Ivanna Maszczak: A Century of Resilience from Gulag to London
Ivanna Maszczak, who has passed away at the remarkable age of 100, endured a harrowing seven-year sentence in a Siberian labour camp during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Her crime was involvement with the Ukrainian underground movement, a stance that defied Soviet authority. After her release, she emigrated to the United Kingdom, where she forged a new existence, becoming a cherished member of the Ukrainian community in London.
Early Life and Arrest
Born in the village of Krupets, Ukraine, Ivanna was the daughter of Osyp Przepiórski, a Greek Orthodox priest, and Iryna Marenin, a teacher. Her childhood in Sokal was filled with creativity, immersed in music, poetry, and lively discussions. She completed her education at the Ukrainian State Trade College in 1943, during the German occupation of World War II. Under Soviet rule, she was forcibly resettled to Poland in 1947.
In 1948, Soviet security forces arrested her for collaborating with the Ukrainian independence movement. She was sentenced to ten years of hard labour at the sub-arctic gulag in Magadan, Kolyma, a remote location over 10,000 kilometres away. Over seven brutal years, she faced torture and extreme hardships, only being released in 1955 following Stalin's death.
New Beginnings in Britain
After her ordeal, Ivanna worked as a librarian in Kentrzyn, Poland, and completed a librarianship course in Gdynia. In 1965, she visited a friend in London, where she met Wolodomyr Maszczak, a fellow Ukrainian and newspaper administrator. He proposed just five days after their meeting, and they married that same year, with Ivanna settling permanently in London.
She initially took a clerical role at Barclays Bank before returning to her passion as a librarian at the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain. Throughout her life in the UK, she resided in a third-floor flat in Notting Hill, west London, becoming a local celebrity and a well-known face within the Ukrainian community. She maintained her cultural ties through worship at the Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Mayfair.
Later Years and Legacy
In retirement, Ivanna discovered a talent for painting, creating delicate scenes, including traditional wooden churches from Ukraine. She also authored two volumes of memoirs: Roads from the Past in 2010 and Love and Pain in 2024. Despite enduring immense suffering, she never indulged in self-pity, viewing her experiences as "just one of those things that happened." Her dignity, warmth, and sharp sense of humour endeared her to friends of all ages.
Wolodomyr passed away in 2012. Ivanna is survived by two nieces, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and joy in the face of adversity.
