Vasyl and Maria Pylypczuk

Vasyl Pilypczuk was born in the Ukraine in 1928, in an area occupied by Poland. He came to England after the war, initially landing in Harwich and then going to stay in West Wratting, an ex American Air Force camp about 10 miles from Cambridge.

He stayed there for about two weeks before being transferred to Winchcombe, where he arrived on the 4^th March 1948. Initially Vasyl was set to work clearing ditches, including those around the cemetery in Winchcombe, later working for 4 months laying drainage ditches in the grounds of Toddington Park.

In March 1949 he was moved to an ex Italian Prisoner of War Camp at Broadwell in the Forest of Dean and from there to Elmbridge Court in Gloucester, where he was in the company of a number of different nationalities including Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians and Poles.

From Elmbridge Vasyl moved to Chippenham where he worked on an agricultural contract for 3 years. At the end of this period he was free to choose his own place of employment and went to work as a tool grinder for the Bricks and Signals Company. Concerned that the repetitive nature of the work was causing him to loose concentration, he left after 9 months and returned to Gloucester where he went to work in the canteen of a hostel in Stonehouse. Since that time Vasyl has worked for Priday Metford, Price Walker and finally for Permali, where he stayed for 27 years until his retirement.

He met his wife Maria, who was from Campo Baso in Southern Italy and who was living in Purley in Surrey, at a Wedding in Dursley in May 1957. They were married in October of the same year, settling in Gloucester.

Whilst Maria has returned to Italy a few times, Vasyl has only returned to the Ukraine once, in 1993, when he went for a month after his retirement. He found conditions there very difficult.

He feels that the Ukrainian Club is very important for the community; as it is somewhere where he can go, talk to fellow Ukrainians and where they can express their opinions. It has also been very important in keeping alive the language and traditions by passing these down to the younger members of the community via the school run on a Saturday.