Ted Winestone was born in September 1929 in Baranowicze, Poland [Annotator's Note: now Baranovichi, Belarus]. His father worked as a wholesale textile merchant. His mother stayed home and raised the children. Winestone's town was only 40 years old and filled with newcomers. It was developed due to five railroad crossings in that area. About one-third of the town citizens were Jewish. He attended a Hebrew school up until the 5th grade. There were times he felt different because he was Jewish. Even though his family considered themselves secular Jews, they still did not work on Saturdays. Winestone was aware of the tensions between Russia and Germany, but it did not concern him. As a child, was very anti-Semitic, but he felt free because Jews were not restricted in anyway. In 1939 Russia took over the part of Poland that Winestone and his family lived in. Winestone's Hebrew school was converted to a Russian school, and they switched languages. Everyone feared the Germans not the Russians. After Russia took control of hometown, there was a huge supply shortage, citizens had to be careful about what they said, and were not allowed to travel freely. He was urged to join the Communist Youth Movement and taught to be a good Soviet Russian. He engaged in sports and other activities while part of the group. He learned to be a good communist for about twenty months. In June, the Germans invaded the Soviet Union [Annotator's Note: Operation Barbarossa, or the German invasion of the Soviet Union, 22 June to 5 December 1941], and everything changed abruptly. After the invasion, Winestone walked into the town square where four people had been hanged for display. Not long after, Germans order all the Jews to go to the Ghetto, so his family relocated to his mother's hometown, called Dworec [Annotator's Note: Dworzec, Poland, now Dvorets, Russia where a ghetto was set up in 1941]. There he stayed with his family, and extended family, total of nine people. His mother's sister's husband was in America at the time visiting his brothers. They rented two rooms, one across the street from the other. One of the apartments that Winestone's family occupied was within the ghetto perimeter, so his entire extended family group ended up in that one room previously occupied by five. Soon the Germans installed barbed wire fences around the perimeter of the ghetto and brought in other Jews from nearby towns. The Jews were forced to work, and he was assigned to a labor group of young children. Because the area he was living in was very rocky, there job was to mine, crushing rocks and loading them onto railroad cars. The foreman took a liking to Winestone and gave him special tasks. In December 1942, the ghetto was surrounded by SS [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] men. One morning, his group woke up to go work at the rock pile a mile outside of town but were soon told to return to the ghetto. Winestone asked the foreman what he should do, and he responded, "run to the woods." He did not understand what the foreman was telling him to do, so he asked him again. The foreman kicked him in the butt and told him to head towards the woods. When he got there, he saw other Jewish stragglers as well. [Annotator's Note: Winestone is interrupted 0:12:29.000]. The "wise Jews" were heading to Moscow [Annotator's Note: Moscow, Russia], but he and his cousin decided they were going to not follow them. They headed west towards his father's hometown because a cousin of his had escaped there from the Germans. She did not like being in the woods and often snuck into the Dworec Ghetto to talk with Winestone. He decided to try locating where she was.

Ted Winestone fled into the woods [Annotator's Note: after escaping from the ghetto in Dworzec, Poland, now Dvorets, Russia in 1942]. He and two others headed west to another town seeking to find partisans. They got lost, but then ran into some partisans in the woods during the night. At first, they did not see anyone, and then all a sudden, the partisans opened fired upon them. Winestone and the others took cover and ran off in opposite directions. Winestone later learned those partisans do not ask questions. He came upon a village, asked a few people where the partisans were, but no one would give him information and began threatening him. Finally a partisan rode up on a horse. Winestone asked him if he could join the group. The partisan told him that if he could follow his horse's path to their location, he could join the group. Winestone somehow managed to follow the path even though the snow covered the horse's tracks. Winestone saw that his uncle and two cousins were there as well. He was hungry. He found a potato to eat, and attempted to boil water in a kettle, but could not get it to go. During the night, his sleeve caught on fire because he slept too close to the fire. It took him a while to get used to living in the woods. He later found out that his parents, siblings, and extended family were killed by the Germans not long after he had run away. Right before he joined the partisans, the Germans had found the encampment and killed about two thirds of them. The soldiers in the partisan group did not really want Winestone because they considered him a young boy and another mouth to feed. Winestone tried to make himself worthy by peeling potatoes and stoking the fires. During his time with the partisans, they came across other Jewish partisans' encampments. Some were not hidden very well. Winestone got sick and covered with lice. He caught typhoid Annotator's Note: also known as typhus or typhoid fever, a group of infectious diseases] and had a high fever. A woman living with the partisans, and cousin of his father, nursed him to health. Winestone had a small piece of gold hidden in his shoe and gave it to the nurse who used it to buy flour and other supplies. By the time Winestone was on his way back to health, he heard that the Germans were defeated at Stalingrad [Annotator's Note: Battle of Stalingrad, Stalingrad (now Volgograd), Russia, 23 August 1942 to 2 February 1943].

