Escape from the death train

Due to his father's service as a gunman in the gendarmerie, the family moved often. He was very attached to his father. He always said that his father was very self-sacrificing. One of the simple but beautiful memories of his father that he preserved forever was the memory of when, in times of poverty, he would bring him the salami he got at work for lunch. He separated it from his own mouth and gave it to his children, who would find it a real gastronomic treat.

Boris's most vivid memories come from the time when he lived in Zagreb. The father got a job at the military school and the family moved into a three-room apartment. They rented one room to some Bulgarian students, which was common at that time. Once, due to frequent nighttime alarms, wailing sirens and noise, a Bulgarian woman went into labor prematurely. They had to call a doctor in the middle of the Zagreb alarm. Sirens were wailing, she was screaming and because of that the family had many complications.

But everyday life in Zagreb was pleasant. At that time, his father gave him a bicycle that he called the "wheel for the armed forces", and he often went to the cinema with it. It's cute that the future actor went to the cinema "for nothing" because his father had a connection to the Central cinema. He liked to go to the market with his mother, after which she took him for lunch at Kod Iva, which he adored. At that time, he also saw the first play. It was the play Matijaš Grabancijaš Dijak, which was performed at the Croatian National Theatre.

Later, the family moved to Travnik. While attending school there, Boris acted for the first time. He played in plays of religious content. He often played with Ćiro Blažević, and one of their favorite games was stealing unconsecrated hosts, which they would then eat.

But the initially happy childhood was interrupted by the murder of his father in 1942. Mother, left without income, moves to Bjelovar with her parents. Boris said that, despite the Jewish persecution, he was comfortable living in Bjelovar. He grabbed girls by the waist, and at that time he also watched the first cowboy movies.

The year 1945 was extremely difficult for him. His mother was taken away and she died in captivity not long after. Boris was put on the train to Bleiburg together with his aunts. His escape from the train happened quite by accident. He needed to relieve himself, and there were no guards in sight. He jumped on the wagons of the neighboring trains to do what he needed to do, and after returning, he realized that the guard was still not there. He told the aunts to get off the train so they could escape. The aunts were terrified, but they listened to Boris. Then they calmly walked to the street and went to their relatives who lived in Zagreb.