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The story of my life

Part 1

My Father Frantisek was born 16 November 1872 in Tremosnice, where his Father (my paternal Grandfather, born 17.9.1851) had a larger farm, which lay isolated in the valley of a brook called Tremosna near a small town Zichlice. From Zichlice a road leads to the farm and ends there. On that brook a number of mills were situated. One of them, between the town of Tremosna and the village Nemecka (Ceska) Briza, called Hamr, was the birthplace of our famous painter Vaclav Brozik. There is a commemorative plaque on the mill. The brook Tremosna flows into the river Berounka near the castle Kacerov. My Father lost his Mother soon after his birth. Her maiden name was Holubova from the village of Nynice. His Father  (my Grandfather) gave the child ( my Father) to his wife's sister ( my aunt) for breast feeding as she had also a small child at that time. He stayed in Nynice during the earliest part of his life.

My Father Frantisek left the farm in Tremosnice and moved to a farm in Nemecka Briza, nicknamed 'U Hlidacu'(By the guards). As a soldier, my Father spent 3 years in the cavalry in the town called Vysoke Myto located in the centre of Bohemia. Soon afterwards he married into the Kepka family in Zruc, into a house nicknamed 'U Kuceru' (Kucera House). My Grandfather Josef Pavel used to visit us from Nemecka Briza and I was encouraged to kiss his hand as a mark of respect.

My Mother Marie was born 18 October 1878 in Zruc as a third daughter of Josef Kepka. Grandfather Kepka was married twice. His first wife Bartovska from Bolevec-Pilsen died, after they had two daughters together, Katherine and Ann, who both married into farming families in Zruc. Grandfather Kepka's second wife Ann, from Pechman's family in Zruc was 18 years younger than he. She was born 18 January 1855 and he was born on 1 May 1837. They had three daughters: Marie (Mary), Alzbeta (Elizabeth), and Magdalena. My Aunt Alzbeta married Martin Strunc, a farmer in Bolevec near Pilsen and Magdalena married a teacher Stanislav Jezek from the town Klatovy, who was born in Lazec near the town of Pribram. My Grandfather had no male heirs and so the farm was given to his third daughter Marie (Mary), my Mother. It was the best farm in Zruc, as to size, location, productivity of the land, pastures and woods. Also the farm buildings were well built except for the family house and a barn which were still thatched with straw. There was a large garden with lots of fruit trees which yielded lots of fruit year after year, especially plums. My Father Frantisek also kept bees but not more than 2-3 hives. Sometimes he took honey from them. He had no facilities for separating the honey so he took the whole sections which was very uneconomical as the bees then had to spend a lot of energy on re-building the honey combs.

My brother Frantisek was born on 19 May 1899 and I was born after him on 14 February 1903. My brother was handy and clever and as the firstborn was pre-destined to inherit the farm and continue with it. It was a wise decision. That was why my Father was instructing my Brother in farming from the very beginning and I, as the younger one stayed more at home, went shopping to the local shops and even to the butcher for meat for Sunday. Regularly I used to buy 1.5 kg of pork ribs and on big holidays, i.e. Xmas and Easter 1 kg of beef for soup. During those special holidays we had two kinds of meat, two courses: roast pork with cabbage and dumplings and then beef with sauce and dumplings. On Sundays Mother baked 'buchty' [yeast cakes with plum puree (povidla) or poppy seed].(PS Poppy seed was ground in a special mill and put into milk, boiled so that it would swell and sugar was added. This paste was then put into the cakes). The cakes were not small, more the size of bricks! I liked 'buchty' with plums in the Autumn when they were really ripe and sweet. During the baking the juice seeped through them and even made a red sugar caramel around. Also as a small boy I was sent to get beer with a jug to the local pub 'U Heyretu', nicknamed 'U Horejsu'. It was not far away and the pub belonged to my Uncle Josef Heyret, who married the eldest daughter of my maternal Grandfather (Josef Kepka) Katherine. Hejret in addition to the pub had a good farm neighbouring with ours. He had two gardens, a horse stud and a quarry for kaolin, which was quarried about 200 metres from his farm house and taken daily with horse drawn carriages to kaolin factories in Tremosna. These factories manufactured pipes, troughs for feeding animals, paving flags, tiles etc. My Uncle had a good living. He had four sources of income and in spite of that became bankrupt, lost everything and out of kindness he was taken care of by his son-in-law who was a butcher in Zruc. My Uncle wanted to excel, he sold land and the quarry, kept the pub and house and bought a large farm in a village called Kal near Klatovy. He made debts, did not keep his farm well and it deteriorated. He also wanted to become a member of parliament in Vienna, which cost him a lot of time and money. Then the First World war came (in 1914); the creditors knew that the currency would be devalued after the war and so they wanted Uncle to repay his debts immediately. When he was unable to do so, he lost the large farm in Kal. He returned to Zruc and rented some church land in Druztova which lay barren, as the local priest Karel Stibral who was born in Jindrichuv Hradec, did not understand farming and was not interested in the land. But even here my Uncle Josef Heyret did not succeed. He had no farm workers, he had no livestock or machinery. So he abandoned the idea. The last thing he had left was the pub but even that did not succeed as he had a number of dishonest hangers-on around him. Nevertheless, in spite of all this my Uncle Heyret was very popular. He was a good speaker and was always friendly and ready to help. Also his large Family had good hearts and they were respected by all.

Uncle Stanislav Jezek from Klatovy ( a small town west of Pilsen) was tall strong and quite obese. Because of his heart illness he was never enlisted in the Austrian army and at the end of the First World war died suddenly at the age of about 35. With his wife Magdalena (daughter of my maternal Grandfather Josef Kepka) they had an only daughter Bozena whom I used to rock in an old cradle when she came as a baby for holidays in Zruc. During this activity I liked to look through  agricultural magazines and catalogues showing various types of locomobils, thrashing machines, ploughs, harrows, etc. and thus I slightly enlivened this boring occupation. Aunt and Mother were thus able to have peace and mind their own work. Uncle Jezek stayed with us every summer holidays, didn't work in the fields and if the weather was fine he liked to sit in the sun on long logs behind the barn and get sunburned. He often took me for a swim to a fishpond called 'Drahotin'. Only occasionally he visited his birthplace with Aunt. They would take a train to Pribram and from there it was not far away. Aunt remained a widow for nearly 50 years till she died. She took good care of Bozenka. She did not have an easy life. In Klatovy they had a nice villa 'Na Hurce' with a good view of the town which is a charming place in the Sumava mountains (Bohmenwald) area. I liked going there by train especially if there was a fete. Bozenka got to know Ladislav Cihal a captain of the regiment of dragoons (cavalry). Their wedding was in Pilsen in a hotel in Smetana park below the theatre. Later Cihal was transferred to cavalry regiment in Terezin (Terezienstadt-a small town 100km North of Prague) and they lived there till the beginning of the Second World War in 1939 when our country was occupied by the Germans. Soon Cihal got into a conflict with German soldiers who began to behave arrogantly towards the Czechs. As a result he was arrested and imprisoned in the prison of the District Court in Pilsen. Soon after even his wife Bozenka was imprisoned. She was released soon and spent the rest of the War living with her Mother Magdalena(my Aunt)in Klatovy. After spending a short time in the prison in Pilsen, Cihal was transferred to the infamous prison in Terezin (Terezienstadt) where he remained until the end of the war, i.e. May 1945. He rejoined the Czech army and was promoted to the rank of colonel. He would have reached an even higher position if in 1948 there hadn't been the turn of events (communist take over). During this turmoil it was alleged by the new regime that as an active member of the right wing National Socialist Party he took part in illegal activities. Cihal, with many other people in a similar situation, tried to escape from Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately for him he was caught and arrested on the frontier with West Germany as he was trying to get across. He was sentenced to death during one of those show trials which were broadcast live on the radio. This was later changed to life imprisonment. Initially he stayed in Pilsen in that infamous prison 'Bory', then in Opava (North Moravia) and eventually in the fortress of Leopoldov (central Slovakia). The conditions in the latter prison were extremely difficult. He was living in a solitary cell and every morning was given a task for the day to pluck 1kg of geese or duck feathers. If he did not fulfil this task he would get no food. I believe his wife Bozenka was able to visit him only once a year. He was eventually released from this prison in 1965 after a spell of 15 years. His health was severely undermined. He and his wife then settled to live in Pilsen. He spent the rest of his life working as a night watchman in a furniture factory. Bozenka worked in the Bozkov town library (district of Pilsen). My Aunt Magdalena died in 1963, so she did not live to see him return. They were already living (in 1963) in a new modern flat in Pilsen which they bought from the proceeds from the sale of their villa in Klatovy. The flat is very pleasant but Bozenka lives there on her own (Note: she died in 1991?). The Cihals really had a very stressed life but they carried their fate patiently, put themselves into God's will and God was their only protector strength and comfort. They deserve our admiration and respect.

Uncle Strunc in Bolevec had one daughter Miladka who married Jan Lindaur a dental technician in Pilsen. They rented out the farm in Bolevec and built themselves a villa in Bolevec beside the road leading from Bolevec to Ledec and Horni Briza. They had no children. First Lindaur died in tragic circumstances and later on, after a long interval Miladka died of cancer in 1964. The farm was allocated to the man who rented it and later to the co-operative. The villa was inherited by 16 heirs from among their relations and my brother and I were among them. A buyer was found and he gave each heir Kcs 3,000.- and the villa with the garage and garden was his. Now we go there very infrequently. Bolevec today is a part of Great Pilsen and from Lochotin to Bolevec a new estate is already in the process of being built. They say, that not many of the old buildings will survive. They are not of sufficient historical interest to be protected. Also, it is the route of the proposed main highway system North-South which will require widening of the existing road and removing some of the obstructing houses which would be in the way. The area North of Pilsen is a very popular recreational area for the inhabitants of Pilsen as there are quite large and well maintained complexes of woods there. They are cared for by the City of Pilsen. Nearby are also a few very picturesque ponds with clean water suitable for bathing. I do not know if (as happened elsewhere), weekend cottage dwellers didn't take over the area and pollute it. Eastwards of Zruc, near a large wood, we have a nice, quite large pond called 'Drahotin' (sounds similar to 'Drahov'), which was our favoured bathing place and no intruders ever came near. Now this pond is taken over by weekenders and everything deteriorated out of recognition. It is lucky that Drahov is so protected from this national trend and everything remains roughly the same, untouched by 'civilisation', where everybody is glad to come and find peace and original untouched beautiful nature. The local people who live there all the time don't take in this beauty they got accustomed to it. Only outsiders discover it soon and admire it. Also, those who were blown by fate further away are still attracted. For instance the Cizeks from Rybitvi, Jarda Dvorak called 'Kus' from Prague (musician who plays accordion and came several times to our villa to sing folk songs with us), from our house at Sporilov the Sobota family travels regularly to Zahori, Mr. Drobny visits a cottage at Krkavec, dr.Porak visits Dvorecek by Jindrichuv Hradec, dr.Beran visits Alber by Nova Bystrice, Mr.Peterec visits Stedrovice by Pelhrimov, the Voraceks visit Zlukov and Kardasova Recice. In Drahov a few more families settled in addition to us.

I see I have deviated from the main subject and I will now return back to Zruc where I grew up. As a boy, in addition to shopping, I was sent to workmen's' houses in an area of Zruc called 'Hradcany' to invite the local women who were usually at home to come and help us during the harvest (note: most of the men who were not farming were working at the Skoda factory in nearby Pilsen). The jobs were cutting, collecting the harvested grain, taking it home in horse driven carriages and threshing. I must say they were always very obliging and helped us with this heavy work. It was a change for them which they welcomed: they met their acquaintances; the atmosphere was always very jolly when they came and they could talk while they worked. These helpers usually got some victuals for their work. In addition to meals hay got food to take home. Also, we helped them with transport or they could cut some grass for their rabbits, goats,etc. During the First World War when there was a scarcity of food our Family helped them, secretly let them buy some flour, potatoes,etc. So they helped each other and became friends. There were no quarrels, they got along well without accusations and attacks. It was a joy to live among them. In Zruc there were at that time three pubs, well frequented. Local people got together to amuse themselves, play cards, sing and talk. The beer was only Pilsen lager drawn directly from a barrel cooled by ice, which was collected by the landlords in the winter from the ponds and kept in special ice boxes. Great enjoyment was to be had from balls and the local theatre productions. In Zruc there were a few, mostly self taught, musicians who with others from nearby villages formed a band. The same can be said about the group of actors who performed in our village and elsewhere. In the summer, when the weather was good there were outings into nearby woods. On a suitable place provisional benches and tables were put up. A place was chosen for dancing and the musicians played for dancers and listeners. Again, beer was drawn and other forms of amusements were provided. These outings were usually well visited by neighbouring villages. Big happenings in the village were the May balls celebrating arrival of the Spring, harvest thanksgiving celebrations, etc. Everything was very simple and straightforward and perhaps because of this even more friendly.

