1946 — On the left, Rudolf Cyganek, an accountant, and Helena Gawlowska, a seamstress (Association Mémoire du lycée polonais - Polish High School Memorial Association).

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The staff

Charpters

1. Before
2. Origins
3. The participants
4. Daily life
5. ”A school unlike any other”
6. Fighting
7. Twilight
8. The aftermath
9. Today

Administration, supervision, health, management, maintenance: more than fifty people at all levels run the school and its buildings on a daily basis. Most of the key positions are held by women.

Secretaries, accountants, bursars, stewards, boarding facility directors, storekeepers, doctors, nurses, cooks, kitchen assistants, chambermaids, seamstresses, laundresses, shoemakers, carpenters, mechanics, caretakers, etc. The list of employees describes a community that was as autonomous as possible. The list consists of around forty names. Recruitment to positions other than key ones was not always documented in writing, so there are inevitably gaps in this list. The Villard administration’s general aversion to bureaucracy is striking: staff numbers were small and did not grow over the years, efficiency being the fruit of hard work.

In accordance with the rule decreed by the Vichy authorities, the boarding facility manager and accountant were French, while their deputies were Polish. It was, in fact, the understudies who did the work and the role of the French employees remains unclear. The accountant, René Constantin, was probably acting as an informer. In July 1944, he was arrested for “hostility to the Resistance” and shot by the combat unit known as the Groupe Vallier.

3.7.1 “Our ladies deserve special praise.”

Jadwiga Stefanowicz (Association Mémoire du lycée polonais - Polish High School Memorial Association).

—Zygmunt Lubicz-Zaleski, Headmaster. Memoirs 1939-1945. From Grotowice to Buchenwald (2002), based on Pamietnik 1939-1945. Od Grotowic do Buchenwaldu, 1998.

Our ladies deserve special praise: the organisation of Villard-de-Lans was largely down to them. First, the indefatigable Inka, Jadwiga Gostyńska, niece of the former President of the Polish Republic, Ignacy Mościcki: she possessed both humour and tremendous energy and enthusiasm. She bore the entire weight of managing the establishment and, later, the farm we rented. Next, the General Supervisor Jadwiga Aleksandrowicz, an idealistic, dedicated and energetic teacher. Then Jadwiga Stefanowicz,, who was serious, wise, generous, and devoted to the service of education; Zofia Łukasiewicz, with a heart of gold, and the embodiment of kindness; Bola Keeler, who was ingenious and determined, and unrivalled when it came to sorting out problems with the local French authorities; Mrs Kozłowska, the engineer; the courageous Malgosia Berger, and our renowned cook Józefówa, a central pillar of the school.

Outside the high school in Villard, there was Mrs Potocka, director of the refuge in Lans, Mrs Danyszowa and Mrs Milecka-Starzyńska, who ran the girls ‘ branch of the school in Lans, and also very importantly Isabelle Krasińska, who was in charge of the parcel service, and Mrs Jurgielewicz, the colonel ‘s wife, who was in charge of the student centre in Grenoble. Of course, these are only some of the people who deserve to be mentioned, but they are the ones with whom I had the opportunity to work with frequently.

3.7.2 “She was our Mama.”

“Mother” Gostyńska leads the work in the fields at Les Geymonds (Association Mémoire du lycée polonais - Polish High School Memorial Association).

—Adam Skinder, student. Our School, 2017, based on Mój Villard de Lans, 1978.

”Look”, whispered a friend, pointing to a lady who was moving away from the teachers ‘ table, “that ‘s our Mama”.

The dark, form-fitting dress outlined her athletic figure, whose graceful, fluid feminine movements nonetheless showed above-average energy. Our Mama was Mrs Jadwiga Gostyńska. And she had a lot of children, some growing up and some already grown up. And they had to be fed, their young, insatiable appetites having been awakened by the fresh mountain air. She doubled and tripled her efforts, so that nothing that could be procured was missing. We cared little where she found the food, the important thing was that it was there!

The idyllic early days of abundant supplies soon passed. War regimes always have more repercussions for civilian populations. Buying on the open market was almost impossible, which meant that our Mama focused her attention on the rented farm near Les Geymonds. It was here that we began to grow vegetables. All the students worked on the farm, each to the best of their ability, with Mama setting a fine example. What a sight it was to see our comrade Józek Giba wiping the sweat from his brow so as not to be outdone by her digging up potatoes!

Mama took care of everything for us. We could always count on her help. I remember the spring of 1941, when the lack of money was becoming serious, and we had found seasonal work repairing the road between Saint-Nizier and Lans. The problem was what we were going to eat. Mama came to our aid and our boss transported the meals she prepared for us every day. When we returned, often very late, dinner was always waiting for us.

Every month, Mama distributed the coupons we needed for tobacco and chocolate rations. Mama remembered everyone who left Villard, whether they went on known or unknown journeys. Mama was the first up and went to bed last, just like our mamas at home. So, just as we thank our mamas, we also warmly thank the Mama of Villard, for her help day and night, for her kindness and constant care.

3.6The chaplains

Politicians3.8