Abram Kreslov

This is my husband, Abram Zusevich Kreslov (Krislav), when he began to study to become an officer, in 1941 in Leningrad.

My husband had a Polish last name, Krislav. I think he had relatives in Poland, he came from the village of Kamen in Vitebsk region.

Every time he spoke with me, he called me 'Bat.' I didn't understand, what he meant. Later I found out that it meant 'woman' or 'daughter,' so he called me 'daughter.’ We met in my mother's apartment.

My husband was born in 1915 and was six years older than me. When he was 14, he moved to Leningrad from his native village. A lot of Jews moved here, because the prohibition to live in big cities was lifted.

He came here all alone and began to work at the 'Vulkan' plant. Later he studied at a military school and became an officer. As soon as the war broke out, he went to the frontline.

Almost all his relatives were murdered by the Germans. His father was hanged, because his four sons were at the front and couldn't hide him.

His five sisters and mother were buried alive in Kamen. Two of his brothers perished at the front. Only two people survived of the whole family, my husband and his brother Misha.

My husband was a Communist. When he came back from the army, he was assigned to work at the 'Bolshoy Dom' and worked there until he was 60.

He was offered a position of a supervisor at the prisoners-of-war camp near Leningrad. He agreed. It wasn't a prison, but a camp where imprisoned Germans were kept.

Later he quit that job and working at the 'Big House' in general. He was a disabled war veteran, he survived a head wound and a shell-shock.

He had 56 shell fragments in his body. He had to undergo an operation in the course of which 19 fragments were removed. After that he was granted a III category disablement in order for him to work.

I got married in June 1946. I was 25 at that time. We didn't have a wedding celebration. After the wedding I started to live at my husband's place.

He had a small room, 11 square meters, in a communal apartment located in Goncharnaya Street.

While we lived in the communal apartment, our children were born. We had three daughters.