From my youth I always liked to work in the fields. I was attracted to them, I watched with interest how things were done how the earth is being prepared, ploughed, harrowed, rolled how the grain was being sown, but before that how the fields were  manured, cleaned from stones and weeds. Then I observed how the seed grows, ears` and ripens. I enjoyed my walks on paths and along hedges round our fields and was happy when the corn grew well, did not get damaged by rain and gave a good harvest. I looked at the fields of our neighbours and was happy when they did well. In our district the land is light, sandy and so very good for cultivating rye, oats and potatoes and in some places also for barley and wheat. Sugar beet or vegetables did not grow well, only the beetroot for fodder. In spite of this the farmers had good harvests and were not badly off. They probably had to live more economically than elsewhere but they were contented. At the beginning I helped in the fields by guiding the horses during the sowing time. I walked behind the sowing machine and kept an eye on the individual pipes used for inserting the grain into the earth and kept them clean so they wouldn't get blocked. I also helped to take the horses to the field, attach them to the machine or cart and then took them back to stables when the work was finished. When the corn was being harvested I liked to make and lay down straw binders so that the gatherers could have them ready for making sheaves. It was not too exhausting but useful. When the sheaves were gathered into shocks I helped to arrange them together so they would not fall down.

 When I was still very small and my walking was not too secure I was begging my Mother to give me some coffee which I liked. My brother recalls, that as my Mother was getting up from the table to give me the drink, I backed away and behind me was a big pan of boiling water into which I fell. As I sat down in it I got seriously burned, especially on my tummy and the tops of my legs. Even today I have marks on those places. My brother remembers that the burns were ugly and when the wounds were being cleaned he couldn't bear to watch. My Grandmother said that if it had been any worse I would not have survived.

I started my school education in 1909 at the primary school at Druztova (village neighbouring Zruc). During the time of Advent on my way to this school I regularly stopped at the local chapel to attend the morning mass (Rorate). It was of course during the winter time and therefore very cold. I must have contracted somewhere a severe chest infection. Firstly, I was treated at home for tonsillitis. A local 'nurse' came and massaged my neck. Only when this treatment did not help and my digestion difficulties and pain were increasing, my parents called a local doctor Mudr. Tengler (GP) from Tremosna, who introduced proper treatment and gave me an injection. After my recovery I received from father Josef Hak, a priest from Druztova, a beautifully illustrated book of catechism. Unfortunately it was lost somewhere on the farm in Zruc, where order was never  strongly maintained. Things, which they did not need and were in the way, were being stored in the attics where there was a plenty of room. However, mice destroyed everything. So, in order that the mice would not multiply out of hand, they kept on the farm 2-3 attractive, three coloured cats, which they kept warm under the stove during the day. I enjoyed and admired their alertness as they were as quick as an arrow. For example, they were able to catch a swallow in flight if attacked by it. On the farm they also kept a dog. It was not a special breed but an ordinary Czech dog. I was very fond of him, looked after him so he would not be hungry and in winter I would fill his doghouse with straw so he would not suffer from draft and cold. The Pavels kept usually two or three horses on the farm; one of them was a mare which was giving birth to beautiful foals. When the foals grew up they would break them in and then teach them to work on the farm. Sometimes they would keep the foal on the farm to replace an old horse, but they would sell it if they had sufficient number of horses in the stables. In 1914 at the outset of the First World War my father had to take our two horses to the Pilsen barracks  for conscription. The army took them over and he returned back without them. The farm was suddenly without horses, just at the time of the harvest. New horses were impossible to buy from anywhere. My father made a tactical mistake: had he produced a certificate from the stud that both his mares were in foal the army would not have taken them. This method was used successfully by others but unfortunately it did not occur to my Father. In this situation Uncle Heyret lend us his old gelding which we used together with a strong ox. It was not an ideal towing force, the ox would often gore the gelding but he was such a good fellow and did not mind at all. It was a poor towing force but better than nothing. The work had to be done.

Soon afterwards, after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Zofie in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, the First World War began on 26 July 1914. Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia was followed quickly by Russia declaring war on Austria, Germany on Russia, France on Germany, etc. Archduke Francis Ferdinand d'Este became the heir of the Austria-Hungarian throne in 1889. Emperor Francis Joseph ruled from 1848 until 1916, when he died. Prince Karl I became his successor. He ruled until 1918 when Austria-Hungarian monarchy disintegrated. Karl I was very popular; he served as a soldier with the dragoons in Brandys upon Elbe. Archduke Francis Ferdinand used to visit castles Konopiste near Benesov and Chlum near Trebon in South Bohemia to hunt. There were waiting rooms  specially made for him in the railway stations near those castles. Here the German Kaiser William II came to visit him. A rumour has it that during these visits they plotted together expansion to the East: 'nach Osten'.

At the beginning of the War Austro-Hungarian Empire called to arms young men only up to 36 years old but soon afterwards a second call came increasing the age up to 42 years. As the result even my Father had to join the army. After a short training he was sent to Serbia as an infantry soldier. Because the Austria-Hungarian army suffered great losses during the crossings of the frontier rivers Drava,Sava and mainly Danube its offensive against Serbia was halted and it was only renewed when the German army arrived to help them. Although my Father was not wounded during these fights, he contracted a decease which prompted my Mother to request his release from the army. He served some two years on the front. During his absence my brother who was only 15 years old was running the farm in Zruc. An elderly citizen from Zruc was assisting him during his spare time.

I spent 5 years attending the primary school at Druztova near Zruc. As far as I can remember, I was not an exceptional pupil. My cousin and friend Vojtech Pechman was certainly better than I, he was the best in the class. He was the teachers' favourite. They would ask him to lead us to the pump in the school court yard and supervise us so that we would wash our hands properly. Our hands were always dirty from throwing stones and balls on our way to the school. Occasionally I would get lashes with a cane or hazel stick over my back or hands. Sometimes, when I was causing trouble, the teacher would severely pull my hair or ears. Of course, when I was being insufficiently punished at home the school had to compensate for that. I think the teachers must have realised this and consequently made sure that I received such treatment to prevent me from being too wild and disorderly. Their thoughts and actions were correct. Many thanks to them! I had to walk some 3 km to get to school in Druztova. We used to have lessons also in the afternoons and it was during the noon breaks when we concentrated on doing all sorts of mischief. In winter, when there was a lot of snow and the road was covered with snow drifts we would chose the most direct route across the fields. Of course, we liked to slide on ice or the frozen ponds in Zruc and Druztova. In those days the winters were not severe, but they lasted through the whole calendar winter time; there used to be a lot of snow and ice on which we were able to enjoy ourselves. There were plenty of children everywhere and so when we all gathered at school from three villages there used to be up to 100 children in one class room (currently teachers in the UK are considering a strike action because they are asked to run class rooms with up to 30 children-'far too much' they say). No wonder that fights among us were frequent.

In Zruc there was an alder grove near the larger pond. The trees were tall, large and their crowns offered shelter and protection to many birds. Many were nesting there. The grove was rustling and singing beautifully in the wind. A clean spring in the middle of the grove fed our ponds. Yellow water lilies grew in them. We used to swim in the pond in our birthday suits.

A brook which originated upstream of Tremosna with permanent clean spring water flowed through Zruc. It was lined with willow trees with twigs suitable for making baskets. In the village the ducks enjoyed the water. The brook was first feeding the Upper pond. From there it overflowed into the Lower pond located still in the village and then continued through the meadows into the  Drahotin pond. This is a large and deep pond, suitable for rearing fish. Those two Upper and Lower ponds in the village are small and as such not suitable for keeping fish, mainly because the ducks feed on the young small fish. They are so voracious and are able to sort out even a snake if it dares to venture near the pond. In those days ducks and geese were commonly kept by all families in large flocks, whether they owned land or not. The village common was full of them. Today one can see only a few of them. It is a great pity. Also, numbers of rabbits, goats and pigs have dwindled since my young days.

From spring time onwards the children would go to school bare foot. This was not because people could not afford to buy shoes. The main reason was comfort. Now it has been discovered that it is healthy and slowly people are returning to this practice. In the first class each pupil had a slate table on which he learned to write. Learning aids common to today's pupils were unknown to us. The sanitary facilities were poor. Lavatories were primitive, made out of wood and common for both boys and girls. They were located at the school forecourt beside the school building.

When my parents agreed with my teacher Toninger that I could go on to study at a secondary school, he began to prepare Pechman and me privately for the entry examination. This was for the Czech Secondary School in Pilsen (Secondary school concentrating on technical, rather than classical type of education). We passed the examination and were accepted. To make our education easier, Pechman's and my parents negotiated for us accommodation in Pilsen recommended by Ing. Suchy from Zruc, who also studied at the same School some 15 years previously. The accommodation was directly in the school in the janitor Bogner's quarters. That was in the Autumn of 1914. At the same time, however, our school was taken over by the military and converted into a military hospital. We were therefore obliged to move to a second School, a new one, located in Pilsen at Petrohrad on Mikolas Square. Near this square there is a church of saint Mikolas (Nicholas) and a cemetery. There Joseph Kajetan Tyl, who composed the wording of our national anthem, is buried. We had to walk across the whole of Pilsen and both schools alternated morning and afternoon sessions every week. My Father used to visit me when he joined the army and was posted in Pilsen and came to say farewell when he was transferred to the front in Serbia. I used to write to him often and sent him Czech newspapers. Every Saturday we would walk home to Zruc on foot (about 8 km) and would return the following day to Pilsen loaded with food, usually with a loaf of bread and 2 litres of milk, because these were not available in the town during the war. We used to walk on foot: we did not have bicycles. Our School was located on the bank of the river Mze, beside the Regional Court building in Veleslavin Street, near the Square and former barracks of the 35th regiment. Today, the school, in front of which stands a statue of the poet Julius Fucik, who was studying with me during the whole study course, is adjacent to a new North-South motorway, which leads from Lochotin to a new bridge across the river Mze and then to Klatovska Street. The route of the new motorway swallowed a park beside the School and the barracks, which was good because they were rather ugly. And so the famous 35th regiment lost its home. In Pilsen Pechman and I lived well. Janitor Bogner was a kind man, but  from time to time he liked to visit a wine cellar 'U Kotu' on the Square. He would return drunk and his wife would have a row with him. Otherwise there was peace and order in their household. They had 4 children: 2 boys and 2 girls. The eldest daughter Bozena married Jan Talich, an official at the Office of Finance, who was the brother of the famous conductor Vaclav Talich. He was a kind man. He used to come to us regularly to lunch, because Mrs. Bogner was an excellent cook. In winter we used to go ice skating on a skating ring. We always had a half day free. In our school building there were a number of wounded soldiers from the first battles. In those days the fighting armies marched and fired against each other without any protection and this resulted in horrific injuries. Only after these experiences the soldiers started digging little pits and trenches with small shovels to protect themselves. During the attack they would proceed by jumping forward in unfolded fan like formations. In this way their vulnerability decreased considerably. Some of the injured soldiers, who were able to walk used to come to us to talk about their experiences from the war. Most of them were of the Czech origin.

During the holidays I used to help on the farm in Zruc as best I could. It was necessary as my Father was in the war and my Mother never worked in the fields. She had, however, plenty to do at home by preparing meals for so many hungry souls and this was not a small thing. And, after all, somebody had to stay at home.

My maternal Grandfather Josef Kepka died at home in the year 1912. He was 73 years old. People said that he had a cancer of his stomach. He suffered a lot, because the doctor very seldom came to give him painkilling injections. My Grandmother Ann died suddenly in 1921 of a stroke. This happened just as I started my studies in Prague.

My Grandfather was still alive when my Father decided to re-build our wooden living quarters with the thatched roof. In its place he built a brick building consisting of a large entry hall, a larder, a spacious living kitchen and a bed room. Between the larder and the kitchen was an oven of a 16 loaves of bread capacity. My parents used to bake their own bread from rye flour. My Father was very handy for all kinds of work. Out of pine logs he would make a pile of a certain size inside the oven and set it on fire. After while, when the wood would burn out, my Father knew, that the oven was ready to accept the bread loaf dough. He removed all remaining ashes etc from the oven and loaded in the loaves quickly. It was important not to allow the oven to cool down at this stage. My father also new how long he should leave the loaves in the oven so they would be properly baked. It was a delight to see them when he was taking them out of the oven already baked. And the glorious smell! Finally he would wipe the loaves' surface with a damp cloth before they were taken away for storing in straw hutches.

