Rudolf Procházka (1918-1989)

Rudolf Procházka (1918-1989) is a memorial plaque in Brno commemorating a Czechoslovak soldier of the foreign resistance who fought on several fronts during the Second World War and spent the rest of his life working as a forester after returning home. The plaque hangs on the apartment building on Smetanova Street where he lived from the mid-1950s until his death.

Who was Rudolf Procházka?

Rudolf Procházka was born on September 1, 1918, in Písek and died on March 27, 1989, in Brno. By profession he was a forester, having graduated from the forestry school in his native Písek and worked in the woods at Jehnice near Brno before the war. After the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia in March 1939, he chose to leave the country: in July 1939 he crossed illegally into Poland and, on August 14, reported to the Czechoslovak consulate in Kraków.

What was his wartime path?

After the outbreak of war and the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, Procházka was captured by Soviet forces on September 17 and interned at Kamianets-Podilskyi. In 1940, as the political situation shifted, he was transferred to the Middle East, where he served with the 11th Czechoslovak Infantry Battalion. In 1941 he took part in the fighting at Tobruk in North Africa, one of the harshest episodes of the North African campaign. In 1942 he volunteered for the air force, and in January 1943 he arrived in Britain via the port of Greenock. He was assigned to the 311th Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron of the RAF, where he served as a radio operator and air gunner.

What did he do after the war?

After the war ended, Procházka remained in the military and served with the Brno air force garrison until 1948. That year proved decisive for Czechoslovakia: the communist coup of February 1948 triggered purges that hit many western-front veterans hard, since the new authorities regarded them as politically unreliable. Procházka then returned to forestry and worked in the profession until retirement. From 1955 until his death in 1989, he lived at Smetanova 47 in Brno's Veveří district, and was buried at Brno's Central Cemetery on Vídeňská Street.

Where did the memorial plaque come from?

The plaque was unveiled on July 9, 2008, on the building where he had lived for the final three decades of his life. It was designed and made by Brno graphic designer Jiří Eliška, who did not charge for his work — residents of the building covered the cost of materials and installation. The initiative was grassroots and local, a common way of commemorating western-resistance veterans in Czech cities, especially those who received no official recognition from the communist authorities during their lifetimes.

Why is it worth seeing?

The plaque at Smetanova 47 is an unassuming but telling trace of one of the thousands of Czechoslovak soldiers who, after the war, lived under a shadow of political suspicion despite having fought for their country's freedom on fronts from the Middle East to the British Isles. For anyone interested in the Second World War and the fate of the Czechoslovak resistance abroad, it is a concrete point on the map of Brno — a reminder that behind every plaque stands an individual life story.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Rudolf Procházka? He was a Czechoslovak soldier and, by profession, a forester, who fought in the ranks of the western resistance during the Second World War — first in the infantry in the Middle East (including at Tobruk), and later as a radio operator and air gunner with the 311th Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron of the RAF.

Where is the memorial plaque located? The plaque is mounted on the apartment building at Smetanova 47 in Brno-Veveří, where Procházka lived from 1955 until his death in 1989.

When was the plaque unveiled? It was unveiled on July 9, 2008. It was designed and made by Brno artist Jiří Eliška, who did not charge for his own work.

What did Procházka do after the war? He served with the Brno air force garrison until 1948, then, following the communist coup and the political purges that followed, returned to working as a forester, a job he held until retirement.