plk. Jaroslav Kudláček - RAF

The memorial plaque to Colonel Jaroslav Kudláček in Chrudim, in the Pardubice Region, honours an RAF airman born in the town. It hangs on the house at Husova 9. Its inscription recalls a former pupil of the local school, a pilot of No. 311 Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron of the RAF, and calls him one of the last casualties of the Czechoslovak resistance abroad.

Who was Jaroslav Kudláček?

He was born in Chrudim on 9 December 1919. During the war he served in the Royal Air Force as a pilot with No. 311 Squadron, the Czechoslovak bomber unit whose aircraft were then flying under RAF Transport Command. He died on 5 October 1945 at the age of 25, months after fighting ended in Europe. He held the rank of pilot officer and had logged about 1,421 flying hours.

What happened on 5 October 1945?

Kudláček captained a Consolidated Liberator GR.VI, serial KG867, scheduled to fly from RAF Blackbushe in Hampshire to Ruzyně airport in Prague. Aboard were 23 Czechoslovaks: five crew, seventeen official passengers and one stowaway. They included servicemen and their families, among them ten women and five young children. The day before, on 4 October, the pilot aborted three take-off attempts because of an engine problem, so the departure was postponed. On the following day the aircraft took off, but a fuel pipe ruptured and the leaking petrol ignited at the port inner engine. After the fire broke out, the captain tried to turn back towards the airfield. The Liberator crashed at Elvetham, east of Hartley Wintney. All 23 people on board died.

How were the victims commemorated?

Eighteen victims, including the whole crew, were buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey on 11 October 1945. Thirteen passengers share a common grave with a single headstone. In his home town, the plaque on Husova street keeps the captain's memory alive and reminds visitors that the airman served in British aviation and died after the war ended, on the way home to a liberated country.

How do you get there and how long do you need?

The plaque is in the centre of Chrudim at Husova 9, so it fits easily into a walk around town. Reading the inscription takes a few minutes. It suits visitors interested in the story of Czechoslovak airmen in the West.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the plaque?

On the house at Husova 9 in Chrudim.

Who does it commemorate?

Jaroslav Kudláček, a pilot of No. 311 Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron of the RAF, born in Chrudim on 9 December 1919.

How did he die?

On 5 October 1945, as captain of a Liberator that crashed at Elvetham in England on a flight from Blackbushe to Prague. All 23 people aboard were killed.

Where were the crash victims buried?

Eighteen of them, including the whole crew, lie at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.