My Father was a kind, modest man, clever with his hands. His approach to farming was exemplary and the result was that the fields were yielding him excellent harvests, the best in the village. His access road to fields, some 1 km long, were well maintained. To make sure that the road was not being eroded by rain water he would at certain distances divert the water into a ditch running parallel with the road. The ditch ended in the garden beside the barn and irrigated it. In addition it deposited there all the manure which was washed from the fields. For this reason the trees and grass grew so well in the garden. We had the majority of our land just behind the farm, in one piece some 40 'strychs' ( old Czech unit), which were rising from the farm's yard towards a small hill. The Zruc village is located in a valley. At the beginning we had only an old wooden barn the capacity of which was totally inadequate to store all the harvest and as a result my Father had to store most of the rye in stacks which he built in fields some 100m from the farm buildings. To build such stacks is not easy but my Father was an expert on doing this. I had to admire him how he could build mushroom shape stacks, absolutely symmetrical without using any measuring devices whatsoever and then covered the top of the stack with sheaves of straw in such a way that rain water ran outside the structure and not inside. My Father knew what diameter the stacks should have in order to be able to store in them all the harvest which would not fit into the barn and in such a way that their building, distance from the farm etc. was economical. Straw which remained after thrashing was again stored in different stacks the building of which had distinct rules and conditions. They were again built in a shape of a roof so they would be rain proof but in such a way that it was possible to remove the straw gradually from the stack during the winter for putting under the livestock and for utilising it as fodder after cutting into smaller pieces, but all this without disturbing the stack's stability and rain resistance. To achieve this the straw was bound after the trashing into large sheaves which were then used for building the stacks. These large sheaves were quite heavy.

My Father also knew how to make thatches out of the straw and how to use them to repair the roof on our barn when necessary. Such a kind of cover lasted a very long time. It had the advantage of being cheap and light so the roof wooden joists structure didn't need to be complicated. It also allowed air in and out of the barn to provide good ventilation. As a result the freshly harvested grain dried out well and kept in good condition for a long time without moulding. And when the thatches reached the end of their life, they were then used as a manure on fields. The same cannot be said about the new modern materials for roofs.

My Father was also a skilled carpenter. He was able to make beams, joists out of tree trunks, which were suitable for building floors, ceilings, and roof structures. However, assembling the joists into a roof structure was beyond his capability and it was left to professional carpenters.

I must admit, that I always admired him how he was patient with me, how he was never angry with me, never hit me, allowed me everything. I don't think I ever deserved such goodness from him. The same attitude he showed towards my brother and Mother. He did not go to church very often. On Sunday mornings he liked to visit his fields and hunt moles in the meadows. Occasionally he went to his wood for a walk. In the afternoon on Sundays, as soon as possible after lunch, he went to the pub to play a Czech game of cards called 'marias'. He played always with the same group of players, his friends from the village. During the game of cards he also liked to enjoy a drink of beer, but he never got drunk; he also smoked a pipe. They played for enjoyment and never hazardously. He was not a gambler.

My Mother Marie was born 18th October 1878 at Zruc. She resembled her Father: she had black eyes and hair. She used to keep her hair long, down to her knees. She spent most of her time at home. Only seldom she and my Father went to Pilsen shopping. In those days sugar was being sold in the form of loaves (sugar loaves) several kilograms of weight and at home it was chopped off with a small axe as needed. From Pilsen they brought us sausages, rolls and a piece of chocolate which we enjoyed very much. My Mother never went out to enjoy herself to dances, balls or theatre. She looked after the household and was a good cook. She cooked economically and simply. Apart from Sunday we would have potato soup. She always made a large pot and everybody was able to eat as much as he wanted. There were eight of us for meals including maids. The second course was also connected with potatoes such as potatoes with pork scraps and pork lard, potato dumplings, dumplings made from rye flour with potatoes, cooked together, sometimes also peas (yellow) with sauerkraut etc. We had meat only on Sundays: pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (a Czech national meal). The soup was beef extract with nudles. During the weekdays a kind of pancakes were served after lunch, so called 'metynky' made out of wheat flour, greased with pork lard and on which we spread plum marmalade (povidla)(absolutely delicious). Sometimes we had doughnuts with grated gingerbread. On Sundays we had home made cakes 'buchty' filled with plum marmalade or poppy seeds as described above. On really important feasts such as wakes or fetes we baked in the oven  special round flat cakes. Great quantities of these were always needed so they would last several days. These cakes were thin and round and were made in two sizes. Large (12 inches) spread with three types of material such as jam, cottage cheese and poppy seeds. They were cut to smaller pieces for eating. Smaller (4-6 inches) had only one type of decoration and it was not necessary to cut them, they were eaten as baked. We never made any other types of cakes. At Christmas the above cakes were substituted by platted yeast dough called 'Christmas bread'(Schale?)(common also in Germany and Austria), decorated with raisins and almonds. At Easter time small loaves were made out of the same dough as the Christmas bread. All this food was complemented with fruit from our garden which was plentiful in our household and kept us going through the whole winter until the spring. Trees in our garden yielded regularly fruit year after year, without the necessity of the garden being weeded, cleaned and manured. There was no need for spraying the trees with pesticides because the many birds residing there took care of all harmful insects. Plum harvest in particular was always very successful and the fruit large and tasty. Of course the soil there is good. We would need such a good soil in Drahov where the trees have to be continuously attended to if one wants them to yield fruit. However, last year we had a good harvest of apples, plums and pears in Drahov. In the middle of the garden, there is one pear tree which year after year used to grow miserably and produce little fruit. Now it developed into a beautiful tree which last year yielded surprising quantities of beautiful fruit. We were contemplating to liquidate this tree and now it grows so well.

My Mother, like my Father, did not go to church. But she was a believing Roman Catholic. Holy pictures, Jesus Christ on the Cross and a small case with a statue of the Virgin Mary and little Jesus were displayed in the house. I think they no longer are in the house. They had no artistic value and during the long time they got damaged. Today's modern society is no longer interested in renewing them. It is a pity.

My Mother was often ill during her life. She often suffered from bronchitis, stomach illnesses and mainly from gall stones. She never went to hospital was always treated at home by doctors from Tremosna and Pilsen. She was on a diet and was eating very modestly. She did not drink beer or spirits, only a herbal tea. She did not do any demanding physical work. Despite this she always felt tired and  my Father, or Mrs.Pechman or a masseuse, who visited us often, used to massage her. When I was recruited into the army as a conscript in 1927/1929 and then when I settled in South Bohemia and later in Most in North Bohemia and finally in Prague, it was always only she who wrote postcards to us and always used a violet-blue pencil. Her handwriting was neat and nice.  Even her stylistic form was good. She was the axis and soul of the Family. She was wise and peaceful, never got angry without a reason and as such was appreciated, although she lived modestly. She made decisions about everything, and everything turned around her. My Father was always very kind and attentive towards her and followed her advice and opinions in all circumstances.  My Mother looked  after him well especially if he became ill with an influenza.

The centre of our life in Zruc, and also at Marek's in Drahov, was in the kitchen, called 'sednice', which was some 30 m2 large. In this room we cooked, eat, worked and slept. Only my brother and I slept next door in the bedroom which was in fact a spare room. In the spring the kitchen was also used for rearing young geese with a mother goose, before the young ones were strong enough to be transferred to a stable. It was such a pleasure to listen to their chatter and especially at night how they were breathing. The mother goose was thrown out into the yard every day for exercise. She returned back on her own.

It was very lively at home as we used to have visits from relatives, neighbours, tradesmen with textile products, butchers, travelling tradesmen (wire-men repairing pottery vessels, grinders, basket makers) and also we used to have regular visits from various people from Tremosna who came to us to buy milk and potatoes. Our village Zruc was inhabited mainly by working class people. Each family had a small piece of land and kept poultry and small domestic animals so a part of their food requirement was produced in their homes. But that was not enough to keep them going. These people were therefore seeking other kinds of employment, men in factories and young girls, before they got married, were helping local farmers. These families lived well by and large, and this was obvious from the attendance in pubs, where in their spending and jollification's they surpassed the farmers. They had enough money and so occasionally were living it up. Up until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 the farmers were the rulers of the Zruc village. One of them was the mayor invested with certain powers. After the war the Mayorship was transferred to the working class which was then in the majority. The farmers were in the minority in the village council. However, this change did not result in quarrels, angry attitudes or hostility. People continued to co-operate, help each other and live together in peace. The Mayor was always a wise and esteemed citizen who looked well after everybody. Farmers usually belonged to the political party of the Czechoslovak rural country and the workers to the Social Democratic Party. The workers used to organise all dances, balls, theatres, gymnastics and also the fire fighting in the village. They had more time available to do this kind of activity. The farmer was usually occupied from dawn to dusk, if he wanted to manage all the work at home and on the fields. Many farmers used slow oxen in those days for towing agricultural equipment. They were very slow, but work got eventually done.  Ploughing of the fields with ploughs with only one blade was lengthy but the field was well worked. During the ploughing you had to remove all weeds, stones, etc., from the field. The whole of the field was ploughed right into the corners, nothing was left out. If there were lumps of earth, they were broken up manually with wooden hammers. The ploughs were very simple. Mostly they were the work of local blacksmiths and wagon-makers. Our Family was in touch with blacksmith Broz from Briza. He did everything necessary for us. He was able to make and fix all steel accessories including brakes to wooden carts made by a wagon-maker. He was a complete artist! I always admired him when I was sent to him, most often with blunt blades for the ploughs to get them sharpened. At the end he always tempered the blades in water so they would last longer. I liked going there. The journey on foot lasted about 1 1/2 hours and most of it passed beside our fields. In Zruc the local blacksmith was retired at that time. His name was Heyret, just like my Uncle.

Up to the age of 11 that is up to 1914 I attended a primary school in Druztova. After that up to 1921 I studied at the Secondary School in Pilsen. After finishing this school by passing the final examinations (matriculation), from 1921 to 1927 I studied at the Prague High School (University) Faculty of Civil Engineering in Prague. It interesting to note, that to begin with, I chose the Faculty of mechanical and transport engineering and after my first state examination I went over to the Water-engineering specialisation as the only one of the Czech students.

At the Secondary School in Pilsen I always had good reports, often with distinction. As I was not especially gifted I had to study and study until I was exhausted. Technical subjects were easier for me and so I enjoyed them more. I was good at mathematics, descriptive geometry and physics but rather weaker at the other subjects. Quite opposite is true about for instance Julius Fucik and Josef Pechman, my cousin, who were in my class. Fucik (he died young of TB in a Nazi concentration camp) was a poet and journalist. Pechman went to the High School of Commerce in Prague and subsequently obtained a good job at the Pilsen Urquell brewery in their commercial department. Among other accomplishments he spoke French, German and English. He learned English in the neighbouring village Dolany from a family who returned from America recently.

When I finished my studies in Prague in 1927 I had to start my army service on 1 October 1927. First 14 days I was in Zizka's barracks in Prague and from there I was sent to a teaching facility for the army engineers in Litomerice. But at that time I did not quite finish my studies, I had two more exams to do plus my second state examination. So I had to prepare for those during my army training. I had to take a holiday for this purpose and with God's help I got through the exams. At the beginning of 1928 I got my diploma. In the barracks I couldn't prepare for the exams very well, I did not have suitable conditions. The board of examiners was probable aware of this and was lenient and my distinction was awarded to me out of generosity. I was extremely glad when it was all over so that I could continue my military service in more peace. My Father came over to Prague for my state examination to give me encouragement and support. After the exam I immediately returned back to the barracks in Litomerice. This was a new large building with pleasant rooms, central heating, the floors were made of parquetry and it had flushing toilets. We were exercising in two platoons of 30 men each, and in addition to infantry training we also got acquainted with various subjects concerning the army engineers, such as using military boats and pontoons on the rivers Ohre or Elbe. Then we were learning about work on trenches, the building of military bridges and how to  use explosives. We were trained to shoot with live ammunition and a military target practice area in the woods beyond Terezin. The infantry training was carried out on a flat area 'Bimec' under the famous Radobyl Hill, or we marched from Litomerice to the North in the direction of Duba. Another regular training concerned horse riding.  For the horses we had to go to the local artillery barracks. To begin with we rode in the covered riding school before we were allowed into the countryside. Our teacher was a former Russian officer.

