"Margus Reinsalu's Diary": Chapter. 1920 - My Mother's Life Before My Father

Photo: my mother before World War II

My mother, Agnes Reinsalu (maiden name Kuutma), was born in March 1920 at Marjametsa farm in Sagadi, Virumaa. She was born as a member of a large and hardworking family, the daughter of Anton and Helena Kuutma, there were 8 brothers and sisters in total, including her brothers Julius, Kaarel, and Raul, whose fates during World War II led them to different armies.

Mother attended Sagadi manor school. She was a smart girl and could have gone far, but her father Anton was an old-school man who believed "a girl's place is in farm work, not school." So her education was cut short, and mother began helping the family at a young age, with days full of work, caring for animals, and working in the fields.

When World War II began, everything changed.

Her older brother Kaarel, my godfather, was sent to the Red Army but deserted to the German side, was captured, and sent to Norilsk for forced labor, from where he returned in 1960.

The oldest brother Julius, who joined the German army, fell in the Kolpino battle near Leningrad in 1943.

The youngest brother Raul fled to Finland to avoid service in the German army and fought instead in the Finnish army ranks, and later was one of the founders of the "Estonian Association of Finnish War Veterans.” 

                       Video: Mother (on the right) with a friend

Life on the farm during the war was hard. Hard times required ingenuity. And to be honest, one way to survive the difficult times was to make moonshine, sell it, and hold parties. "When life is hard, you have to find what helps you survive it," she said later, recalling the war years.

After the war, mother married Feliks. It was a time when one had to find a new path and start over, even though the war had left wounds everywhere. In 1947, their son Marti was born.

At that time, mother studied accounting in Rakvere to find more stable work.

But Feliks was a man who didn't have luck staying on the honest path. Some time later, he was caught for state theft and imprisoned. In shame, mother divorced him and decided to move on.

Only one picture remains of Feliks, taken when Marti finished 8th grade at Sagadi Manor school. Allegedly, that was the only time he saw his father.

After the divorce, mother went to Kohtla-Järve to rebuild her life. She sought work at the Kohtla-Järve Chemical Plant, and there she met my father.

They had both gone through life's twists and turns, lost family members, and left behind their previous lives. Kohtla-Järve was not just a workplace for them; it was a new beginning.

Continued in the following chapters.