Eyewitness: Estonia 1909-1949
- Memoirs of an Estonian Sea-Captain
by Wello Rattur and Rex Umas Rattur
ISBN 978-0-9758008-0-5
This book tells the tale of an ordinary man, who was born at a momentous time in history
- the clash of Empires which culminated in the first World War. Wello's story begins in times of revolution.
As a boy he lives on a lighthouse in the middle of the Finnish Gulf, where he watches the destroyers that steam back and forth past his island,witnessing the birth of the Estonian navy in its engagement with the Red Fleet. He then writes of his adventures as a sailor on the Baltic and of the experiences that lead him to become the youngest sea captain in the Estonian merchant navy. In the early days of World War II he almost loses his life. His account of this experience is followed by a description of his witnessing of the deportation of the Estonian people, and the horrors of life under Soviet occupation. This episode is a lesson for us all, especially for those who, with their faith in a socialist worker's paradise, fail to perceive its sinister consequences.
Wello continues his story, describing life under German occupation. He and his country-
men face a moral dilemma; whether to escape to freedom and abandon their homeland
or to remain and accept the horrors of a Soviet return. He resolves this dilemma by
escaping with his family in the dead of night, right under the noses of the German occupiers.
Their escape is recounted in a matter-of-fact way that belies its extraordinary bravery.
By leaving their homeland, Wello and his family, like thousands of his fellow countrymen,
lose every thing. He tells us in detail of his and 'his family life' in Sweden as refugees.
He then writes of his adventures, his refusal to accept his circumstances, and of his efforts to
improve his lot. His experiences are a lesson in humanity and the treatment received by
Estonian refugees is in sharp contrast to the policies being adopted by countries around the
world today.
The last leg of Wello's journey is to Australia, half way across the world, as he and his family
escape from the terrors of post-war Europe to begin a new life. It is an apt ending to a
fascinating memoir of an Estonian sea captain.
Rex Urmas Rattur©2009