 This school for army engineers was the only one in the whole Republic. We left this school in June 1928 and returned to our regiments. I was allocated to a battalion for building bridges in Bratislava, boat platoon. They taught us first of all to sail motor boats on the Danube. Soon I was transferred with other civil engineers to the bridge platoon and the mechanical engineers were transferred to the boat platoon. In Bratislava we had comparatively nice barracks opposite the bridge across the river Danube. We used to cross this bridge on our way to Petrzalka where we were trained to deal with boats and pontoons. The storage of building materials and workshops was also located there. The training on the Danube was hard work indeed. Usually we stayed there during the noon, when we had some free time and in summer during good weather we were even able to have a swim in the river. Meals were delivered to us at Petrzalka. When we were transferred to the regiment we were promoted to the rank of corporal and later sergeant and became commanders of battalions. We slept together with other soldiers as supervisors of sleeping quarters, took them to the exercises and also exercised with them. My regiment took part in manoeuvres in the summer of 1928 in south Slovakia near Galanta and Sala on the river Vah. To get into this area we marched on foot in our full field uniform. Daily we covered some 40 kilometres and slept outdoors or on a floor of some empty building. In Galanta we spent one night in a cow shed of a large farm which was emptied for us before our arrival. We learned to throw live hand grenades from trenches above Bratislava in the direction of Devin where there was a number of vineyards. The infantry men were exercising usually to the north of Bratislava on 'Kuchajda'. We marched everywhere on foot to the sound of the trumpeter.

At Christmas time all aspirants to the rank of officers, including myself (there were 5 aspirants in the brigade of army engineers-bridge builders), were promoted to the rank of sub-lieutenant; after this I was living with the other officers and no longer with the soldiers; I had more free time, received a salary and was able, from time to time, enjoy wine in one of the local wine cellars. I was then in charge of the whole battalion. The training on foot was done on the right bank of Danube at Petrzalka, on the frontiers with Austria and Hungary. On the other hand training in rifle shooting was carried out on the shooting range at Lamac. To reach this range we had to march across the whole town of Bratislava with the sabre drawn to attention. We got holidays only once a year at Christmas - one week. One half of the week covered Christmas and the other one New year day. There was a severe winter at the beginning of 1929, temperatures were over 30 degrees Centigrade, there was a lot of snow; this weather lasted until the end of March. I cannot recall such severe winter conditions since. The river Danube was totally frozen up! The ice was 50 cm thick. Nevertheless even then we went out to exercise although our clothing was not really designed for those conditions. We used to be totally frozen! In the barracks the heating was poor because there was not enough fuel available.  When it eventually thawed, the water in the Danube began to rise. The ice broke into large floes which  jammed together in the bend opposite the winter harbour. Thus a barrage was created across the river which caused the water to rise and flood the whole district of Petrzalka where the water was standing up to 1m deep. Local population used boats to save themselves. Rescue battalions were formed in our barracks to help. The situation was so dangerous that eventually explosives and artillery fire had to be used to destroy the floe barrier and allow the water to pass.

I was released from the army in April 1929 and returned home to Zruc. I found a job in the construction department of the Skoda Works in Pilsen, where I started on 1 May 1929. I worked there, together with one of my colleagues from my studies in Prague, until the end of September 1929.

During the time of my studies in Pilsen and Prague I spent all my holidays helping on our farm in Zruc and mainly during hay and corn harvests. In those days we already had machines for mowing grass and cutting corn. I preferred the hay harvesting: it was a cleaner work and also less physically demanding. In fields we had to gather the machine cut corn by hand, bind it into sheaves and eventually build lines of shocks (stokes). Then I got the task to rake the area between these lines of shocks with a large steel rake and store the resulting straw together with the sheaves. This used to be quite a job. During this work I used to count all the shocks. Usually there were about 1500 of them.

Sometimes heavy rains levelled off the corn before the harvest and when this happened it was not possible to use the machinery, but scythes called 'bachlice' instead. It requires great skill and strength to do this kind of work. It is also slow and the yield is poor. The corn itself is second class, suitable as fodder for the cattle and even the straw is not good and not suitable for feeding , only as a bedding under the domestic animals. However, it is essential that even this kind of corn is harvested. The thrashing is also a nuisance because it is very dusty and slow.

Apart from the hay we also harvested clover from the fields. This is an excellent fodder especially the yellow clover. We used to have lofts full of hay and dry clover. A part was also stored in the barn. Horses were fed with hay or clover as harvested. The cattle, however, was given a mixture of hay and clover and straw cut into shorter lengths. Thus prepared it was easier for them to handle and wastage was reduced.  Horses were more skilled in pulling the hay out of baskets and did not waste much. As there was not a proper water supply installed in the stables it was necessary to bring the water to the animals in buckets. Water supply was installed later to the cattle sheds and horse stables. Water was fed in there by gravity from a reservoir into which it had to be pumped by hand from a well. The water reservoir was equipped with an overflow and indicator showing when it was full. I know, that the wheel on the piston pump had to be turned 1,000 times to achieve this. Pumping ended when water started overflowing. Later the hand pump was motorised (this happened well after the end of Second World War, i.e. 1945-1947). In our village electricity was installed very late. Until then we had to use paraffin for lighting. Such illumination was very poor especially for reading or drawing. It is also dangerous because it can cause a fire. Now Lada (Ladislav Pavel, son of the late Grandpa's brother Frantisek, now lives on the farm) has changed the water system completely and installed a pressurised vessel waterworks system sold under the trade name 'Darling'. We have a similar one installed in Drahov. Lada has installed it in the entrance hall of his house where he lives with his family in order that the 'Darling' would not suffer from frost.

During our studies in Prague my cousin Pechman and I were living in digs in a district called Zizkov. The first room we rented was infested with bed-bugs and belonged to a landlord who was a railwayman by profession. So we left and found another room owned by a tramway conductor R.Bilek. We did not stay there very long either because he had 2 children and his flat was too small for us. However, he recommended us to his friend, who was also employed by the Prague transport company and with him we stayed to the end. When Pechman finished his studies in three years time I remained in the flat by myself. They were a very good and decent family and it was very clean there. We had our own linen and downies. We ate by ourselves. We had a small cooker (white spirit) to cook our breakfast or supper. For lunches we travelled to a large dining hall for students which was located in the district 'Na Slupi'. It was built by YMCA after the First World War. In addition to the dining room there were rooms for studying and amusements. It was well run, the food was cheap and not bad. After the war (1stWW) there was a lot of hardship in Prague. The dining room was unable to take all the students, there were queues up to 100m long. When later on the new 'Svehla' college was built in Vinohrady, we went there on Sundays. It was near from Zizkov and the cooking was better. But it was slightly dearer.

Our lectures were in several places. The main building used to be and still is in Karel(Charles) Square, Prague 2, on the corner to Resslova Street. The Dean and the Rector had their offices there and the lectures in technical physics and later descriptive geometry took place there. The rest of the lectures were in three different places near Karel Square: Jecna Street, Zitna Street and Lazarska Street. That meant that a lot of time was needed for these lectures and so many students did not bother to attend and rather studied at home especially if the lectures were printed or copied. So students divided the attendance of the lectures among themselves and then lent each other their notes. I tried to go to all of them and that took a lot of time. I certainly had to attend the lectures in water engineering, as I was the only student. It was rather embarrassing for a professor to give a lecture just for one student. For me it was an extra burden as I couldn't consult anybody or copy any notes from anybody . We also had a students union and I was obliged to work on the board. I had the library to look after. In addition I was given the task to prepare, i.e. re-write from the handwriting of prof. Hrasky his lectures in Hydrology. They were written in very outdated Czech and so I tried to make them more readable. There were also a number of sketches in them. It took a great deal of my time to transcribe the text and sketches onto litographical paper. I also had to personally organise the making of the copies in a printing workshop. I got some money for it, I do not remember now how much. I did not have favourable conditions in my flat for my work. But I managed to finish it. The students Union had a large room in 'Moran' where I often sat but it was not good enough for studies.

When I was, I think, in my fourth year, I got very ill with pneumonia. I caught a cold in the draughting room in Lazarska Street where there was no heating and also as a consequence of some building repairs. I got a flu and even though I had a temperature and should have lied down, I still went to the draughting room so I could finish this work and then be able to continue in Zruc during my Easter vacation. I ignored my illness and even when in Zruc did not stay in bed and slept in an unheated room, till I got it so bad that I really had to lie down. It took nearly 2 months before I recovered but my health was undermined. After I got better I continued with my studies, but had a delay which I couldn't catch up with.

When I was a student in Prague I got a stipendium of Czech Crowns 1,500.- That was quite a large sum at that time.

It was a paradox that after the end of my studies and the end of my military service in spring 1929 that I took a completely different turn in practical life from  that I chose at the beginning of my High school studies. I tried to get a job when the depression was starting with some water managing organisations but without success. So I was glad to get a job at Skoda Works in Pilsen and later with Czechoslovak Railways (CSD) where they accepted and employed me immediately after I applied. I applied at the directorate of the CSD in Prague and the Chief of the construction department offered me a place in a section for track maintenance in Mezimosti-Veseli upon Luznice. I agreed and when I said I could start straight away they gave me a free second class ticket. So I got to South Bohemia, where I hadn't been before. When I arrived I reported to the chief of the department Ing.Rost. It was in the evening. Ing.Rost arranged an overnight accommodation for me in train staff's lodgings and I  started the next day. Ing.Vlcek, who was temporarily standing in to help out in the office was very glad that he would be able to leave. He offered to share his flat with me because he was due to leave soon and suggested I could take it over when he goes. And so it happened. I lived in a sub-let accommodation belonging to Mr.Kurschner, a retired train driver, who had a small house near the railway station. He was German, but spoke Czech well. They were good people. Everything was clean and garden was also in good order. They grew mainly vegetables. Kurschner was a very handy man, a plumber by trade, who kept himself busy by repairing water mains. At home he had a licence to sell bottled beer from Ceske Budejovice. So we occasionally had to buy a bottle or two from him. In addition to Ing.Vlcek and me also Mr.Marek lived in the attic at Kurschners. He was an accountant of the Deposit bank in Veseli upon Luznice and was born in Donov where his parents had small farm and a pub. He travelled on a motorcycle ATS with a side car. When we got to know each other, he often took us around and also to Donov. We also took part in a dance where I met my future wife. She was looked after in her young days by her Grandmother and Uncle Picha. She went to school in Donov to begin with and later travelled to school to Jindrichuv Hradec.

When I started my service at CSD as a drafting clerk I had to take some necessary exams so I could get a permanent job and a higher salary. That is why I studied after office hours all the CSD laws, transport regulations, instructions, railways safety regulations and standards for the actual construction service. I did this at home and often on my walks in a nearby wood 'Klobasna'. It was rather dull and often I fell asleep while I was sitting down. I went to take the exams in Prague at the CSD headquarters. I had to repeat the exam concerning the transport regulations. I did not know the subject as well as the examiner wanted. I made a mistake that I did not attend the courses where they went through the topics for about half a year. The students were exempt from their jobs during the course. That made things a great deal easier for them. Another advantage was that the tutors were also the examiners. I didn't join these courses on the advice of Ing.Rost and his deputy Ing.Visnak, who underestimated these courses and said that they themselves did not go through them and nevertheless passed the exams. I also had some practical exercise in transport and telegraph services at the railway stations in Sobeslav and Mezimosti-Veseli. I was not very good at the telegraph. I did not do any service as a Station Master in a red hat.

My Father had a brother Vaclav in Ceske Budejovice (Budweis), who was a brewer in the local brewery Budvar. He had a villa beside the brewery near the road to town. My Father arranged for me to visit him and did so several times. Unfortunately soon afterwards he became seriously ill with his heart and later died. He was a little over 54 years old. My Aunt remained in Budweis and my cousin Rudolf, who was a clerk of Retirement Control for tax purposes. I do not know what Rudolf is doing. His villa was taken over by the brewery for expansion.

When I worked in Mezimosti I went to mass to Veseli. In Mezimosti there was only a chapel where there was no mass said. In the Veseli church I met my future wife again in February 1930 and from that time we saw each other more frequently in Drahov, till we got married on 8 August 1931. Our wedding took place in the Drahov church with many guests present: from Zruc my Father, Mother, brother, sister-in-law and also Ing.Vojtech Pechman; then my two cousins Miladka from Bolevec and Bozenka from Klatovy; the relatives from my wife were very numerous; from Budejovice came my Aunt with Rudolf who was a bridesmaid assistant and his bridesmaid, my sister-in-law Bozena, who had just finished her commercial school in Budweis. In church Ing.Kulhanek from Drahov played the organ and sang a special song to Holy Mary. His family used to have a small pub near Marek's farm (my in-laws). Today, his cousin Kulhanek, who used to work as a train guard with CSD,  lives there. He is now retired.                              

