In honor of the Year of Belarusian Women, the Zonal State Archives in Rechitsa presents a document about World War II veteran Liliya Udovenko

The Zonal State Archives in Rechitsa holds Family Collection No.450 of World War II veterans – the husband and wife team of Fyodor Semenovich and Liliya Grigoryevna Udovenko. During the war, the petite and frail Liliya served as a nurse and saved many soldiers and officers. She met her husband at the front, and they marched together toward Victory, including through the Rechitsa region where they would later settle permanently.

Among the documents in the Udovenko family’s collection is an excerpt from the nonfiction novella «We All Loved Her in Our Own Way» by war and labor veteran P.Velko, in which every line is imbued with love and respect for Lilia Grigoryevna (F. 450. Op. 1. D. 35. L. 2-2ob). Her friends from the front noted her qualities such as courage, modesty, kindness, and compassion, with which she always helped soldiers, and they called her nothing less than «our Lilia». The document also reflects how former comrades-in-arms searched for the Udovenkos for many years after the war and subsequently met and corresponded with them on numerous occasions.

1. Photograph of Lilia Udovenko. 1970s. ZGAREch. F. 450. Op. 1. D. 38. L. 1

2-3. An excerpt from the documentary story by P. Velko «We All Loved Her in Our Own Way» about Lilia Udovenko. July 16, 2005. ZGAREch. F. 450. Op. 1. D. 35. L. 2-2ob.