Visit of the British Ambassador to Slovakia, H.E. Nigel Baker at Brookwood

We visited the Memorial to the Missing where we found the name of Major John Sehmer, who was head of the British Mission for the Slovak National Uprising. In September 1943 he and his team linked up with a small detachment of the U.S Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operatives code named ‘Dawes’ and were trying to connect with the Slovak partisans who were helping downed pilots and crews evade capture and to rescue them. Unfortunately, the mission ran into difficulties and so they escaped into the mountains. Eventually, they and their US and Slovak team were caught by the Nazi’s and were taken to Mauthausen concentration camp on January 7, 1945. Over several days, the prisoners were interrogated, tortured, and finally shot by SS and Gestapo officials and the camp’s commandant, Franz Ziereis.

At the main memorial I presented H.E with a copy of our book ‘Plot 29’, by Dr George Scott and we discussed how the plot came about and the stories of those buried there, including Jan Vella, Captain Šeda and our double headstone of Zdenek and Edith Sedlakova amongst many.

At the RAF rows we visited all 3 Czechoslovaks there, but were obviously drawn to Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Anton (Antonín) Vanko. Vanko escaped Czechoslovakia with two colleagues in April 1943 by hijacking a plane called ‘Antka’. They flew to Istanbul where they had to land due to engine trouble. After a perilous journey through the Middle East, they eventually arrived in Britain in October. Vanko was assigned to fly spitfires, and then later transferred from the 57 Operational Training Unit to the 321. He was due to start an operational flight on 8 December 1944, providing protective support for Lancaster Bombers that were on their way to Duisburg, Germany. Whilst in extreme weather conditions, he collided with another aircraft in Bradwell Bay airport and was killed.

We stopped at our newly planted ‘sister’ Platinum Jubilee Tree to the one he planted in in Žilina. It was wonderful to have us both there and hope that in the future we will be able to visit Slovakia to do the same there. Marek Svoboda, I am sure would be delighted to see his project continues to bring us together. The recent dry weather has meant it is looking a little ‘thirsty’ so we are working with the CWGC to give a ‘regular drink’ during this time. Servare et Manere

Next to the civilian plot and all the many stories there; least of all the way these amazing men and women continued to protest against the communist regime that persecuted them so dreadfully after their victorious return home after the war. As we know in their eyes freedom and democracy for Czechoslovakia was not achieved until 1989. Of course we paid our respects to General Otto Ivan Schwarz and discussed the story of the sinking of the ‘Alsterufer’.

Our 13th Tree of Peace planted by Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, goes from strength to strength, and I was able to show H.E Nigel Baker the marker with the time capsule buried beneath as well.

And finally, to the Liberator Headstone and the grave of Marina Pauliny, Vice Chair of the Czechoslovak Red Cross. On 5 October 1945, she was travelling with the crew and 9 women and 5 children who were being repatriated back to Prague. Their plane suffered an engine fire shortly after take off from Blackbushe airport and it crashed near Elvetham Heath killing all on board. Both of these graves have been refurbished in recent years thanks to the family of Zdenek and Edita Sedlak, Vladimir Andell, and H.E Lubomir Rehak, previous Slovak Ambassador to the UK.

It was a privilege to meet H.E. Nigel Baker and hear how he and his Embassy remembers the Czechoslovak veterans in Slovakia, and the events that our MAFCSV committee members Marta Majerčík and @Marian Majercik attend with him. We hope to further develop this partnership and find ways to continue to honour and remember our courageous men and women and tell their stories, both in the UK and in Slovakia.