Aron Aronson at a pioneer camp

Here my father is at the pioneer camp, where he worked as a director. The photo was taken in Leningrad in 1923.

In 1920 Daddy became an aide-de-camp of the legendary commander Guy, it was the 84th squad of the rifle battalion, 36th rifle brigade. Daddy was 17, but he already was a valiant and famous person, a hero. There are photos, where Daddy can be seen at the feet of Guy, whose aide-de-camp he was. Guy’s wife was a Jewess and loved my father very much. My daddy’s friendship with Guy went on both after the Civil War and when Father married Mom.

In 1933 – by this time we lived in Leningrad – Daddy was sent to study at some regular courses in Moscow, and there we visited Guy. I was only four, but I remember a moment that surprised me. On the table in Guy’s study there were several telephone sets. It was a great surprise for me, because in Leningrad in our room we had a telephone, but its set was attached to the wall. But when in 1937 Guy was executed by shooting, Daddy did away with all the photos, reserving only collective ones, where it was difficult to recognize Guy. Father came back to Kiev after the Civil War safe and sound, and in 1923 the whole family left for Leningrad.

My father got acquainted with Mom in a pioneer camp. Dad was the camp director, and Mom was the matron. Dad chased after Mom for a year, took her to the Jewish club, where there were placards in Yiddish. Mom was born illegitimately and didn’t know any other language except Russian. But she read on a placard: ‘Proletarians of all countries unite!’ Dad didn’t believe that she really read it and asked her to prove it. Mom didn’t know that the written Jewish characters should be read from right to left, and in that way gave herself away. It is not known, if she was a Jewess or not, but Dad loved her very much.