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Wladyslaw Mleczko: 'If I went back, that was the end for me'

Wladyslaw Mleczko was just eight years old at the start of World War Two, but within three years he had been conscripted to join the junior Polish Army.

He was among the youngest of General Władysław Anders' junior soldiers who made the perilous journey from exile in Siberia, through Iran (then Persia), across the African continent, and finally onto the UK.

But having survived the war, he could not return to the independent Poland of his childhood.

The newly-installed Polish Communist government saw the soldiers that left Siberia as traitors - including Wladyslaw.

Though he says the UK government saved his life by issuing him with a green travel document, he also said he felt betrayed by the Allies.

Mr Mleczko has gone on to make his life in the UK and has two sons and a daughter.

We Were There aims to collect as many first-hand accounts as possible by 2025, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, to preserve veterans' accounts for future generations.

The BBC is currently working on the project with a number of partners including the Normandy Memorial Trust and Royal British Legion. Some of the stories collected may be shared with our partners and used on BBC News platforms.

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