Viido Narustrang was 11 when he and his mother, Eugenia, fled Türi, Estonia in 1944 aboard a military goods train bound for Germany.
His father Albert had fought the Soviets in the War of Independence in 1918 and since 1942 was again fighting against Russia in an Estonian Division of the German army.
Reuniting with his father post war, The Narustrangs spent six years in Germany before arriving in Fremantle in 1950, as captured in the above photograph (Viido is top left, Eugenia in the black hat and Albert behind Eugenia’s right shoulder). Viido currently lives in Perth with his wife Patricia and was interviewed as to his memories of the exodus for eesti.org.au.
Editor: The Narustrang family also shared a powerpoint presentation of research to their family roots:
Credits: Mark and April Narustrang
This story was collected as part of a campaign in support of the Mass Flight Memorial. If you have a story to share about your family’s mass flight experience, please write to us at news@eesti.org.au