Reminiscences of War Memories

In the 20th century, media, cameras and tape recorders have improved recording accounts of historical events and the everyday life of people. The growing flow of information has made it possible to also record warfare, the distress of evacuees and their evacuations more closely than before. The Second World War, about 60 years ago, was the first instance of warfare which was documented carefully in photos and on film. The fighting and evacuations during the Second World War have also been documented in Finland. The Winter War of 1939-40 and what is called the Continuation War (1941 - 44) between Finland and the Soviet Union have been documented in photos and film. The loss of Karelia and other eastern parts of the country were a great territorial and economic loss to Finland. As a consequence of the wars Finland had to take care of the evacuated population. About 420 000 Finns (approximately 12 per cent of the population) involuntarily abandoned their homes in the eastern part of the country. These people could not be considered refugees in the usual sense of the word; they were Finnish citizens who had to be relocated within their own country. The largest group of evacuees, about 407 000 persons, was comprised of the inhabitants of the so-called "ceded Karelia.