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About Eugeniusz Hejka
- Eugeniusz Hejka (16 October 1918 – 2009) was a Polish soldier who was captured by the Germans and made a prisoner in the first mass transport to Auschwitz concentration camp on 14 June, 1940.
- Hejka was allocated number 608 upon arrival at Auschwitz.On 6 July 1940, Tadeusz Wiejowski (no.
- 220) escaped from Auschwitz with the help of five Polish civil workers who were employed as electricians at the time.On discovery of the escape, the Nazi guards held a twenty-hour roll call, from 6PM on July 6 to 2PM the next day, of 1311 prisoners who were flogged beaten and kicked while standing for the roll call.
- During the ensuing investigation by the Nazis, it was found that Hejka had written a letter to his parents on behalf of he and his brothers, no.
- 109 and 354, and given the letter to one of the Polish civil workers.
- Five other prisoners were then selected from the roll call to be punished alongside the five civil workers.
- Due to the letter, Hejka was selected as an eleventh to be punished for Wiejowski's escape.
- This was unique, as in most cases only ten people were punished for the escape of a prisoner.
- After spending time in the death block the eleven were sentenced to be hung.
- The sentence was cancelled minutes prior to their execution and prisoner 608 and the other five prisoners were moved from Auschwitz to Flossenbürg concentration camp.
- The Polish civil workers remained at Auschwitz, and only one of them survived.Hejka spent a total of five years in Nazi prison camps.Hejka and his brothers survived the war.
- Shortly after, Hejka moved to Australia where he helped establish the Polish community in Adelaide, SA.
- This included being founder and chairman of the Dom Polski centre.
- He lived in Adelaide with his wife and family until his death in 2009.
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