Ted Winestone moved to another encampment because he felt like he was not hidden well enough [Annotator's Note: after finding partisan fighters after escaping from the ghetto in Dworzec, Poland, now Dvorets, Russia in 1942]. Upon arriving at a new encampment, they found his uncle, his two cousins, and his uncle's childhood friend, by the name of Feldman [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], and his family. His uncle was compelled to follow whatever Feldman went, and so Winestone did the same. Feldman tried to get rid of them on many occasions because Winestone and his uncle had nothing to contribute. Feldman had tools and supplies that he had brought with him. Winestone and his uncle's family spent the next 15 months following Feldman. [Annotator's Note: Video glitches at 0:30:51.000.] Times were very tough during his time with the partisans. Weeks would go by before he ate or bathed. He often picked lice off himself, and somehow learned to survive. He went through three German attacks while in hiding. He also was chosen a few times to attack German soldiers. Often when the Germans attacked the partisans, it was during the night. When he went on the offensive, he said he and other partisans would lay in wait near a road they knew a German convoy was going to be passing by on. When the convoy arrived, they partisans would open fire on them. They were often not successful in their attacks due to Russian ignorance. One time he was used by the Russians to scout where the German convoys were located, and then signal back to them so the Russians could attack. The Russians always used the least desirable scout for the Germans. On one occasion, while Winestone and some peasants were hiding to scout out Germans, their location was compromised. Winestone began retreating into the woods but tripped and fell. A German soldier caught up to him, kicked the rifle out his hands, and then peed on Winestone. The German left him in the woods. As Winestone began to get up, he noticed that he had been shot in the arm. He removed the bullet and returned to the encampment. Upon his returned, he found out that he was one of three people that survived the attack. On another occasion, the partisans attacked a German outpost and a group of them were killed. Winestone went days without eating, and when he did eat, he would get sick from the food. Lice and disease were rampant in the encampments, especially with typhoid fever [Annotator's Note: also known as typhus, a group of infectious diseases]. His cousin contracted typhoid and suffered from hallucinations for several months. Winestone had a wealthy uncle who had visited his brothers in America right on the brink of war. His uncle's son, Winestone's cousin still in Europe, heard that his mother was murdered by the Germans, and decided to take revenge on them. He became a specialist in setting mines and blew up seven German trains. The partisans labeled him the "Hero of the Soviet Union." A contest came about between the partisans to blow up a certain train. His cousin succeeded and when he was returning to his group, another group of partisans shot him because they wanted the prize.

During World War 2, Ted Winestone joined the partisans [Annotator's note: after escaping from the ghetto in Dworzec, Poland, now Dvorets, Russia in 1942]. He never once thought he was not going to live through the hardships of war. He stayed with some partisans where the encampment was located near the edge of some woods and near a hill. Winestone presumed that this location was chosen so they could easily see when the Germans were heading in their direction. They also dug a trench and covered it to hide when they Germans came near. On one occasion the Germans marched over the trench, but never discovered they were down there. One of the partisans went into town to try and find some food once. When he returned, he told the group that the Russians had arrived. When the partisans met with the Russians in town, the Army swore the partisans into service and marched them to the front lines. Instead of going to the front, a Jewish Lieutenant, gave Winestone a military police hat, told him to guard the German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] and deliver them to the Ural Mountains by way of train. After 29 days riding on a train, they finally arrived. After this mission, he returned to his father's hometown to reunite with his uncle and cousins in the woods. Winestone felt sorry for the German prisoners. They were were starving and many of them died on the train. His uncle found a job working in a mill, but because his uncle drank heavily, Winestone often took his place and was compensated well. After meeting with some other Jews nearby, it was established that they had no place in Belarus to live in peace. Winestone and the other Jews decided that they needed to make the long journey to Palestine byway of Poland. When they arrived in Poland, they secured a wagon, horses, and cows because they were planning on becoming farmers. At the train station, they met up with an old friend, Feldman [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling]. Winestone's uncle was very happy to see him because it gave him confidence that they were making a good decision to travel to Palestine. [Annotator's Note: interviewer pauses interview at 0:54:38.000.] In May 1945, Winestone arrived in Poland and celebrated the war's end. Everyone around him was singing, dancing, and drinking in the streets. [Annotator's Note: Video break at 0:55:33.000.] One night, some soldiers of a Polish Army regiment broke into his family's apartment. They lined everyone up. Winestone thought this was the end, but the soldiers told them that they were not allowed in Poland and must go to Palestine. After reporting the incident to the police the next morning, they were told the same thing by the police captain. Winestone realized that Poland was not going to be their home, and they were better off in Palestine. They found a Jewish organization that agreed to help them get to Palestine for a fee of 300 dollars. Winestone and his family met at a designated area and boarded a train began their journey. They traveled as Greeks so patrols would not question them. They traveled for several weeks, spending months in Vienna [Annotator's Note: Vienna, Austria] in the American occupied territory. The Americans deloused, bathed, and fed them. The Americans then sent them to a displaced persons camp in Austria.

