

Russia invaded Estonia in 1940 and the immediate goal was ethnic cleansing. By the summer of 1941, thousands of Estonians had been designated as enemies of the Communist state. It is important to remember that Russia and Germany began the war as allies after agreeing to split up Europe through what was known as the "Molotov-Ribbentrop" pact. Estonia fell to the Russians until Germany decided to take it over in late 1941. What we are remembering today are the deportations of thousands in the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania. This is the story of the Alkok family.

My grandfather (Ado Alkok) & grandmother (Ann [Heinmets] Alkok) owned 160 acres of farmland on the island of Saaremaa. On the evening of July 1st (according to KGB records received by my cousin in Tartu) Russian troops knocked on the door of the family home in Järise Küla which was located 35 km north of the capital of Kuressaare. They had been identified as a family who had too much wealth after building a new home on the property in 1936. My father who was 21 years of age at that time, was in the process of becoming a carpenter and builder. On July 1st of 1941 he was apparently in the Estonian capital of Tallinn on the mainland, or so the story goes. At home were my grandparents, 4 uncles ( all in their 20's), 1 aunt and her young son. They were given an hour to collect their belongings and forcibly removed from their home.

What happened next was terrifying. The men were separated from the women and child. The women, based on records made available after the fall of Communism in 1991, were sent to a camp in Harku County on the mainland. One of the uncles was also sent there when it was discovered that he was an invalid. During this time many Estonian women were raped by Russian soldiers and life as they had known it changed forever. They did eventually get returned to their home when the Germans invaded later that year.

It would be the last time they saw the 4 men. Based on KGB records, my grandfather was put into a cattle car that was destined for Irkutsk, Siberia. The oldest son (my uncle) was also on this train while the other two uncles were forced into the Russian army. Records show that my grandfather sang Christian hymns for three days despite getting no food or water but on the third day the singing stopped. When the Russians opened the cattle car door, my grandfather was found dead. The date was September 24, 1941. I like to point out that God has a sense of humour because I was born exactly 13 years later on September 24, 1954.

My uncle made it to Irkutsk but he was executed shortly after arriving. His crime was that of being an "agitator". The Russians have always been expert liars and I will talk about that more in a minute. Another interesting side note: my younger son spent a week across the lake from Irkutsk in 2004 on a school trip For Habitat For Humanity while we lived in Estonia. Small world!

Today marks the 79th anniversary of the mass deportations in the Baltics. I am acutely aware that if my father had been at the family home that night, I would not be writing this today. The sad thing is that the Russian government never took responsibility for the murder of tens of thousands of people from the Baltics during this time. Germany has long ago acknowledged their atrocities but since Josef Stalin, not a single Russian leader has admitted wrong doing. I and others are talking about it today because we still believe the world needs to hold President Putin and his nation accountable for the murder of innocent people. Wonder how many will acknowledge reading this and pass on this story of injustice?