Wewill remember you forever!
September 1, 1938, School № 3 in Klimovsk, was only one high school of the town,which took its first students. The opening of our school was a celebration forthe entire town. From the first days there was an amazing atmosphere offriendship and partnership between teachers and students.
Before the war, our school had two graduations, in 1940 and 1941. Many schoolleavers wanted to continue their education, they were going to enter theuniversities. But the war left them no choice. Almost all of the boys and manygirls went to the front [frʌnt].They were just 17 years old; they tried to choose their own ways in the lives.Butmost of all we were touched by the fate of these students.
Leonichev Boris was drafted in November 1941; he left our school the same year.According to the memoirs of Natalia Iosifovna Bashkunova, he was a serious,hard-working guy, he was very friendly, he smiled widely and openly. Borisstudied the airmanship [ˈɛəmənʃɪp] at the airport near the stationSilicatnaya. The results of his education are unknown, but he became a soldier inthe front.
After the conscription Boris studied in the training division for few months.He wrote letters to his relatives, teachers, and friends. Then he was sent toexplore Mortar Regiment. Boris was killed in the first battle [ˈbætl] in July1942. In the letter to Boris’s father, Mikhail Philippovich Leonichev, commissar[ˌkɒmɪˈsɑː] of the division reported: Boris was killed at an observationpost, which was heavily shelled. Your son behaved as a real soldier of the RedArmy.” Inour school there was a detachment under the name Search. Theteacher of history Levshina Tamara Pavlovna led it for many years. In 2000 theygot the letter. There they found the information about the mass grave, whereBoris was buried. [ˈbɛrɪd]
In 1941 two friends Mikhail Zaitsev and Svyatoslav Merinov left our school.Both got only “good” and “excellent” marks, both were active members of theKomsomol. But their characters were rather different.
Happy, cheerful and joking Svyatoslav Merinov was the soul of his class and thepride of the whole school, according to the recollections of his friends andteachers. Svyatoslav was tall, handsome and blue-eyed, he often played withsmall children in his neighborhood. He dreamed of becoming a professionalsoldier and therefore he seriously tempered himself.
When the war began, his mother, a nurse, was drafted into the army in June1941, in August his father, a retired officer, was drafted too. And in autumn Svyatoslavwent to the front. At first he studied at the infantry school in Orenburg [ˈɒrənˌbɜːɡ], then he fought. Later Slava was sent to the military medical school, he graduatedit and fought again. Svetoslav wrote letters to his mother and father, to NataliaJosephovna Bashkunova, to students. He advised the children to learn skiing, becauseit was useful in the army. According to his mother’s story, he was takenprisoner but he escaped. Unfortunately, in the location of our troops nobody believedhim; he was considered as a traitor and executed. Svyatoslav was rehabilitated[ˌriːəˈbɪlɪteɪt] in 1965.
Misha Zaitsev was a shy, silent gay. He knew and loved math, his best friendscalled him the professor of mathematics. At the photo in the localnewspaper, October 20, 1940, we can see Misha Zaitsev in the drawing lesson. Inthe 9th form Misha organized and led the acrobatic circle. Mishawrote poems which sometimes appeared in the school wall newspaper. After highschool he was going to enter the medical school and become a surgeon.
But in the autumn Misha went to the front as a volunteer [ˌvɒlənˈtɪə]. MishaZaitsev studied at the armored [ˈɑːməd] school, but he did notfinish it and was sent to the front as a miner. He wrote poems and letters tohis mother and sisters. Also he made the notes in his front diary. According tothem, we can see the way of becoming a MAN. Letters were full of perturbations[ˌpɜːtəˈbeɪʃ(ə)n]and anger with the Nazis [ˈnɑːtsɪ]. If you saw … thecivilian population is suffering! Yesterday, in one village, the Germans shot70-75 years old beggar, who was just selected as a target [ˈtɑːɡɪt] for theshooting … The Germans take all the village tubs and childrens dolls …No! There is no place for them, in our homeland! — a very youngwarrior [ˈwɒrɪə]convinced. And with a triumph he wrote: The Germans flee without lookingback!. And very ordinary Misha wrote about his personal involvement:Yesterday several sappers and I went along the mining road … This excursionwas quite risky … We captured a prisoner.
Misha was sure in our victory, he planned his future, wrote to his mother thatafter the war he would learn. Misha Zaitsev died in October 1942. He explodedon a mine.
LeonidSazonov, Vitaly Morokishko, Maria Presnova, Boris Demichev also fought duringthe Great Patriotic War.
Our school remembers these people and is proud of them. We have a commemorativeplaque where are the names of those who never returned from the war. There arealways fresh flowers near it.
Every year, May 9th , our town honors[ˈɒnə] the veterans.
Students come to their houses. Veterans tell about their war past with greatpleasure.
For several years, the students of our city take part in the Immortal regiment,saluting the veterans who are not alive.
We can tell a lot of interesting facts about these great people. And we areproud that they began their lives in our school, high school number 3 in Klimovsk.They are the best examples for us and our younger generations.
Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten.
