The above excerpt by Henryk Świebocki comes from a publication he edited, devoted to people who, despite endangering their lives, and with great involvement, brought aid to inmates. It comprises 1216 names, rich documentation concerning facts and illustrations (mainly from the collection of the Auschwitz-Birkenau National Museum). It also contains numerous testimonies of participants to those events, excerpts of which are presented below.

Excerpt from a testimony by an inhabitant of Przecieszyn, Władysława Kożusznik, participant to the prisoners aid action:

"[...] After the concentration camp in Auschwitz was set up, I established first contacts with inmates as early as in 1940. These contacts were very loose, and got more vivid only in 1941. [...] Because in that period famine spread in the camp, we mainly placed food for prisoners at specified sites [...] At the same time, already in 1941 we started first letter relations with inmates, delivering and receiving kites to be passed on further [...]".

Excerpt from a letter of Czech, Bohuslav Fikr, former inmate No 63292:

"[...] Already on the first day I could feel the effects of the aid from people living nearby. Colleagues brought me onion, medicine for diarrhoea, and condensed milk 'from the area'. There was no single Pole who would not comfort me. As long as I worked at the office and they brought food and medicine 'from the area', I realized that they got them illegally, endangering their lives. [...] The risk related to each action can be compared to fighting at the war front [...]".

Excerpt from a letter of a Jew from Poland, Merka Szewach (presently Miriam Jahaw), former inmate No A15855:

"[...] I came to Auschwitz having experienced the ghetto in Białystok, transport to Treblinka, which never reached it after the uprising of the inmates; it was shifted to Majdanek, and from there - to Bliżyn near Skarżysko. After two years of suffering and travelling, I reached Auschwitz. [...] There were four of us, camp sisters: Lubka, Jetka, Liska and me, Merka, in this terrible reality, deprived of dignity, without our dearest, we tried to share everything, but mainly to keep up one another's spirit.

However, [an electrician working at the camp], deeply shocked with our fate, brought us food, cigarettes which we could exchange for bread, as well as pieces of clothing, he even brought me Wellington shoes - all this with great hazard [...]".

Excerpt from a testimony by a Jew from Germany, Kurt Julius Goldstein, former inmate No 58866:

"[...] One night I talked to a young Polish worker who as a student was forced by the German occupant to work at a mine. He knew a little German and English, so we could communicate. Everywhere in the mine [Jawiszowice] the Nazi ordered to paint the inscription: "Rader mussen rollen fur den Sieg." Soon, we were both in agreement that we cared for something completely different. Since then, each night he shared his slice of bread with me. [...] In the camp we had a working commando employed on earth works, road construction and such works. The capo of this commando told me that each morning they found under the cart as many apples, pears, carrots, potatoes or pieces of bread as many prisoners worked there on the previous day. Someone from the neighbourhood must have specifically counted how many there were and at night they planted these 'gifts' [...]".

Geza Schein

Excerpt from a testimony by a Jew from Hungary, Geza Schein, 11, former inmate, number unknown:

"[...] I don't know how many days we were on our way before our train reached Auschwitz.[...] I stayed in Birkenau for about six weeks. The capos selected about 150, mainly young prisoners. I was also in this group. We stayed in the Jaszowice camp and we walked to the Brzeszcze mine. [...] The work was dirty and hard. Women working in the mine used lack of attention on the part of SS officers and capos, giving us some food. One of them almost everyday waited for us and specially cared that I got something to eat. I did not know the woman by name, and I did not know anything about her, as she did not speak Hungarian, and I did not speak Polish. I just believed she was a prisoner too, but working at a mine canteen she had an opportunity to help us [...]".

Excerpt from a testimony by an inhabitant of Bielany, Zofia Gabryś (her married name: Domasik), 23, Home Army liaison in the Oświęcim District:

"[...] I received prisoners from the camp on the order of Jan Wawrzyczko. Then I had to wait for them in purple willow, near the bridge in Łęki-Zasole. The code was to whistle the Głęboka studzienka (Deep well) melody [...]".

Emilia Klimczyk with her family

Excerpt from a testimony by an inhabitant of Jawiszowice, Emilia Klimczyk, participant of the prisoners aid action:

"[...] In January 1945 one could see some anxiety among Germans and preparations to escape. Finally somewhere about January 20, Auschwitz camp prisoners were evacuated through Brzeszcz. [...] Soon a message spread that there were children left without any care in the camp, principally left without any food and in unheated barracks. As we did not have any offspring, together with my husband we decided to take care of some child. [...] We walked across the wood where remains of wood lay used for burning corpses on stocks. We walked next to the crematoria, and then through the holes in the barbed wire fence we entered the camp. [...] I wanted to take a girl. Due to the fear caused by the arrival of SS patrol and on advice of women prisoners, I decided to take the child that was pointed to me. What the prisoners said indicated that the child I was taking was called 'Kola'. Nobody could say where the child came from, how old he was or what his name was. [...] 'Kola' had frostbitten legs and his body was almost transparent, his belly was large - perhaps swollen. His eyes were red and unclear. On his head he had a dried layer of scabs. Having made my decision, I bundled Kola in my kerchief and I carried him out of the camp".