Tribute to woman who survived Russian siege

Elka Levtov (83) spent 900 days in the harshest conditions possible as a bitter battle raged between the German and Russian armies in the second world war.

She, her mother and her elder sister dug trenches, put out fires and survived on 40 grams of bread a day during the turning point of the conflict.

Elka settled in Bognor four years ago where her son, Sasha and daughter-in-law Nina, and their first son, Joseph, had settled in 1978.

Despite her short time in this country, she won the hearts of many people in Bognor, especially in the field of music.

She was not a musician, but was so ardent about the subject she encouraged Sasha's interest which led him to found the Regis School of Music soon after his arrival.

He and Nina have built up the school in Sudley Road to its present outstanding level of recognition across southern England.

Elka was born the youngest of five children in a small Jewish community in Byelorussia in 1925. She learned the value of hard work and thrift from her parents.

The second world war began when she was 16 and all the men of her family joined the army. She found herself in Leningrad where her elder sister worked round the clock as a medical student in the local hospital.

After the war, Elka graduated as a medical student on her way to becoming a consultant ophthalmogist. She married engineering student Mikhail Levtov, decorated nine times in the war, in 1949.

He was sent without warning to a village in northern Russa in 1951 to become responsible for its agricultural machinery.

Elka worked as a doctor in the village hospital and made light of the primitive conditions in bringing up Sasha, then aged two.

The family moved back to Leningrad in 1955 but faced a serious threat when Mikhail was falsely accused of the serious crime in the Stalinist era of selling space machinery parts to the USA.

He was reprieved from a spell in the gulag after returning to the village to clear his name.

Elka gained a well- deserved reputation as an ophthalmologist and saw up to 70 patients a day. She carried on working until she was 75.

Her skills as a thrify cook made the family's flat a popular place for celebrations.

Sasha, Nina and Joseph settled in Bognor because of the political machinations of the Soviet Union. Elka and Mikhail were refused permission to visit them. They became exhausted as conditions worsened with the collapse of communism.

Mikhail died of a heart condition in 1996. Elka eventually moved to Bognor but had to undergo serious brain surgery in 2006.

Her intellect and personality still shone through, even though she became physically disabled, until her death on Boxing Day.

Her friendship, self-effacing love for others, professional commitment and zest for life will be missed by those who knew her.

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