Soon after the wedding I went back to the army in Bratislava to serve as an officer in reserve for one month. My wife came to visit me there and stayed with Uncle Dvorak, who was from Drahov. His family had a farm in the village centre beside the main road and between farms belonging to Kouba (Kriz) and Kus. My wife and Mrs Dvorakova went together on outings in the vicinity of Bratislava. But she soon returned back to Drahov. We started with the preparation of our own flat after my return from Bratislava. We rented a flat which had one room and a kitchen on the first floor of a house near the railway station in Mezimosti and which belonged to Mrs. Bozdechova. It was a nice flat located handily near the station. Uncle Josef Marek used to attend a school in Budweis in those days and kept his bicycle on which he rode to and from Drahov in our house. It was very tiring for him to commute like this in any weather. Often he brought us a jar of fresh milk and sometimes even a loaf of bread. My sister-in-law Bozena was unable to secure a job for some time and so was helping us to bring up our children. Jaro was born in this house in Mezimosti on 17 June 1932. As a toddler Jaro was very unsettled and especially at night it was impossible to calm him down. So we went with him to Mudr.Soukup in Veseli, who diagnosed that he had an upset tummy and as a result that he would need a diet with reduced feeding, diluted milk or only tea if necessary. This doctor's advice, however, was not correct and Jaro was crying more and more. So we decided to change the doctor and went to another one: dr.Furst. He had experience with his own family and in addition was also looking after his own grandchildren. He was far more experienced that dr.Soukup, who was single. Dr.Furst was surprised how weak Jaro was and prescribed him 10 sessions under a UV lamp so his tiny body would be warmed up and then directed my wife on how to feed him, what kinds of soups to cook for him, etc. Jaro was soon well and slept during the whole night, because he was no longer hungry. Subsequently he grew fast and was extremely lively.

We did not live at Bozdech's long. Mrs.Bozdechova did not like  children and complained that there was no peace in the house. So at the end of 1932 we moved to a new little house on the bank of the river Nezarka, where there was also a garden and a little yard. The rooms were small. The owner had a job in Slovakia and built this house for his retirement. But we lived well there. The house had its own well. We used the water for bathing Jaro directly from the river. We had a large Alsation dog called 'Bojik'. This house was further away from my office then the previous one but at least I had the opportunity to have a walk.

Gradually we furnished the flat. At that time we already had a radio Telefunken. It was rather clumsy, big and heavy and was causing us a lot of problems. Of course it was new technology in those days and such instruments were far from perfect. Probably even the areal was useless. It was an expensive buy from the local merchant who after one year exchanged it for another one made by Philips . This one was much better. We used to visit Drahov often. Jaro was then very well.

At the beginning of 1933 there was a reorganisation of the CSD's construction department resulting in economising and cancellation of many jobs. This process affected us in Mezimosti and all tracks which were administrated by us were transferred to another administration in Tabor. Personnel from Mezimosti was re-allocated to other places. I was sent to Jindrichuv Hradec to replace Ing.Ota who went to Tabor and from there to Pilsen. I inherited from him his a flat with a kitchen and 2 rooms located directly in the railway station. My office was on the other side of the corridor. This place was very good for us.

In Mezimosti, when we were still living there and our office was still in existence, our then chairman Ing. Rost was transferred to Tabor, where he got a better posting, and was replaced by Ing.Jerhota from Budweis. Jerhota was an excellent civil engineer and ran our office well. He was fair and popular with everybody. I liked him very much because he looked after me where he could and mainly made sure that I would be busy and did not waste any time. He was forever inventing various works for me connected with the reconstruction and simplification of the railway stations in our area and he also asked me to examine whether we could increase the capacity of our tracks by improving them so the trains could run faster. This involved substantial polygonal surveying works of the tracks with a theodolite and followed by calculations in my office. When I knew the existing situation of the tracks' alignment I was able to suggest various changes and improvements of the curves, rails' elevations and gradients etc. It was a lot of work and I do not know if it was ever utilised. Most probably not. There was not enough money for it. Apart from this work I was also busy setting out alignment of a track between Mezimosti and Czech Velenice on the Austrian border, which was just being renovated. These works were usually carried out during the summer time which was good because the weather was warm. Also they would send me every month to pay wages to workers working on the maintenance of the Mezimosti-Tabor track. We administrated some 100 kilometres of railway tracks from Tabor to Czech Velenice and from Mezimosti to Budweis. They were suitable for fast trains.

In 1932 I passed my last exams concerning the railways construction works and from 1 October of the same year I was nominated a technical commissary with a better salary scale. However the salary was still very low.

The department for railways maintenance I joined in Jindrichuv Hradec was smaller than that in Mezimosti and also the tracks were less important. Our main line went from Mezimosti to Horni Cerekev and was being connected by narrow gauge tracks 760mm from Jindrichuv Hradec to Obratan and from Jindrichuv Hradec to Nova Bystrice. Their total length was about 80 km. These local railways were not very busy and were very slow. The track alignment took them through the most stunning hilly countryside, woods and overlooking lakes. It was a real pleasure to serve in this department lead by Ing.Elias and his deputy Ing.Lestina, both kind persons. In the years 1933 and 1934 I went to set out horizontal and vertical alignment of the track from Jindrichuv Hradec to Horni Cerekev and mainly between stations Pocatky-Zirovnice and Jihlavka-St.Katerina (St.Catherine). It was a most charming country, real Czecho-Moravian Highlands. It was in the summer and the weather was good. Once I went with my two chainmen to a pond located near station Jihlavka for a swim. I used to set out curves by the polygonal method with the assistance of 5 figures logs. For this reason my calculations were not too accurate and as a result I had often difficulty connecting all the pieces of the line together. Also the surveying equipment was not up to the task. It was old, inaccurate, without rectification. CSD did not have money to buy new instruments. We had to economise everywhere. This was during the period of depression and many people were unemployed. CSD had a permanent staff but employed also temporary workers who were taken up for certain jobs and then dismissed when the work was finished. These temporary workers earned extremely low wages of some Kcs 600.- per month despite their hard work. Even so they appreciated the work they had and worked honestly.

My sister-in-law Bozena lived with us in Jindrichuv Hradec. In summer we used to go with Jaro for a swim in the river Nezarka, which passed near the station. Also, we went together to pick blackberries to the woods near the station St.Barbara. They grew there in great quantities. After filling up a 2 litres jar we used to go for a swim in nearby pond. On Sundays we went to a church in the monastery of St.Francis in Jindrichuv Hradec. The church was consecrated to St.Katerina (Catherine) and was surrounded by a large garden. On 2 August every year a popular and well known fete, called 'porcinkule' was celebrated. This tradition has been maintained up to now and our Jana went there last year.

In Jindrichuv Hradec we were part of a jolly good team of railwaymen. We used to socialise and enjoy ourselves. We used to meet either in the restaurant in the railway station or in the town. We played bowls and drank either Velkopovicke or Pilsen beer. My wife had a nice little garden there with a little stream. She used to grow vegetables and flowers. When we took the garden over it had well established rose bushes. We were able to see trains straight from the flat, they ran just under our windows. The station was very busy. All transport in those days, personal and goods was concentrated in there. Cars were rare and there were no buses at all. Our department was comparatively small and the construction activities were poor. The directorate of CSD therefore sent me to help other departments where there was more work or when somebody went on leave. And so I went on short engagements to Kolin, Benesov, Tabor and also to Most in north Bohemia. It was a good experience but I lived like a gypsy. I slept usually in the railways lodgings and did not eat very well. Travelling to Most was especially difficult. It was on the other side of Bohemia and I travelled home for Sundays. In those days we used to work also on Saturday mornings and so I could leave Most at 1 p.m. and arrived in Hradec at 9 p.m.. In order to spend as much time at home as possible on Sunday I used to leave Hradec at midnight by a goods train, in the guard's compartment. It took me to Mezimosti where it ended. There I had to wait until 4 am for a fast train called 'Adriatic', which took me to Prague. There I had to change stations quickly in order to catch a fast train to Most where I eventually arrived at 9 am. At Most I again spent the nights in the staff lodgings, alone. The office was very busy with lots of work, full of life. Things were forever being improved, changed or built new. So I used to travel there often and was eventually transferred there by CSD. We were not happy to leave Jindrichuv Hradec in August 1935.

An important event occurred still in Jindrichuv Hradec on 2 July 1934, when our daughter Marie was born. She was baptised by the provost in the church of Virgin Mary, near the square. On the threshold of this church there is a plaque indicating the 15th meridian. Marie was over one year old when we had to go to Most. She was already able to walk and was extremely good. Our method of moving was such that at Jindrichuv Hradec we were allocated a goods wagon into which all our belongings were loaded by local workers. This wagon was unloaded in Most again by local workers. In Most we were allocated a flat in a two storey house. It was a large flat with an entrance hall. But, although it was a new house, it had no bathrooms! We quickly got used to the new environment and after a while did not notice the smelly pollution coming from the open cast coal mines. The work was very interesting. Our boss  Ing.Kuchar was very kind and wise. He was very experienced and understood his work. It was good to serve under him. All the other colleagues also worked well and we befriended them soon. The town was extremely busy. Its population was more German than Czech, but they all spoke Czech, sometimes broken Czech. In our office all business was conducted in Czech although some of the colleagues were Germans. The deputy boss was Ing. Leo Hess, a German Jew, and then we had another German Ing.Malik. Both were kind people. Ing. Hess later died in Terezin (Terezienstadt) concentration camp during the war. Also some track masters and many track workers were of German origin. They were all good and reliable workers, knew the rules and codes of the railways well and their service was exemplary. My brother from Zruc visited us once with his wife, but they did not stay long. Soon after our arrival, immediately after Christmas 1935 Jaro left with his Aunt Bozena (my sister-in-law) for Drahov. So we remained in Most alone with little Marie. My wife and Marie got very ill, but thank God recovered soon.

At the end of February 1936 a sudden letter came from the Directorate of CSD in Prague instructing me to report as soon as possible to the Construction Department of the Ministry of Railways. Nobody ever mentioned this to me before! So I handed over my place and work in Most to Ing.Mik from Ceske Budejovice. In Prague I was allocated to the Department of the railway track. To commute daily from Most to Prague was not possible: it was too far. In the beginning during the spring time 1935 my family stayed in Most but then they went to Drahov to their Grandmother. I rented a room in Prague Nusle opposite the town hall. I spent weekdays there but Sundays in Drahov. It was very tiring, forever travelling on overloaded trains where there were no seats available and one had to stand the whole journey. We kept our flat in Most until the autumn of 1936, when we moved to a co-operative house in Prague in Ruska Street in the Vrsovice area under the chocolate factory Orion, opposite the barracks of the 28th regiment. Behind our house there was an extensive exercise place for the soldiers, where we used to go for a walk and a fly a kite. Our move from Most was done by a moving firm, which loaded our belongings on its vehicle, then put it on a railway wagon which took it to Prague. Thus the cost of the moving was substantially reduced. The flat in Vrsovice was nice but small and expensive. It cost Kcs 4,000,- (approx. Ł 100,-) per year. On Sundays and holidays we used to go to the church of St.Wenceslaus in Vrsovice. My sister-in-law Bozena went to Prague with us and stayed with us. Once Uncle Prusa from Vresna by Drahov slept with us. We stayed in Vrsovice just over half a year and in spring 1937 moved again, this time for a much longer time to Prague-Podoli, to a co-operative house. We were allocated this flat by a State Office in Prague. I deposited a sum of Kcs 300,- to the co-op as a new member. The chairman of the co-op was Ing.Vrba, chief departmental councillor of the Ministry of Education. The flat, for which I received a certificate, had the following address: Na dolinach 21, Prague 4 - Podoli; it was previously occupied by dr. Korizek. When I went to have look at the flat before we moved in, Korizek told me that a flat at number 19 was in fact originally allocated to us (it was a better located flat facing the street and on the sunny side) but that it was eventually given to him! He had long fingers and Ing. Vrba was his friend. Before Korizek, our flat was occupied by Dr. Karasek and his family. They moved to the first floor where they live to this day. Korizeks lived in number 19 only a short time before they got another flat in number 17 with three living rooms. Eventually after some time we appreciated qualities of the flat in number 21 and got used to it; it had some advantages. It was very cheap, peaceful, with no noise coming from the main street. We also had sunshine coming in from the east and west. All rooms had direct lighting. The house was quiet and well maintained. In the yard there were gardens with flowers and trees. In the house, the flat had a large cellar, suitable for keeping coal and potatoes and fruit. We lived in this flat for 33 years from 1937 until 1970 therefore even after the death of my wife Marie in 1969.

Initially I worked at the Ministry of Railways as a ministry commissary and later, after some 2 years as the senior commissary. Salaries were very low. In 1937 and 1938 it became obvious that the War was coming: home guard was established; gas masks were distributed and we were instructed how to use them. The numbers of soldiers were increased in the army and fortifications were built at the frontiers with Germany, concrete bunkers. In the autumn of 1938 the war fever reached its climax when president Benes declared total mobilisation. Every army reservist had to leave within 2 hours for his regiment. The railways were swamped by chaos. But, the railways managed to deliver all men to their destinations, but often the officers did not know what to do with them. It took three days in some locations to get the soldiers registered and equipped with uniforms and arms. New army units had to be formed, their commands organised, accommodation, catering, etc. It was a lot of work.

