In the north of Scotland, in the town of Tain, historian Jason Ubych preserves the legacy of Czechoslovak heroes
- Veronika Macleod
- před 12 hodinami
- Minut čtení: 4
In April 2026, I visited the town of Tain, where during the Second World War – from August 1944 to August 1945 – the 311th Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron of the RAF was stationed. It is a quiet, windswept place in the north of Scotland, and 18 of our men lie here, having died in the surrounding area in four tragic air accidents:
· 29 October 1944 – crash shortly after take‑off, 4 Czechoslovak airmen killed (graves: Václav Černý, Rudolf Barvíř, Štěpán Marko Štětka a Josef Košťál)
· 4 December 1944 – 7 airmen crashed immediately after take‑off near the cemetery where they are buried today (graves: Štěpán Petrášek, František Benedikt, František Havránek, Josef Šebestík and Valter Hnilička)
· 1 January 1945 – crash on the island of Hoy (Orkney), 8 airmen killed (graves: Miloš Bodlák, Martin Dorniak, Antonín Bednář, Ivo Karel Englander and Oldřich Bureš)
· 10 April 1945 – crash shortly after take‑off near the runway in Tain, 6 of the 9 crew members killed (graves: Josef Simet, Arnošt Hayek, Zdeněk Palme and Josef Vaniš)
Many others who did not survive these accidents are buried elsewhere – for example, the ashes of pilot Eduard Zbroj from my hometown of Dvůr Králové were brought home after the war and placed in the family grave.
And while you are here, take a moment to stop also at the Czechoslovak grave in the nearby Kiltearn cemetery by the village of Evanton. Many of our men passed through the gunnery school here, and it was here that Jaroslav Kalášek sadly lost his life.
The Tain Museum and the work of Jason Ubych
Tain is home to the small but remarkable Tain & District Museum, which has for 12 years been cared for by volunteer Jason Ubych. https://www.tainmuseum.org.uk
Here you can learn about the history of the town, its patron St Duthus, the local clans, and also about the period of the Second World War, which was exceptionally busy here due to the RAF base.
Jason preserves the memory of our heroes, and he deserves great thanks. He told me about members of the local community who, for decades, protected and nurtured the Czechoslovak legacy:
• John Fleming and his wife Marion
John Fleming, relative of Jason’s wife, spent years gathering information about the 311 Squadron and saved many details that would otherwise have been lost. Together with his wife Marion Skinner, he also cared for the graves of the Czechoslovak airmen and helped organise and install the memorial in 2007. https://mzv.gov.cz/london/cz/aktuality/odhaleni_pamatniku_ceskoslovenskym.html
• Billy and Mary Grant
When the Flemings could no longer continue, Billy Grant and his wife Mary took over the care of the graves, together with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
• Joan Parker
Mrs Joan Parker visited the graves in Tain regularly until her death. Her sweetheart Miloš Bodlák died here in 1945. In one of his letters he wrote to her: “All the boys from the crew wish to be remembered. Lots of love and kisses from me – sweet – M.” Joan truly never forgot him.
The return of Czechoslovak airmen and their families
Over more than 80 years, Tain has been visited by several surviving veterans, their families, and many admirers of the history of the Second World War.
• Bedřich Bok
Pilot Bedřich Bok left a beautiful poem during his visit to Tain.
His son, the well‑known Charter 77 signatory John Bok, says he was “made in Tain”, because his father met his future wife, WAAF Florence Mary Spence, here.
• Jaroslav Brázdil
In the same year, gunner Jaroslav Brázdil also returned to Tain after being forced to leave Czechoslovakia by the communist regime. He was helped by the owners of the Glenmorangie whisky distillery, with whom he had been friends and lived during the war. His son Roman keeps close contact with Tain.
• Karel Fialka
One of my favourite stories is the one I once heard from Karel Fialka in Edinburgh. His father, pilot Karel Fialka, married a local girl from Tain named Bunty MacKenzie.
On the last day of the war, he wrote a moving letter to his parents in Czechoslovakia, telling them how much he looked forward to seeing them after six years – but that he first had to leave for India to work for Baťa. After the Iron Curtain fell, he was never able to visit them again. Karel loved Tain and the Highlands and intended to retire there but he died before he could do that.
After his death, Bunty returned to Tain with their son Karel, and the family lived here until recently.
Whenever I stand by these graves in Scotland, reading and listening to these incredible stories, I admire the courage of the young men who left an occupied homeland to fight for freedom they themselves might never experience.
In Tain, their story is still alive. Thanks to Jason Ubych and the Tain & District Museum, it has not faded from memory even after more than eighty years.
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