Nobody is forgotten …

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

These words which became banal in the standard representation of our contemporaries are associated almost only with uncountable heroes and the victims of the Great Patriotic War. For the last fortieth anniversary this noble appeal managed to be materialized substantially: impressive memorials are built, various memorable signs are erected, memorial boards are placed. Further gradual elimination of different subquality work so to speak of a "cosmetic" order is necessary: replacement of low-standard standard signs with more highly artistic, on an opportunity measure creative works, timely restoration and painting, well and, by itself, ritual wreath-laying at eliko possible mass gathering of people. And still if more fixedly to ponder: whether so all at us "in openwork" with this most "Nobody is forgotten"? Overcome doubts: whether not too short was our memory and whether prematurely to rest on laurels?

Somehow read a note which literally shook me in "News" and since then persistently it does not want "to be shaken out" from memory. And it was told in it that during visit of Japan by the Soviet tourists, owners showed to guests something "native" – cemeteries of the Russian prisoners of war / on one their two thousand remembering about events of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-5 are buried. And all these cemeteries are until now kept in a perfect order, naturally, on thrown to tourists not the place. And how here not to be surprised: both an event of nearly centenary prescription, and a grave of soldiers of enemy army and to crown it all scandalous scarcity of the territory – and at everything thus something for us fantastically incomprehensible! To what sad thoughts were caused by comparison of "the Japanese phenomenon" to that depressing indifference which at us is observed concerning not enemy, but "blood" – if such expression in this case – graves of soldiers which fell in the battlefield not as greedy aggressors of foreign good, and valorous defenders of the native earth is pertinent. Telling it, I mean many set of burials on the earth Belarusian the soldier of the Russian army who laid down life in World War I is equal as the Red Army men who fell in fight against belopolsky interventionists in 1920. It is thought: it is really admissible under any pretext to divide the died defenders of the Homeland into sons and stepsons, on top-quality and second-grade? Statement of a question as though is senseless and blasphemous, however is quite pertinent. And to what thoroughly, to our shame, these anonymous graves are forgotten and thrown! Both the press, and speakers from stands is preferred to be held back them bashfully.

In order to avoid reproach in prooflessness I will illustrate told by a number of the concrete examples concerning only one, more to me familiar Kobrin district though something similar, it is deeply sure, it is observed in many other places, especially in the west of the republic.

When in August, 1915 without shot the Brest fortress on which the Russian command laid more hopes compelled to retreat of part of the Russian army which is badly armed fell and it is worse than that supplied with ammunition, furiously defended each span of the native earth, showing fierce resistance to vilgelmovsky hordes, and both parties sustained very heavy losses.

During occupation of our lands in I9I5-I9I8 of Germans put military cemeteries in different places of the Kobrin County. Hands of the Russian prisoners of war the platforms chosen for them were dug round by ditches with shaft. Here reburied with the scattered individual graves remains of fallen everywhere. Besides not only the, Germans, but often and soldiers of the Russian army. On ranks of graves the same concrete gravestones with the German inscriptions on many Russians are established we read: Unknown Russian brave soldier.

In an original form of a cemetery existed to the middle of the twentieth years when, at the initiative of the International red cross and on its means, the Polish authorities continued business of a reburial on the same military cemeteries. And not only the victims of World War I, but also hundreds of Red Army men who fell in fights with pilsudchik in 1920.

Thus on the escaped gravestones of defenders of our Homeland there are texts in the German and Polish languages.

Such cemeteries, according to the data which are available for me, in only one Kobrin district was seven. They were located at villages Borodichi, the Bog, Gaykovk, Polyatichi, Tevli and in the city. I use the word "were" with an ulterior motive: traces of some cemeteries already in post-war time completely disappeared. So, in Kobrin's center on soldier's bones the bakery is constructed. The Polish military cemetery of 1920 opposite to. a church on which there were graves of Red Army men inexplicably was gone for one night, and fragments of a monument and gravestones appeared in the next sazhalka, causing protests of Poles. In villages Borodichi and Gaykovke, apparently, there were zealous owners who decided to use concrete gravestones for needs of construction.

On the escaped cemeteries of a plate obomshet, grew into the earth, inscriptions are brought down, erased. And still in my attempts to decipher poisterty letters on only one Tevelsky cemetery more than 150 soldiers of the Russian army were succeeded to establish burials. In the same place in three separate mass graves, according to the Polish text, zholnezha of army bolshevitsky are buried 8-12-30 "neznany". On a similar German cemetery in der. Bogs found the last rest of 13 Red Army men of 1920. At last, on rather most remained cemetery in the village Polyatichi it was succeeded to find one collective burial 87 "neznany zholnezha of army bolshevitsky". The possibility of finds of further graves of Red Army men of 1920 is not excluded.

My repeated attempts to draw public attention, in particular schools, to targeting at least of a relative order on graves of heroes did not make success. Only in the last years it was succeeded to make three memorial boards with the generalizing texts having to some extent help character. Especially depressing impression remains from visit of an original memorial in the village of Tevli, before it entirely grew with a tall weeds and bushes.

Probably, the situation on a set similar military cemeteries in other areas is at all not better. So, for example, near. A birch the most passable road had enough to see the dug-up graves with the turning yellow bones, perhaps, the same defenders of the Homeland …

And again memory comes back to the Russian graves in far Japan. And not only there: near Paris, on the suburb of mountains. Mo over Marne it is spacious carefully well-groomed cemetery of the Russian forwarding case of BP was stretched. World War I. And here at us, in Belarus, something did not happen to be heard about something similar though here in I9I5-I9I7 of hundreds of thousands of heroes laid down life. However, in the first post-war years similar the memorial remembering about the mass victims of "position war" could see something in Baranovichi and that was hasty liquidated.

It would be desirable to think what now, during a time of "new thinking" and comprehensive reorganizations of BOOP on the line will join in the general campaign and will reconsider developed ugly – I do not find other word – the relation to graves fallen in 1915-17 and 1920. In my opinion, for a start it would be necessary "to proinventarizirovat" carefully such memorable places in republic scales as this question was not even investigated. And to do it it is urgent, without swing: painfully quickly with our connivance many it that deserves safety disappears.

And still, perhaps, several words out of the main subject. It is pertinent to remember that in England still there are special regular inspectors "pathfinders" whose tasks include further searches of ancient monuments. Though without that in the country of it, small to the territory, aged till the 18th century there are 90 thousand. Whether not to adopt a good example? It is sure, as in BSSR in interesting finds the shortcoming will not be. For example: children of one of rural schools of the area managed to read the semi-erased inscription on a huge stone which told to descendants of burial there the Cossack colonel killed in 1812. And, how many such stones, graves, barrows still expect us – the openers!



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