I myself left without delay for Bratislava to join my regiment. It was the army engineers' regiment number 4. I was travelling in the fast train , but was obliged to stand the whole journey as the train was completely packed up. No railway tickets were needed and everybody could travel in any class available. After spending several days in the barracks doing nothing, I was sent to the State military command where I was attached to a special service with the General Staff of the Slovak Army in Bratislava. Because of the fact that Bratislava is located near the frontier, all ammunition stores had to be transferred  inland. My regiment was transferred to Nove Mesto upon Vah and the General Staff, where I served, to Kremnice in central Slovakia. We travelled there from Bratislava by train; the journey lasted two days and we were not told where we were going. On our arrival at Kremnice we found that some of the General Staff personnel were already working there. When we announced ourselves, we were given accommodation in local private houses and allocated rooms in local schools for our office work. I stayed in a house belonging to Mr.Tandlich, a Jew, near the town square. I slept in the office of Mr.Tandlich and there was a stream under the windows. They were good people. I used this accommodation only for sleeping: we started work early in the morning and apart from a short break for lunch continued until late at night, sometimes even over night. The soldiers had an easier time than I. When I had free time I went for a walk into the mountains. From there one could enjoy beautiful views of the town and countryside. I eat privately in the local restaurant. In those days I had the rank of lieutenant but got only 1/3 of the normal salary for that position, because I received my salary from the Ministry of Railways. It is interesting, that when I eventually returned home from the army, I had to return all the money I received from the army during the mobilisation. Thus I worked for the army for nothing! I served in Kremnice until end of November 1938 when we were demobilised. First of all I returned to my regiment at Nove Mesto upon Vah and from there, after I returned my uniform and weapon, I went back home to Prague. I had a big surprise when serving at Kremnice: one morning my wife came to visit me in my office at the school. She arrived suddenly. I asked for permission to help her to find a hotel accommodation, but we couldn't find anything, all hotels were occupied by the army officers. Kremnice is a small town with few hotels. During our search, we met by chance a woman, who recommended us accommodation in a private house which we accepted. They were an exemplary Slovakian family, everything was spotlessly clean and in order. They were also feeding us well for a very low price. Unfortunately I was unable to devote much time to my wife during the day as I had my army duties to attend to. And so I was able to take her through the Kremnice mint and show her certain parts of the town, mainly the church built in gothic style. Many Germans lived in the town itself and also in the nearby villages. I believe that silver used to be mined there in the past. After several days I accompanied my wife to the railway station. She returned home to Prague where she left the children with their Aunt Bozena and our neighbour Ledvinkova, who used to be our neighbour in Most (she, her husband and son Mila had to leave when Germans occupied Sudetenland. They settled next door to us at number 19). After the Munich dictate the Czechoslovak Republic lost the border belt  called Sudetenland; later, in the spring of 1939, Slovakia separated itself and formed an independent state. What remained of the Republic was such a depleted country that it was no match for the Germans who occupied it in March 1939 and formed the so called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which formed a part of the Grossdeutsches Reich. This Protectorate had its own president dr.Hacha and government but they were responsible to a German office headed by a Reichsprotektor. This German institution was residing at the Prague castle. First Reichsprotector was Dr.von Neurath, then came Reinhart Heidrich, then Dalugue and finally Karl Hermann Frank who stayed there until the end of the war. Even at the Ministry of Railways the Reichsprotector's office made decisions. At that time reorganisations took place and our Ministry for Railways was merged with the Ministry for Post Office and Public Works. This newly formed Ministry was located in our building. The number of staff working there was increased from the original 600 to 2,000 and they all managed to squeeze in! Internally we  operated in Czech but all official papers designated externally had to be also in German. All legislation, announcements and directives remained in the Czech language. The Ministry staff had to sit examinations in the German language. Those who did not succeed had to attend special courses. I was among them. To force us to learn this language they cut substantial chunks out of our salaries. After a certain time they allowed us, the 'antitalents', pass.

In 1939 when the Germans occupied the Sudetenland and the Hungarians the southern part of Slovakia and Carpatien Russia (most eastern part of Czechoslovakia taken over by the USSR after the war in 1945) the Poles joined in and occupied Tesin country including the Tesin Steel Foundries (Tesin is in Moravia near the Polish frontier and near Ostrava). What remained were the iron foundries at Kladno and Vitkovice, which I used to visit officially to negotiate the manufacture of new materials for rails and points to be used on Czech-Moravian Railways. These negotiations were very difficult and the travelling too. After the occupation of the brown coal mines in the North we had to use the black coal from Kladno for domestic heating. But later the supply of the brown coal from the North was renewed. The quotas allocated to us were sufficient, the coal was well sorted out and the weight was always correct, without cheating.

During the war 1939-1945 we were trained in anti aircraft defence, during the air raids we gathered in our cellar, which was especially modified for this purpose. We also used to have night and Sunday readiness duties. In addition, large shelters, equipped with telephone switchboards and electricity generating units for lighting and heating were constructed beside our Ministry building.

As the war progressed the railways were more and more frequently targeted by underground sabotage units. They destroyed railway tracks and bridges and the transport of the military was thus severely affected. This damage was  complemented by the air raids and bombings carried out by the Allies on the main railway junctions such as Cheb, Klatovy, Pilsen, Ceske Budejovice, Ceske Velenice, Beroun, Pardubice, Kralupy, etc. Some of these stations were literally levelled off. Towards the end of the war Allies' light fast aircraft destroyed many CSD locomotives and trains.

We had severe and long winters in 1942 and 1943 when temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Centigrade. We also had a lot of snow. Because of this travelling by train became difficult. Rationing of food was introduced during the war and it  functioned well. It was possible to obtain the basics but only in small quantities, therefore people had to travel frequently to the rural parts of the country to buy additional food from the farmers. There it was always possible to buy provisions because farmers did not give everything to the State. Thank God the Marek family in Drahov and my brother in Zruc supported us substantially, so we were never hungry. My brother-in-law Marek in Drahov was the Mayor of Drahov during the war, as a result  had many acquaintances, but mainly he was not afraid to slaughter a pig illegally from time to time. He then gave the meat to his friends and also to us. He also supplied provisions to the railway station restaurant in Mezimosti/Veseli and from that time until now we are popular in there. Jan Marek, as was his name, was an exceptional person, a good farmer. He was well known and liked in the whole district. We always remember him with affection and are grateful to him for many things. Every time we needed to be taken to or from the railway station in Mezimosti, he would obligingly take us there with his horses and carriage. He came even to my Father's funeral in Zruc in 1954. He got on well together with my brother Frantisek and enjoyed a drink of beer with him. Jan Marek went to school with DP Thdr Hlavnicka from Hamr (neighbouring village with Drahov) who became a professor at the seminar in Ceske Budejovice. Hlavnicka was an excellent preacher and I liked to listen to him. Jan Marek was always amazed at how he learned this art.

In May 1945 there was an uprising in Prague against the Germans. When the fighting broke out I was still in my office at the Ministry. However, I did not stay there too long like some of my colleagues, but returned home quickly on foot. During the walk I was trying to avoid those areas with heavy shooting but nevertheless saw a lot of blood everywhere, many people wounded, and also killed. In the beginning the German soldiers were giving themselves up readily and were handing over their weapons to the Czech fighters. They handed the whole ammunition magazine located in the gymnasium at Vysehrad over to us. So the Czech fighters were able to equip themselves quickly with weapons and began to turn them against the Germans. The Czechs also obtained antitank weapons called 'panzerfaust' (panzer fist). Bloody fights followed with many people wounded and killed. The inner part of Prague was horribly devastated. Shop windows were shattered, street paving sets (cobbles) were taken out and used for building barricades, many houses were set on fire including the Old Town Hall, from where the Czechs were shooting at German tanks. Heavy fighting was also in the Pankrac district, some 1 km from our house. Here the progress of German tanks was halted by Russian units under general Vlasov, which were up till now fighting on the German side! They suddenly came to help the Czech fighters. They were equipped with small canons, pulled by horses. A great number of them lost their lives in Prague. They also were fighting heroically against the Germans in the western district of Prague Ruzyne. Even there they died for us. My wife, Jaro and I saw their common grave at the cemetery in Krcen near Trbovice. Today, nobody remembers them. This should not happen.

During the fighting when Prague was bombed mainly  by the German aircraft and artillery our family retreated down into our cellar. However, soon we were informed that the Germans were moving in our direction and advised to leave, because the Czech units were too weak to stop them. So, two days before the end of the fighting my wife, Jaro and I (Marie was in Drahov at that time) left our house in the middle of the night and went on foot in the direction of Smichov District, which, we were told was already under the control of the Americans. During the march we had to negotiate barricades. On our arrival at Smichov we were terribly disappointed to find no Americans there. We settled down with others in the 'National house' but were sent away soon with an explanation that it was needed for the wounded. So we left and found a shelter not very far away in the local public baths, near the church of St.Wenceslaus. We stayed there only until the late afternoon when we decided with other refugees to leave and walk towards the West. By nightfall we reached a village called Trebonice and settled there for the night in the local school. We learned it had been occupied by German soldiers who left shortly before our arrival. My wife and I slept in the janitor's flat and I with the other Czech refugees on straw in the school. During the night we were patrolling the surroundings of the school and at the same time watching anxiously the nearby main road where German units under general Schorner were retreating in the western direction towards Pilsen and Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad). Next morning the weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, but we decided not to march any further away from Prague: we heard that Russian tanks were approaching Prague from the North. So we decided to stay put in Trebonice during the forenoon, visited the local cemetery near church at Krten (Orech?) where we found a common grave, still open, full of Russian soldiers who fought under general Vlasov, who lost their lives during the fights in Prague. Jindrich Simon Baar, the famous Czech writer, used to visit this church. We returned home, when the Russians reached Prague. On our arrival we learned that during our absence The German units did reach Podoli, our district, but did not go any further. Fierce fighting with the Czechs followed and this was apparent from the damage to those buildings from which the Czech fighters were shooting. Our house, however, escaped undamaged and even from the cellar, which we left unlocked, nothing was lost or stolen. On our march home, we saw Russian tanks arriving and taking positions at strategic places. During their retreat to the West the Germans were still shelling Prague from their cannons. Some of the shells did not explode and we saw how our soldiers were picking them up and throwing them into the river Vltava. Barricades were being dismantled and street paving repaired. These works were mainly carried out by the German POW. The Czechs were treating them cruelly, were beating them up and painting swastikas on their backs, etc. I could not stand watching this. It must be said that the Russian soldiers were behaving much better and never lowered themselves to such brutality. They looked after the POW's well, gave them plenty to eat and assembled them into camps from where they were sent to Russia for work. People in Drahov also saw the German unit retreating to the West, but they were quickly overtaken and captured by Russian units fighting in the south in Austria. After their surrender the Germans were then taken to a gathering place near Nova Bystrice. They had to move on foot, it was hot, and some of the soldiers were unable to cope and were jumping into the pond 'Fararsky' where they drowned. Our Grandfather Marek(in fact father-in-law) was giving water to the German POW. He stretched a hose from our villa to the road and was filling their pots with water. He was sorry for them. The whole of South Bohemia was flooded by the Army of Marshal Malinovsky. They arrived in horse driven carriages, wagons, carts, etc. Some of them settled on Mareks' farm. The commander was living at another farm 'U Krizu'. They wanted to accommodate him  in our villa. They came with Mr.Freml (a local citizen responsible for the maintenance of the church), but when the commander saw the our villa was poorly equipped, left dissatisfied. Russian soldiers were behaving towards us well. They enjoyed hunting deer, hare and other wildlife and during this shooting  activity killed one small boy from Zlukov. Their horses were grazing freely on the meadows near the river Nezarka. They were also keen on fishing, which they did either by the conventional method with rod and line or by throwing hand grenades into the water. They sent any Germans captured in the woods to the Veseli gathering camp, after having fed them first. One day Jenda Prusa was ploughing his fields in Vresna. Some Russian units saw his well fed horses, stopped and exchanged forcefully one of their horses which was old and not so good, for one of his, which was, of course good, and continued on their journey. Jenda returned home immediately and naturally complained. His Father, Uncle Prusa, did not lose a minute and set off for Trebon to see the main Russian commander and negotiate the return of his horse. He spoke Russian, which he learned in the army in the 1st WW. He first of all fought the Russians as a member of the Austrian army and later fought the Bolsheviks as a member of the Czech legion.

