Florian Jahoda was born at the village of Velky Tynec near Olomouc on Apr 27, 1905. Following his schooling he served his apprenticeship as a butcher at Mr Kucirek´s shop. Doing his military service at the Olomouc garrison in 1925 he was as Store Chief and an AA courier. Four military exercises were done by him till 1938.
Florian hated Hitler and his lips were loosed. Following the German occupation of the rump of Czech and Moravian Territory he was advised by local Gendarms of his having been denounced to the Gestapo Secret Police. Florian was recommended to escape by them. Though he should have left with six others only him departed to Ostrava mid June 1939. Two friends of him, brothers, guided him to the Polish border. Florian Jahoda succeeded in arriving in Krakow on the following day. He sent a view card home from this city and a letter dated Aug 21 delivered by a courier. The latter was written at the Cz Volunteers Camp at Male Bronowice nr Krakow. Florian wrote : ´I cook for five hundred men´. His work was appreciated also by a commander of this group Lt Col Ludvik Svoboda who wanted him to join the main group of 860 departing eastwards to Leszno on Aug 30. But Florian rejected and cooked on at the Male Bronowice camp for the volunteers commanded by the Gendarm Cpt Frantisek Divoky.
Their journey to France is detailed as on Nos 74 – 82 pgs of ´Cz airmen in Polish Defence War 1939´as in the ´Cz airmen Sep 17 1939 Poland´ of the ´Texts and Essays´ Section. Their list is on Nos 164 – 165 pgs of the above mentioned book. Having entrained they left Krakow not before the morning of Sep 4. Two days later they had to walk to Radomysl and on Sep 7 to Mielce due to rail track put out of use by the Luftwaffe´s bombs. On the following day this group went on foot to Rozwadow 20kms distant. On Sep 9 they trudged from the Lublin railway station levelled by the Luftwaffe to Bystricza. The longest distance was walked by them two days later – fifty kms to Biela Podlaszka. On Sep 15 this group of Cz volunteers had to go on foot a 20 km distance from Oszydow to Zloczow. One day after the launch of the Soviet Red Army´s occupation of Eastern Poland – ie on Sep 18 – they left the town of Delatyn at 9 a.m. plodding southwards to the border on Romania. Having walked 36 kms they were put up by the Ukrainian local residents to the village of Sredne Berezne. On the following day a hundred and fifteen Cz men set out for their walk at 6 a.m. via Jablonow and Kosow. Nine hours later they crossed the Romanian border. Interned in a camp near the town of Pitesti about fourty of them succeeded in escaping on Oct 8, 1939. Czech passports had been issued for them by the Czech office in Bucharest commanded by Col. Heliodor Pika. Florian Jahoda was not among these luckier ones. He departed from the port of Constanca with bulk of the group in the evening of Oct 26. Their freighter Romania sailed via Istanbul, Pireus, Alexandria and Haifa laying anchor in Beirut on Nov 4. Florian Jahoda was billeted for two nights under canvas in a local barracks. Having embarked the Marchal Jeoffrey liner two days later these Cz volunteers arrived in Marseille on Nov 13. They came by train to the Cz Depot at Agde two days later at 1 a.m. Florian Jahoda contracted malaria during this journey.
On June 19 1940 Florian and other 205 Cz men in arms lead by HQ Col Joseph Schejbal left the port of Bordeaux onboard of the Karanan vessel. They arrived at Falmouth two days later. On the same day Florian Jahoda came to a camp at Oxford. These Cz men-in-arms changed into British uniforms there.
First from L Joseph Nemec, next to him Karel Herman, Florian Jahoda wearing a leather coat. Jan Illek on Florian´s left. Illek served with No 310 Sqn later as a cook. This and the following picture were taken in front of No 28 hut of the Oxford camp on June 21, 1940.
Only both the accordion players are recognized here. Frantisek Novotny at right Florian at left. The instrument had been purchased hy him in France. First was Florian deployed to No 312 Fighter Sqn. Posted to No 311 one he served with this unit till the end of hostilities as a cook, phone and telegraph operator and St Cpt Schejbal´s staff assistant.
Three cooks of 311 – L to R : Frantisek Mohelnik, Alois Gurka and Florian Jahoda. Jaroslav Popelka courtesy. He identified five men in the second one.
Mid row third from L : AC1 Jan Bachrich ground staff, fourth LAC Alois Gurka a cook. Sit : second from L Florian Jahoda, Sgt Rudolf Ricanek a cook and next to him Cpl Karel Kucera cook - arms folded. No 311 Sqn´s cooks made in cauldrons outside the lunch for the Oct 28, 1941 festive occasion as follows – poultry soup, duck, cabbage, dumpling and strudel. Coffee, beer, wine and cognac.
In this year Florian went on operations as a Wellington bomber´s front gunner. He stood in for sick Frantisek Novak three times. While with No 1429 COTF at Honington in 1942 Florian was seriously wounded by a German bomb. In London he met a friend born in Olomouc. Mr Smekal was a publican and Florian Jahoda always dropped into his hotel at Bloomsberry St. Letters were exchanged even after his death. The below mentioned snapshot was taken during WWII in this hotel.
Florian Jahoda wearing his uniform stands second from R. A waitress is next to him. A beer glass is over Sgt. Joseph Filler´s head. Mrs Roza Pankova – a cook in the Czech Club – stands between Sgt and a Polish officer.
On Sep 17, 1942 Florian´s wife Bohumila and his brother Alois had been arrested by the Gestapo Secret Police men in an Emigranten operation masterminded by K. H. Frank. Bohumila was brought to the Svatoborice internment camp on the same day, Alois was incarcerated in Olomouc, Brno and the above mentioned camp. All the members of Jahoda, Sehnal, Balek, Bartonik and Skopalik families were interrogated by the Gestapo.
On Aug 25, 1945 Florian still was in England. He served in the Cz Forces till the Christmass only. He left as a F/Sgt. He was in poor health. He had had malaria and suffered from stomach- and headaches. That reason for his finding a job was a problem. Finally he was given one of a regional supervisor of the restaurants run by Cz Railway Co. But having fallen sick in 1948 he was dismissed. He was not able to find a job in 50s. He did one of a cleaning lady at the Velky Tynec Cultural House. Then he was a publican at the village of Prestavlky. Having slated the Communist régime at pub he was denounced by someone to the police. Sent behind bars for a year he did a job of a cook in the labour camp at the Vitkov quarry. In 1960 Florian Jahoda was alotted a mere invalidity benefit of two hundred and fourty Czechoslovak crowns. He died at the Olomouc hospital on Nov 5, 1966 and was laid to rest at Velky Tynec.
In 1990 a picture from Jahoda´s belongings was seen in the Narodni osvobozeni ie ´National Liberation´paper. It was taken on a board of the Karanan vessel. Mr Emil Burian residing to a village of Babylon in West Bohemia reacted. He arrived at Velky Tynec and was put up by Mrs Jahodova several times. Mr Burian paid tribute to his comrade-in-arms by the text ´No 311 Sqn´s accordion player´. It was published on Oct 8, 1991.
Awards :
Cz Military Cross 1939
Cz Medal for Valour
Cz Merit Medal 2nd Classsl. Medaile
Cz Army Memory Medal with F GB Clasps
British Medal for Valour
Bibliography :
Českoslovenští letci v polské obranné válce 1939 - Josef Vana Jan Rail AVIS MNO 2003
Českoslovenští letci ve Francii 1939 – 1940 – Josef Vana, Jan Rail AVIS MNO 2005
Assistance of Mr Jaroslav Popelka is much appreciated