“If I had been a boy, I would have been shot…” Part 6

We have now reached the sixth part in our serialized reading of “If I had been a boy, I would have been shot…”, the memoirs of Jaroslava Skleničková. Veronika Hyks has been reading the story of Jaroslava’s childhood in Lidice, brought to a violent end in June 1942, when the Nazis decide to wipe away any trace of the village. Jaroslava – or Jaří – is the youngest of the women of Lidice to be sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, and she is there with her mother and sister, Míla. Nobody dares to think about what might have happened to the men and the children of the village. David Vaughan brings us the story so far.

Women in Ravensbrück concentration camp

The women of Lidice have been in Ravensbrück for over two years, and some have succumbed to illness, overwork or have been transported to the death camps in Poland. But rumours are growing that Germany is losing the war. As the Eastern Front approaches, there is a growing sense of panic among the camp guards, supply lines are beginning to be broken, and the camp regime is tightening. The most dangerous phase of Jaří’s stay in Ravensbrück is about to begin. Veronika Hyks reads.

About this series

Part 5

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1