After the end of the war our daughter Marie returned with us to Prague. She got seriously ill in 1944/1945 by catching a heavy cold during the train journey from Prague to Mezimosti and then in Drahov. This illness was quickly followed by an inflammation of the kidneys. Dr.Soukup was unable to treat her and so her Uncle Jan Marek arranged for her transfer by car to the hospital in Jindrichuv Hradec. There she was properly treated at the internal clinic of dr.Pokorny. My wife stayed with her in the hospital as a nurse. The worst moments for the patients came when they had to be transferred to a bomb shelter during the air alerts. These were cold and this did not help their treatment. I used to travel from Prague to visit them. Jaro was staying in Drahov in our villa with his Grandmother and Aunt Anna. Thank God the doctors managed to cure Marie and she was able to leave the hospital after 2 months and return to Drahov, where dr.Soukup was looking after her for a while. She returned to Prague in May 1945. During the stay with their Grandmother Jaro and Marie were attending the school in Drahov which they enjoyed very much.

In Prague, after the bloody revolution, life was returning quickly back to normal. Damaged buildings were being repaired and our army units which fought on the eastern front together with the Russians  were returning home. Our government in exile lead by its Prime minister dr.Sramek and president dr.Eduard Benes returned triumphantly home from the East, where they moved from London before the war ended. Various manifestations and army parades were common. One of the most celebrated foreign persons was marshal Konev whose units liberated Prague. His triumphant procession took him through Prague and Vaclavske Square (Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery also came). We liked to attend these festivities. In my office at the Ministry people slowly began to work. First of all the office was fundamentally re-organised, new departments were formed with new agenda and new managers whom people were able to trust. I myself remained in the same department of railway tracks and even my boss was not replaced. His name was Ing.Klika, born at Sucava at Bukovina where he attended a German secondary school and then a technical University in Vienna. His Father had a contracting firm there and owned some houses. Apparently he was also involved in the construction of the Rudolfinum concert hall in Prague. Ing.Klika was a man of gold, I appreciated him and learned a lot from him. But he got seriously ill before he was 60 years old and had to retire early. He left Prague and moved to Sluhy near Mesice where his wife had a small house. They lived there for several years but he was not too healthy and died when he was 65 years old. He was buried at the local cemetery. I used to visit him quite often, either by train to Mesice and then a 1/2 hour walk, but usually by a bus which stopped by their gate. After the retirement of Ing.Klika we had a new manager, Ing.Karas. Although he was also kind, he did not understand our work so well and was soon replaced by Ing.Valenta from Pilsen. He was a very capable man and managed to improve our work considerably. He was also very influential because of his membership in the Communist party later on. During the war he was in a concentration camp because his wife was Jewish. The section leader was Ing.Schindler a kind man and excellent engineer. When he retired at the age of 60 he was succeeded for a short time by Ing.Valenta. At that time a General Directorate of Railways was formed into which we were transferred from the Ministry and Ing Valenta became a deputy general director. For a short time I was the head of the Department until a new one was nominated. His name was Ing.Kasik, who later became a professor at the High school (University) of transport, located originally in Prague before its transfer to Zilina in Slovakia. I knew Ing. Kasik well from the past and we understood each other well. He joined the Communist party. It was good to work under his leadership and a lot of useful issues and matters were finalised during the time he was in the office. Also many new legislation and directives were issued at that time. We celebrated our birthdays on the same day, but he was 2 years younger. When he left for the High school (University) I became the head of the department and remained in this position until the re-organisation of the Ministry, when our department was merged with another one. Thanks to Ing.Kasik I became a member of the Examination Committee at the High school (University) for the branch of the track construction and attended the students' final examinations. I also used to be a consultant every year to one of the candidates, mainly when a design of a track structure and points was involved in their diploma thesis. I have very good memories of this work.

When Ing.Kasik left I started working on improvements of quality of steel for the rails so they could cope with heavier loads and be more resistant to grinding on curves, and also improvements in impregnation of wooden sleepers connected with the isolation resistance of rails. This was of course in addition to my routine work involving the introduction of new types of points. In addition, the installation of steel reinforced and later pre-stressed concrete sleepers was being introduced instead of the wooden sleepers. This involved the design of new methods for joining the rails to the sleepers. At the beginning a number of different types and shapes of sleepers were designed, manufactured and tried, and after a trial period at various locations, the best were selected and manufactured in large numbers. This also involved the founding of new manufacturing works, control and monitoring during the sleepers' manufacture and afterwards the actual installation. This was a big job but an interesting one. I was in charge of inspections carried out at various Works, mainly at Vitkovice and Trinec steel foundries and also knew in detail the foundries at Kladno, East Slovakia and Prostejov. I was also in charge of inspections of the manufacture of concrete sleepers and timber works manufacturing wooden sleepers at Bucina, Brezina and Zilina. I was also involved in the manufacture of rail gripping devices (bolts, coach screws, nails) to sleepers and small rails, fish plates, etc. used on rail tracks. I followed the behaviour and performance of these new materials even by simple observation of the railway tracks I travelled on. In order that I could understand all these new materials I had to study quite a lot of technical information and books. I was mainly concerned with the manufacture, property and testing of steel materials. I therefore purchased technical books dealing with this particular topic and studied what was necessary to understand the subject. I attended meetings and discussions in the Research Institutes of those Steel Works where steel of higher quality was being manufactured. I was also called to attend international conferences organised by these Steel Works to debate this theme. I must say that I did not feel very comfortable during those meetings, everything looked strange to me and I always got the feeling that I do not belong to that company of people. But when I realised that there was nobody in the whole Ministry with better knowledge about the subject than I, I felt it was my duty to attend. I learned a lot and was then able to form more easily my own opinion about some controversial matters and propose a final solution and decision. Before I went to see the Steel Works management I always visited our own engineers whose duty was first of all to supervise the manufacture and later to take over the manufactured products on behalf of the CSD. They informed me how the production was progressing, gave me the steel test results and the final take over certificates. After absorbing this information I went to see the Steel Works management feeling much more confident. But all this was not at all easy and it required a lot of time to inspect the Works, but I enjoyed doing it, especially when I saw that it was useful. At the Ministry I often faced difficulties when introducing new, more economical materials and construction changes. Sometimes I failed and at the Steel Works they did not always follow my requests either. When it happened, however, it sometimes helped me to avoid unpleasant things. But it was an interesting job. I was unable to cope with it during my office hours because the telephone was ringing permanently and because of endless meetings. In order to make up the lost time I often had to take my work home and continue there. By doing this I was not popular with my wife and it was not appreciated at the office either. But I did not mind. My main concern was to achieve results. My own bosses, thanks to that, left me alone and did not interfere with my work. They seem to have understood and appreciated my inclination for perseverance and sometimes even awarded it financially. Several times I was selected the best worker by the trade unions within the Department of the railway tracks and once even within the whole Ministry. During the further reorganisation of the railways, when, to follow the example of the German Railways, a Technical Centre was being formed, it was intended to transfer under its umbrella even our construction department. Higher salaries were being discussed and as a result we were taken out of the Ministry organisation. However, in the end, instead to the Technical Centre we were transferred to an organisation called 'Mechanisation of track engineering'. We had nothing to do with it except that we received our salaries through it. Otherwise we worked for the Ministry as before. This peculiar situation lasted some 3 years before we were again attached back to the Ministry. However, at that time my service with the Ministry was coming to an end. At the end of 1966 I was, together with three other colleagues, released from the Ministry and transferred to an organisation called 'Design construction and research institute for track engineering' located in Pardubice. However, our department remained scattered in different parts of Prague. The headquarters were in Dlazdena Street where I also resided for a while. Another group of colleagues was located in the building of the Main Railway Station in Prague and the third group had an office in a provisional building beside the Railway Station Prague Central. Later we transferred our construction office to the Main Station and finally in 1970 to the goods station at Zizkov, where it exists up to now. In this Construction Development Department which was responsible directly to the Ministry of Transport on the financial and working side, we were occupied by designing new track structures, negotiating our designs with the manufacturers and after that by their practical applications on actual rail tracks. Experiences thus obtained were then used for the preparation of official Standards for these applications which we sent to the Ministry with proposal of directives to use them nation-wide. In addition to the above we also had to prepare drawings and lists of all materials required for the construction. These were needed for the construction, maintenance and later for ordering of spare parts to replace worn out parts of the track. This Department had its own leadership and accounting and worked well. Nevertheless, it was closed down in 1972 and colleagues transferred to the Research Institute of Railways, where it still is.

The Ministry of transport, which, apart from the railways, was also administrating automobile, air and water transport was moved from its beautiful building on the right bank of the river Vltava, opposite the island 'Stvanice', to the former building belonging to the Central Committee of the Communist Party,  located by 'Prasna Brana' at Prikopy.

 During my stay at the Ministry I was delegated several times to attend international meetings concerning materials for railway tracks mainly rails and points, which took place every other year within the framework of the 'Organisation for the co-operation of railways in states with socialist administration'. This organisation still has its headquarters in Poland in Warsaw. During these meetings the delegates exchanged experiences and discussed which materials would be the most suitable ones for the use in their own countries for the manufacture of their rails. These discussions were useful and the accepted recommendations too. Many of them have been implemented. At these meetings we were also trying to standardise materials and points within the countries involved, in order to simplify their manufacture and make it more cost effective. Products made in one country could then be used in other countries. Apart from these meetings organised in Prague, Olomouc, Pardubice or Karlsbad I also attended meetings abroad: 2x in Warsaw, 4x in the German Democratic Republic(Berlin,Magdeburg,Leipzig,Brandenburg), 2x in Budapest. I always travelled only by train. It is not far to visit the above foreign places. The meetings enabled me to observe the living conditions of our neighbours. Everywhere people were hospitable and kind. They prepared good accommodation for us despite the fact that some of the towns visited were still damaged by the war. It was terrible to see some of the buildings totally destroyed and in rubble.

During our free time the organisers of the conferences took us on sightseeing tours. For example in Poland to Chopin's birthplace in Zelezovo-Woha west of Warsaw, to Bydhost, where there is a large factory for manufacturing points, then in GDR to Brandenburg where points and small rails for the whole DR are manufactured or to the Research Institute of DR in Magdeburg, to Gorlitz near Leipzig where they manufacture rails, then in Hungary to the points manufacture in a Budapest suburb, to rail sections with installed concrete sleepers at Labatlan on the bank of Danube, north-west of Budapest. These excursions were very useful and educational because we were learning about the local way of doing things and the results.

During the Austro-Hungarian Empire, at the end of the 1st World War in 1918 my parents sent me to Vienna to visit my brother Frantisek, who was in the local military hospital at the outskirts of the City called Simmerunk with an injured leg. I left Pilsen on Saturday evening by a fast train and after travelling through Ceske Budejovice and Gmund overnight arrived in Vienna the following morning. The train was full, but I managed to get a seat. My brother advised me the tramway numbers I would have to use in Vienna in order to reach the lazaret from the Station. I arrived at the hospital gate without an incident but the guards wouldn't let me in to hand over the parcels, full of cakes 'buchtas', I brought for him from Zruc. In order that I could see better inside the hospital grounds I stood on a small wooden box in which I had the parcels packed. By chance I spotted my brother among the soldiers some 100 metres away, chatting. I waited until my brother turned in my direction and then attracted him by waiving my arms and signalling that he should come to the gate. He recognised me and came onto the other side of the fence so I was able to hand him over the things I brought for him. The soldiers were allowed to leave only in the afternoon and we made arrangements where to meet. It was on Sunday. There was no time for long walks and so we went to visit the local amusement park 'Prater' with many attractions and an enormous wheel with cabins on its perimeter. It was turning along its vertical axle and one was thus able to see the whole town when at the highest point. My brother then accompanied me to the railway station and in the evening of the same day (Sunday) I travelled on the fast train back to Pilsen, where I arrived the following day in the morning. This episode occurred in September 1918, therefore just before the end of the war. There was no time left for my brother to go back to the front. But he had a souvenir from the front in the form of a partly deaf ear which he received when a grenade exploded near him on the Italian front. My brother started his military service in Klatovy as a dragoon, but in 1917, when he began, cavalry was no longer used on the front because there was a shortage of horses and those available were taken by the artillery and the messengers. So my brother was transferred to the infantry units and allocated to a machine gun. During his army life my brother suffered a lot of hunger which he was trying to overcome by smoking. The life in the army was not very hygienic and many soldiers suffered from various decease as a result. Parasites infested everything. When my brother came home on leave from the front his uniform was full of lice and at home we tried to get rid of them with a hot iron. In 1917 a terrible explosion occurred at the Skoda factory manufacturing gun powder at Lochotin near Pilsen and Tremosna, not very far from Zruc. Skoda Works was the largest manufacturer of military equipment in Austria. The explosion destroyed the factory and levelled off large pine trees in a belt 40 metres wide like match sticks. After the main explosion the factory was on a huge fire and this caused secondary explosions within magazines of ammunition already made and stored there. Miraculously the tall chimney of the factory remained intact. The results of the explosion were terrible. Many workers employed there lost their lives or were injured. Our school served as a hospital for the wounded. Those killed were buried in the cemetery in Bolevec-Pilsen. Later a monument was erected there. Many villages in the vicinity were damaged and Zruc was among them: roofs were demolished, windows shattered, doors blown out, etc. People were afraid of further explosions and left their homes and sought shelter in woods. Eventually the fire was brought under control and some of the gun powder magazines were saved. It is interesting to note that in Zruc more people died as workers during this explosion than as soldiers fighting on the front. Many people who did not want to join the army sought employment there. During the explosion a huge column of smoke and dust shot up into the sky. We were able to see it from our school in Petrohrad-Pilsen. Individual explosions were noticeable even in Pilsen, some 7 km away. The gun powder factory was surrounded by a barbed wire fence and this made it difficult for the workers, who were trapped there  to escape. After this catastrophe the gun powder manufacture was stopped and the place has been used since as a training area for guns and canons manufactured at the Skoda Works. But during the second WW manufacture of ammunition was introduced again by the Germans. Just now the place is a home for the Research institute of the atomic energy, which works on the development of nuclear reactors manufactured in Skoda Works. Ing.Liska from Hromnice works there. He married Zdenka Valesova, daughter of Zdenek and Helena Vales from Hromnice, cousin of Jaro and Marie.

