top of page

Biographies

Some people have written memoirs, autobiographies, kept diaries or published books about their struggles during the war and then their success in Canada.

Koščak Milka

Autobiography

Milka Koščak (roj. Mihevc). Milka grew up in Cerknica, Slovenia and then escaped after WWII when the communists took over Jugoslavia. She was in the Italian camps and was married there. Her father-in-law sponsored them to come to Canada. She was a few months pregnant when she and her husband Frank were on the rough trip across the Atlantic.

Kranjc Stane

Memoir

The Canadian Slovenian Historical Society (CSHS) was an idea formed in 2002 by Mr. Stane Kranjc, who wanted to pay homage to our ancestors and preserve their stories and their heritage. In 2003, a committee was formed and the Canadian Slovenian Historical Society was created.

Mihevc Jože

Book

Jože Mihevc grew up in Cerknica, Slovenia. After WWII, he ended up in a refugee camp in Austria. His application to immigrate to Canada was accepted. He wrote an autobiography  'Memories of Days Gone By' 

Novak Niko

Book

Niko Novak was abducted and subsequently held prisoner in an Italian concentration camp on the island of Rab. He recorded the details of his time there in a book. He was released when Italy capitulated in 1943. He immigrated to Canada and settled in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

Stepec Pepca

Diary

Pepca Stepec chronicles her journey from the camp in Spittal to America in 1949. She eventually settled in Toronto.

Ulčar Stane

Biography

Stane grew up in Homec, Slovenia. He left in 1945 because of the communist takeover of Jugoslavia. He was a cook in camp and married Francka in Spittal. He served his one year contract in Saskatchewan and then came to Toronto, Ontario. He arranged for his wife and two children to join him in Toronto. He was very religious and was the president of the Holy Name Society which was instrumental in the building and the maintenance of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Etobicoke, Ontario.

Žakelj Anton

Books

During World War II, the Germans occupied Slovenia, which was then part of Yugoslavia. When the Allies defeated the Germans, the communists took over Yugoslavia and took revenge on anyone who did not support them. Anton and his future wife Cecelia became refugees, living in temporary camps for the next five years. In 1949, they emigrated to a farm in Wisconsin, and in 1950, they moved to Cleveland where they lived the rest of their lives. Anton Žakelj recorded his escape from Communism, and life in the camps in a series of diaries.

Read More
bottom of page