The deportations occurred on the 13th and 14th June 1941, where approximately 43,000 Baltic people were deported to the artic regions of the Soviet Union. Several thousand people were also killed or deported in the following two months by the Russian “destroyer” battalions which enforced Stalin’s “scorched earth” policy during their retreat from the invading German Army.
A second wave of forced deportations occurred after the war, and between 1940 and 1954 approximately 10% of the population, some 605,000 people, were deported from their homes. Few of the deportees survived and were able to return to their homelands.
A Commemoration Wreath-laying, Service and Concert will be held at 3pm on Sunday 16th June at the St Peters Latvian Church, 23 Rose Tce, Wayville, followed by some light refreshments at the Latvian Hall across the street.
All are welcome to attend.