SERVICE OF THE MEMBERS
of the Women’s Military Training
IN WARSAW UPRISING

Krystyna Gogolewska (z d. Wieńszczak) ps. “Berwińska”
04 II 1919 - 19 XI 2016
Actress, Puppet Theater "Puppets behind the Barricade"
A native of Warsaw, until 1944 she lived on Okólnik Street. Before the outbreak of World War II, she studied English philology at the University of Warsaw for a year. In the last summer before the war, through a friend, she completed a course at the Women’s Military Training.
In September 1939, she helped at a hospital on Książęca Street. During the occupation, she enrolled in acting studies at the Underground Institute of Theater Art. She recited poems at poetry concerts held in private apartments.
She was a co-founder and co-creator of the puppet theater “Puppets behind the Barricade”. For two weeks in August 1944, she performed in her shows. In early September, she was resettled to a camp in Pruszków. She escaped from the camp to Milanówek, then moved to a village near Sochaczew, and finally made her way to Łódź to spend the final moments of the war with her then-husband.
After the war, she graduated from the Drama Department of the National Theatre School in Łódź. She became a writer and author of plays, translating English literature. Since 1948, she used the pseudonym “Berwińska”, later also known under the name Bargiełowska.
She died on November 19, 2016, in Skolimów, and is buried at Powązki Cemetery.


Education Services in PWK
The education-propaganda service was one of the PWK services carried out as part of specialized training. Its goal was to cultivate the moral character of women and prepare them for activities promoting a fighting spirit among the army and society. During training, PWK members were prepared to manage clubs, libraries, tea rooms, canteens, cinemas, theatres, or revues. These actions aimed to provide moments of relaxation, joy, and the warmth of a family home, primarily to soldiers, for example to those withdrawn from the front. They also increased awareness that society’s care for the soldiers, and communication with them in the struggle for the good of the homeland is a great source of encouragement and motivation in the fight. This service required extraordinary tact, resilience, and calmness.
Preparation for educational service was conducted as part of the aforementioned specialized training, after which practical training could be carried out in Social Work Teams. Meanwhile, the staff trained in this area attended specially prepared courses, including a club course. Topics discussed there included extracurricular education, working among soldiers considering their mental state during war and peace, or the club as a place of relaxation, cultural entertainment, and a link to educational activities.
In March 1939, at the PWK general assembly, a unit called the Social Emergency Service was established, tasked with continuing to prepare society for self-help and self-defence in case of war. As part of the Social Emergency Service, propaganda centres were established, whose main task was to influence the appropriate civic attitude of the general population. This was achieved by promoting current issues vital for national defence or informing about opportunities to actively engage in the activities of the Social Emergency Service.

Puppet Theater "Puppets behind the Barricade"
The puppet theatre “Puppets behind the Barricade” premiered on August 16, 1944. It operated in the Powiśle and Southern Śródmieście areas for two weeks. Its activity was legalized within the 48th “Krybar” Combat Group. The theatre was intended to present short performances for soldiers. The project was conceived and co-created by two 25-year-old women, Krystyna Gogolewska and Zofia Rendzner. The former was responsible for the script, while the latter sewed the puppets. The texts were co-created by Polish philologist Dr. Michał Dadlez. The final corrections were made by Jan Brzechwa, who was also called the artistic supervisor of the theatre. The work on the theatre took place in Krystyna’s apartment, in a tenement house at the corner of Okólnik and Szczyglej streets. Local residents provided materials for making puppets. After the premiere, before the command of the “Krybar” Combat Group, led by Captain Cyprian Odorkiewicz, the theatre’s creators received ID cards as collaborators and passes allowing them to operate officially. The theatre troupe received a schedule of performances from “Krybar,” with at least one performance scheduled each day. The performances were presented in various locations – in gates, courtyards, basements, or private apartments. The stage consisted of boards and a sheet that covered the actors. The most loyal audience, children, helped in moving the props. The main play satirically depicted the defeat of the enemy – symbolically represented by a ragged tiger with a red band on which a swastika was placed. The performances lifted the spirits of the audience and provided a moment of joy in those tragic and difficult days for Warsaw.
Archival photographs
- Krystyna Berwińska-Bargiełowska / public domain
- Performance of Silesian “pewiaczki” (“freliczki”) in the soldiers’ recreation room in Katowice, 1938 /For Future 1938 no.1
- Puppet show “Puppets at the Barricade”. In the foreground, Krystyna /Warsaw Uprising Museum
- Children watching a puppet show titled “Puppets at the Barricade” in the courtyard of the tenement at 5/7 Konopczyńskiego Street. / Warsaw Uprising Museum