Ted Winestone [Annotator's Note: a Polish Jewish refugee] was placed in a DP camp [Annotator's Note: displaced persons camp] in the American occupied territory of Vienna [Annotator's Note: Vienna, Austria]. His living situation was luxurious. Winestone spent 21 months in the DP camp. The British had clamped down on Palestine really hard to control the illegal immigration of Jews into the area. Many of the ships that headed to Palestine were intercepted by the British and taken to Cyprus [Annotator's Note: Republic of Cyprus] There the displaced persons were put in a British internment camp. Winestone knew a couple of friends in Cyprus. Winestone did not want to end up there, so he remained in the DP Camp in Austria and took classes in Hebrew and English. Winestone received a letter from his Aunt Tilly [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], in America who lived in Memphis [Annotator's Note: Memphis, Tennessee]. She contacted Winestone to tell him that she knew of his misfortune and wanted to help him. He soon received papers to go to America. Winestone had another Aunt Tilly that lived with his family for a while. They did not like each other. When he received a letter from his Aunt Tilly from America, he was very confused and thought that the aunt he lived with somehow survived and went to America. He could not understand why she was being so gracious to him by giving him a passage to America when they did not like each other before the war. When his boat landed in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] in January 1947, he was met by woman he never met before. She told him that she was Aunt Tilly. He was pleasantly surprised. Aunt Tilly took him to her home and gave him a room and breakfast. At that moment he knew his troubles were over. Winestone enrolled in high school. A teacher taught him English well and guided him through his education. Because of her help, he was admitted to several prestigious colleges. After he graduated from high school, a friend of his helped him find a summer job as a truck driver assistant. He delivered butter and eggs throughout New York. Winestone's boss did not believe that he was accepted to City College of New York [Annotator's Note: The City College of the City University of New York in New York, New York] and drove over to the admission office to verify it. His boss rearranged his route so Winestone could continue to work for him and go to school.

Ted Winestone [Annotator's Note: a Polish-Jewish refugee] did not talk much about his war experience with his new peers and teachers [Annotator's Note: after emigrating to the United States]. He was determined to become an American and to forget about the horrible experiences of being a partisan [Annotator's note: after escaping from the ghetto in Dworzec, Poland, now Dvorets, Russia in 1942]. After three semesters at City College of New York [Annotator's Note: The City College of the City University of New York in New York, New York], his goodhearted Aunt Tilly [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] died. Her husband did not like Winestone and took his New York apartment. Winestone moved to Memphis [Annotator's Note: Memphis, Tennessee] to live with his uncle. He enrolled at Memphis State [Annotator's Note: now the University of Memphis]. As a second semester sophomore, he joined a Jewish fraternity. After he graduated from college, he was drafted into the Marine Corps to participate in the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. He completed bootcamp at Parris Island [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Port Royal, South Carolina]. Because of his experience as a partisan, he excelled in training and was selected as a platoon leader. Many of his soldiers could not understand him because his English was not very good. He was recommended for officer school but was soon rejected because he wore glasses. He was shipped to Korea, attended radar school, and joined a radar squad. Nothing exceptional happened while he was in Korea. One month later, his squad returned to America, and he received 300 dollars for his deployment. Winestone enjoyed his time in the Marine Corps. He enjoyed the food and did not mind the marching. He visited New York on his leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to see an uncle. He bought a car to get there and back.

Ted Winestone [Annotator's Note: a Polish Jewish immigrant to the United States] was in a labor camp during World War 2. They lived in his mother's hometown where they received food from friends. He was forced to work in a rock pile. The Germans killed everyone in his town, but he and a friend escaped into the woods to join the partisans. His friend returned to town several weeks later with a bullet in his head. He was taken to a hospital where Winestone presumes he died. Winestone believed for a while that if he continued to work for the Germans at the rock pile camp, he would be spared from a mass shooting. He soon learned that this was not the case. Years after the war, Winestone had a dream while he was in the Marines [Annotator's Note: the United States Marine Corps]. He was very happy about the dream because it was in English, and he knew that he had finally become an American. Winestone did not want to share his experience, but there are not many survivors left, so he felt compelled to do so. Every time he shares his war experiences it affects him and take days to get over.