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Czech LifeAn Englishwoman who has lived in Prague for over six decades – ‘war bride’ Ivy Kovandová
Ivy Kovandová is one of the few remaining so-called war brides in the
Czech Republic. ‘War brides’ are Englishwomen who married Czechoslovak
pilots or soldiers stationed in the UK during WWII – an estimated 10,000
soldiers and about 2,500 pilots from Czechoslovakia fought alongside the
allies, and many of them married local women. Some of those women
accompanied their husbands back to their native land after the war. But
most left Czechoslovakia due to the strain that the arrival of the
communist regime placed on their lives, or simply because they felt lost
and homesick. Ivy Kovandová, however, still lives in her cozy apartment in
Prague’s Vršovice neighborhood and says she has never even considered
leaving. Just a few weeks ago, she celebrated her 90th birthday. I recently
visited Ivy at her home, where she told me all about her adventurous life
over cake and coffee. More
Current AffairsCommonwealth representatives mark Remembrance Day in Prague
The military section of Prague’s Olšany Cemetery filled with foreign
uniforms on Sunday as soldiers of the Commonwealth of Nations marked
Remembrance Day, and commemorated the sacrifices of their countrymen who
lost their lives on Czech territory during the Second World War. More
Current AffairsNew Prague medical facility to help military veterans suffering from serious long-term injuries
Military veterans who served in conflict-hit areas like Iraq or Afghanistan
will soon be able to make use of a new facility being built in the Czech
capital. The new centre is under construction in Svémyslice, Prague, and
is expected to open in roughly one year’s time. The aim is to provide
complete expert care for veterans who suffered serious or long-term
injuries. More
From the ArchivesCzechs, Slovaks and Poles among “The Few”
When Nazi Germany occupied Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939, many Czech
and Slovak professional soldiers and airmen decided to escape from the
country, rather than hand over arms to the Germans. Six months later war
broke out and many of them joined the French armed forces. When France was
occupied, they escaped to Britain. This was how the Royal Air Force’s 310
and 312 Czechoslovak Fighter Squadrons came to be set up in July and August
1940, and they went on to play an important role in the Battle of Britain.
They were also joined by the 311 Bomber Squadron. Just before Christmas in
1942, the BBC’s Czech service broadcast a special programme featuring the
airmen and their British and Polish colleagues to help raise morale back
home. More
Current AffairsJewish WWII veterans commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day
Several events were held in the Czech Republic on Thursday to commemorate
International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 66th anniversary of
the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Several Jewish veterans
and resistance workers from the Second World War met at Prague’s Czech
Centre on Thursday afternoon to pay tribute to the victims of the Shoa, and
to remember their fellow fighters. More
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