I Was of Service Where I Was Born (the centenary of A.P. Trubnikov’s birth)

My grandfather Anatoly Petrovich Trubnikov would be 100 on November 28, 2012. I don’t want to pronounce these words “would be”. They remind of the past and say that the person is no more with us. But we live while we are remembered. And I remember my grandfather. I live in his house and constantly see his photographs. Don’t put your relatives’ photos in the albums and they will live with us forever. Their wisdom and experience will help you in everyday life. And it will turn out that many modern far-fetched issues are such trifling matters if we see their real lives in the overused phrases about our ancestors’ heroic past.

Many residents of our town, those who are older than me, remember my grandfather. When I say my family name (I have never changed it), I am often asked: “Are you a granddaughter of that very Trubnikov?” I proudly answer: “Yes, I am”. My grandfather was an unusual person. In every sense of the word. He never conformed to the opinion of people around him and didn’t try to please anybody. The fact that he went through the war, from 1941 till the Victory Day, wearing the German uniform is very good confirmation of this side of his character. Was it a challenge? No. That uniform was more convenient and practical. Everything is simple. My grandfather, who was 30 years old at that time, ensured the smooth operation of the equipment. He didn’t stand in line and therefore chose stronger clothing. It was a courageous step not only at that time. And it was the same in everything. Our life is formed with everyday deeds. By the way, the grandfather handed over his boots and knapsack from the uniform of the “Edelweiß” mountain infantry to our museum. They are displayed at the exhibition.

I can’t say that he had a lot of friends. He had many like-minded persons who also strived for the fulfillment of the dream of the men of spirit. My grandfather dreamt of flying even before the Great Patriotic War. He dreamt of building his own aircraft. Now, in my archive, I keep the grandfather’s diaries and among them there is a black thick copy-book, shabby and torn in several places, with numerous sketches, schemes, drafts of very small airplanes. His dream went through harsh military years and soared heavenwards over Lake Siverskoye in 1960. I remember this airplane; it was already disassembled when I was small. I still keep its wing and screw and my guests still ask: “Why do you have the screw on the wall of the house?” Photographs of the aircraft in the yard of our house and on the ice of Lake Siverskoye have come down to us. And I also keep an interesting document - a receipt given to A.P. Trubnikov by his friend, pilot A.P. Gorgun. It says that he has no claims against the designer in case of an emergency during tests. My grandfather himself didn’t fly his aircraft because of his health conditions. Besides, he was rather tall. The photo of the receipt.

My grandfather worked at the ship repairing yard for a long time. First he was an engineer, then a director. He made dozens of improvement suggestions, carried out large work on the reconstruction of the enterprise, changed the manufacturing technique of boats and propeller screws, and introduced a lot of new things in the organization of labour and production within 25 years of his work there. His article about the history of the enterprise was published in the first volume of the almanac “Kirillov”. The photo of the grandfather with his collective. Articles about ecology, history of the town and water ways, messages were published in the newspaper “Novaya Zhizn” many times. The editorial staff knew him as a person who was not indiffrent to local residents’ problems. I carefully keep all postcards with invitations to different holidays at schools and kindergartens of Kirillov. I wonder whether veterans and honorary freemen are invited to schools and kindergartens now. There are notes about weather in the archive. In all, there are over 30 writing-books.

So I can answer all questions concerning the weather of the post-war years. The grandfather was keen on hunting. Before the war, our house in Kopan was the last one. Wolves often approached it in winter. I have kept an old frame with a tiny window through which my grandfather shot at the wolves in his own garden. Few people believe in it, but it is true. Now when the area of the town has increased, wild animals stay away. Books of the hunter make up the largest part of his library. Besides, there is a wolf fur coat of terrible dressing and old-fashioned style. Sometimes things live longer...

My grandfather was born and spent most of his life in Kirillov. He knew his town very well and loved it. We can see drawings from his childhood and youth in his diaries. He proudly told about his father and never pampered me. The grandfather was always in my life, but rarely at the same time. So I was very happy when I could go with him to Kuzminki to his work following his usual route along the shore of Lake Siverskoye. And the forest in autumn! I heard so many stories about habits and cunnings of animals and birds. The grandfather wrote fairy tales for me and taught me German. And what is also important he never raised his voice at me. We have lost something in our life; we hurry up, but don’t know where. But life is so beautiful now. Our ancestors saw its beauty. They fought, worked and flew... Let’s remember our relatives.