Figure 1.-- Różyczka Goździewska was born in Warsaw (March 31, 1936). She was one of the many children who defied the NAZIs. She served as an 8-year-old paramedic in the Warsaw Uprising. Although only a child, she saved the lives of many others. She helped in the field hospital of the 'Koszta' company in a tenement house at 11 Moniuszko. At first she was rejected as too young, but they could not keep her away. Thanks to her efforts, the lives of many wonded soldiers were saved and evn those who perished were tended by this beautiful litte girl and her beautiful smile. Róża was described as very stubborn as a little girl. Woth the uprising, she insisted on helping in the hospital and she did her work well. She gave water to the wounded and kept away flies that were a real torment to the injured. She brought back a smile to the faces of the wounded and dieing, her older sister Zofia remembered.
Children were involved in the Warsaw uprising. And not just teenagers. Older boys served in the AK itself. The Boy Scouts and Guides were particulasry active. Younger boys, especially Scouts, delivered messages for the AK. Here mostly boys would be involved. Thus from an early stage there were child casualties and not just civilian casulaties from the terrible fighting. Children were in the thick of the fightimg. We note a Scout being buried at an early stage of the uprising. In the areas liberated they delivered mail. They provided a range of services such as fighting fires and assisting those in bombed out buildings. Girls often served in hospitals.
Różyczka Goździewska who was 8-years old was the youngest nurse (figure 1). Her father had been executed by the Gestapo (1943). Fortunately she managed to survive the War. As the Germans retook the city, the resistance fighters, including virtually all of the men were shot when captured. The inhabitants of Warsaw that survived, chiefly women and children, were rounded up and marched through the streets under arrest. Some were shot, especially if they had nothing with which to bribe the Germans and Ukranians. The fighters after the final surrender were accorded some protectipn.
This was not the case for the civilians. The civilains not killed werevforced in to a transit camp where they were processed.