As soon as the first WW was over, my Father started building a new brick barn located just beside the existing wooden one. Its foundations were out of stone, walls out of bricks. In order to reduce the number of bricks needed and therefore the cost, my father made his own bricks out of clay mixed with straw, dried out in the sun. These were designated for interior use. The exterior walls consisted of purchased bricks of excellent quality. For the roof construction we brought strong spruce trunks from woods at Plasna. My Father took me with him to look after the horses during loading. Uncle Heyret also helped my Father with the loading and he himself also transported some of the wood with his own horses. It was a long way from Zruc and on poor roads in the woods. In order to make our wagons suitable for the long trunks, we had to take it apart and increase the distance between the front and rear axles. My Father allowed me to drive the horses. They were very strong and reliable, it was a pleasure to look at them. Nevertheless, they were unable to pull the wagon out of the woods in one go, without a rest. Every time we had to stop I had to put a stone behind the wheels because the road lead up a steep hill. Eventually we arrived home without a hitch. The wood was then used for the roof construction. When finished it was covered with excellent tiles which had an extremely low water absorption. They last and last and even today are in good condition. Today the barn is used by the local co-operative as a storage for fertilisers.

In 1936 my wife and I decided to build a small house in Drahov. Many people tried to dissuade us from this idea. My in-laws liked the idea. So I started with the preparation of the design drawings. I worked out several alternatives, from the very simple one, which the in-laws did not like, to the existing shape, which was accepted and approved. Grandpa sold us a piece of his land, which had a nice location and an adequate area. The quality of the soil has been improved by cultivation and manuring. The actual construction of the house was given to a builder Mr.J.Kubovsky from Mezimosti, who had an experienced foreman called Adamek. His workers came mostly from Drahov, such as bricklayers Joseph Berkovsky, Jan Kulhanek and carpenter Joseph Novak. The artisan works were given to workers from Mezimosti, the windows, the doors and the staircase to joiner Urban, the metal works to Spatenka and the watermain to plumber Abraham from Kardasova Recice. The electricity was installed by Jan Hejda with material supplied by me from Prague. The kitchen stove was built by a firm Hanek from Jindrichuv Hradec and the Dutch tile stove in the bedroom by Jilek from Mezimosti. The furniture was supplied by joiner Machon from Veseli. The cement came by rail from Most. The bricks came from Brick Works Rehor near Bukovsko. The exterior rendering material came from Chynov near Tabor. The roof is covered with eternit (asbestoscement) tiles. The house is provided with a lightning conductor. The roof structure was put together by a carpenter working for builder Kubovsky with the help of Jan Novak from Drahov, who also made the entrance gate and door. The foundations were built out of stone taken from our wall approx. 2.5m high, which originally formed the boundary between our plot and the highway. The plot (our garden) is now fenced off by an ornamental wooden fence adjacent to the main road and the western side. For the remaining eastern an southern part we utilised railway sleepers and wooden sticks. From the original fencing only the ornamental fencing still survives. The remaining part has been replaced with chicken wire fencing. Also, the entrance wooden gate and door are not the original ones. They were replaced by steel ones made by Joseph Zelenka from Drahov. He made them well to everybody's satisfaction.

We lived in this house by ourselves from 1936 until 1952, before children went to school from spring to autumn and later during all their summer and winter holidays. For a while sister-in-law Anna Marek lived there before she married Jiri Cizek and also brother-in-law Joseph Dobias, before he married my wife's sister Terezie. He was a teacher at the Drahov school when still single. In 1952 the Ministry of Interior ordered us to accommodate two old pensioners Mrs.Klecanda and captain Chromy and they were given the kitchen and bedroom to live in, together with the larder, toilet, bathroom, cellar and loft, i.e. practically the whole house. We were left with the living room and the little room upstairs. The toilet, cellar, bathroom and loft were shared by everybody, as was the garden. Captain Chromy died in 1965 and Mrs Klecandova lived there alone until 1975, when she was transferred to a home for old people at Choustnik near Tabor where she probably still is. She must be well over 90 now. So the whole house is again available to us. (for the episode with the family Prusa see the next paragraph).

Family Prusa who were farming at Vresna, handed over their farm to the State in 1955 (they were thrown out), moved to Drahov, where they rented a small house from Mrs Maryska who lived with her daughter in Moravia (Note: My Aunt-in-law Katerina Prusova-Pichova was the sister of my Mother-in-law Marie Markova-Pichova). It had a small stable and barn. They brought with them one cow and were, in the beginning, cultivating small fields rented from others at the outskirts of the Drahov district. When Mrs. Maryska was away they lived there happily. They kept chickens and Uncle enjoyed himself working on various woodworking jobs in a shed across the road. However, when Mrs Maryska returned and began to live with them in the same house things did not go smoothly. Prusas decided that they have to move on and asked us if they could stay in our villa. We agreed and so in 1956 they moved in. They put the cow into Marek's stable and in our garden Uncle Prusa built a shed for their belongings. It is still there and is very useful. Uncle also had a workshop there with tools and a storage of wood. He liked to work there and spent most of his retirement there. In addition, he also built a small house for his chickens and ducks, a toilet and a coal bunker. When Aunt was still alive, i.e. until 1964 Prusas kept geese also. Uncle divided the garden into two halves: the lower one was used for his chickens and ducks and the top part where he grew vegetables and flowers. The chickens had a free outlet to Marek's field below. After Aunt's sudden death in 1964 Uncle discontinued keeping his farm animals. His son Jan Prusa married in 1960 Vlasta Faflik from Vlkov and moved to her home. When Prusas handed over their farm to the State, they became initially members of the co-operative farm in Drahov and their son Jan Prusa worked there for a while. But they were unable to make ends meet: as the 'kulaks' the parents received no pension and the son's wages were low. Therefore son Jan Prusa left the co-operative farm and found himself a job as a labourer in Veseli in the factory making various precast reinforced concrete products. He is still working there (Note: now he is retired). In 1965 captain Chromy died and after this only Mrs Klecanda and Uncle Prusa remained living in the house. At that time we did not go to Drahov very often. Only for some time during the summer holidays. Jaro and Marie had their own households and were employed and  visited Drahov very seldom. Despite this, our villa has been well utilised and serving its purpose. It still looks very well and its location is good. It is therefore not surprising, that many people liked it and wanted to get it. The biggest danger came when in 1953/1954 the police from Sobeslav started contemplating to utilise it as a police station, despite the fact that the villa was already occupied by Chromy&Klecanda. In order to prevent this, my wife got a job in Veseli, in a potato drying factory. This enabled her to claim a permanent address in our villa in Drahov. She worked there one season and came to Prague only infrequently when she had time. She ran the boilers and apparently very well. When the Prusas moved into our villa the danger from the police had passed. Now our villa serves recreational purposes all the year round and especially during the school holidays. It is well maintained, equipped with water supply machine 'Darling' and a flushing toilet. Windows, doors have been painted and stoves replaced with more modern and efficient ones. The villa is boasting with its cleanliness, light and brightness. It is a pleasure to live there. Until 1976 we always put the car into the wooden shed built by Uncle Prusa  for the winter. Now we have a metal garage. It has a concrete floor. It is very useful. We built the garage ourselves from prefabricated parts bought in Prague and transported to Drahov by Mr.Nohava.

It rained a lot during the first year after the completion of our villa in 1936 and we had 15cm of water standing in the cellar. We had to introduce a drainage to keep the cellar dry. The drain runs across the whole garden and discharges water through the retaining wall opposite Berkovsky on the western part of the fencing. Now the cellar is dry at all times.

The original water main caused us a lot of trouble. The centrifugal pump from Sigmund Pumps from Hranice was inadequate, it had only 0.5 kW output and was unable to suck water from our well which is located some 80 meters away. Also, the suction valve in the well was not tight, allowing water to escape from the suction pipe into the well. As a result we had to fill the suction pipeline with water before we were able to start pumping. It was a nuisance!  To improve the situation we had to change the suction valve and also install a bigger motor 1kW. Some improvement occurred also, when the electricity supply was changed from that at Krkavec to National Grid. Initially, we had a water reservoir in the loft, from where the water was distributed to the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. Unfortunately the reservoir was destroyed by frost and never replaced. As a result the water went from the pump directly into kitchen etc, which was neither effective nor economical. Installation of the 'Darling' water supply pressure system solved all our problems.

The eternit roof cover was a success. However, part of the gutters had to be replaced because of rust. Initially we did not have the metal stoppers for holding snow installed. But the snow which damaged the gutters when it slid down during a thaw convinced us that they were necessary.

The insulation of the balcony floor was not satisfactory and waterproof. Water was finding its way down and ruining ceilings in the lard and toilet and the exterior rendering. This has also been rectified by the installation of a sheet metal covering. Bohus Hejda repaired the rendering.

It is surprising how well the fruit trees grow and prosper in our garden. During a good year the garden becomes an envy of the whole Drahov. Uncle Prusa and Grandpa Marek managed to grow excellent vegetables. They were there and had the time to look after the garden, water it and manure it. After their departure nobody is keen to grow vegetables there. People have no time to go there often enough. It is not enough to go there only for summer holidays.

Originally it was assumed that Grandfather Marek would live there during his retirement. He tried to but did not like it there. He felt isolated there and cut off from the rest of the family and the farm. During his whole life he was accustomed to the farming life full of working activities which were of course missing in the villa. Also, he was complaining that it was very cold in there. From this point of view it was better for him in his simple room at the farm, where the ceiling was low and consequently it was easy to heat. Also, the farm houses had much thicker walls and therefore were better insulated. Grandpa Marek therefore concentrated mainly on growing vegetables in the villa garden. He was very successful in doing this and had a surplus which he gave us. His favourite vegetable were cucumbers. He even tried to grow wine, but in Drahov the conditions were too harsh and it was always destroyed by the cold weather before it had time to ripen. So after several years he abandoned this idea. He looked after the fruit trees well and was delighted when they yielded fruit.

In the north-west corner of the garden stands a beautiful large granite cross, erected in memory of a daughter of Great Grandfather Josef Marek who drowned in the Sax pond during the bathing of the cattle (Note: During the cleaning of the cross around 1990 Pavel Kraml discovered the following inscription in its pedestal: “In the memory of Frantisek Marek, who drowned tragically on 10 July 1880. Erected by Joseph and Anna Marek.” It is therefore clear that the cross was in fact erected in the memory of a son and not daughter of our Great Grandfather Josef Marek, in other words in the memory of a brother of our Grandfather Jan Marek who died in the year 1960). It is likely that the large lime tree standing beside the cross was planted at the same time. Our villa stands on a plot number 37/1 and 38 of Drahov district. Before the villa was built there was a field with soil of not too good quality. It was only suitable for growing potatoes or oats. Grandfather Marek therefore readily handed part of the field over to us so we could build the villa. He and his son Jan Marek (my brother-in-law, died young of cancer) helped actively and supervised its construction. It was built solidly. Unfortunately, some of the wood used was not healthy as it was already attacked by woodworm. Such wood was stored in the loft together with some old furniture which was also infested with the same beetle. The woodworm then spread and attacked the wooden roof joists. It is a pity. The question is to what extent the parasites damaged the roof structure, staircase and whether they are still spreading in the house. It is not easy to get rid of them.

Looking around the vicinity of the villa we notice no substantial changes in the village during those 42 years of its existence. Certainly the buildings are the same but their inhabitants are sometimes different. There has been a decline in the population of Drahov during the recent years. The mechanised agriculture does not need as many workers as before and therefore people tend to look for work in towns. Some of the empty houses in Drahov have been bought by town people for the purpose of recreation. They, however, do not spend much time in the village.

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