The story behind Jaroslav Janda´s

war diary and an overview of other Czech diaries reflecting WWI

PhDr. Anna Sálová

Who was Jaroslav Janda?

• *1.1.1884 Vysoký Újezd

• He could speak Serb language, in 1905-1908 he had spent 3 years and 7 months in active military service in Dalmatian Dubrovnik, Mostar and others.

• Then nearly 5 years in WWI, 1914-1915 in Valjevo.

• In the legionary database of the Military History Institute as sergeant of the 11th paramedic unit.

• He held natural sympathies for Serbian people and was strongly unwilling to fight the Serbs and other Slavs.

• † 24.9.1969 Prague

His WWI anabasis

In Valjevo

• First visited Valjevo in late November 1914 and left it for good on 19 October 1915 during the general evacuation of Serbian troops and prisoners of war to the Adriatic coast.

• He commuted to Valjevo and back several times between 20 November and 6 December 1914. He was commanded to collect mail and military orders and do some shopping. The 15th “Korpskomando” was stationed in Valjevo in a law court building on the main Karadjordjevic street. On 6 December, at the time he was bringing orders that the field hospital was to be moved to Valjevo and he and his fellows went ahead to fulfil the orders, the Korpskomando staffers were already leaving Valjevo in a rush and the Austrian army was retreating.

• They were moving the field hospital from Kamenice to Valjevo part by part during 6 – 9 December 1914. At the train station in Valjevo he could see hundreds of wounded soldiers of all nationalities. A military hospital was situated in a gymnasium buiding in Valjevo.

• While taking care of the wounded and sick as POW, he too suffered febris recurrens in January 2015.

His diary

• Granddaughter Jaroslava Hlaváčková found it in her grandparents cupboard.

• She transcribed the diary prose and edited it to be presented on the centenary of WWI.

• The diary won the prize of the Czech National Archive, was read in the Czech radio in the „Polní pošta“ program and presented by Anna Sálová in the radio program and book „100 statečných“.

• To be published next year by the Czech radio and the Czech National Archive.

• Passages, photos and postcards now on display on the permanent exhibition in the Vajlevo Muzeum.

His contemporaries in the Vajlevo area

• Only 2 other Czech diaries reflect a similar war experience including the Serbian front, evacuation through Albania, POW camp in Asinara and a journey to join the Czechoslovak legions in France.

• 2 diaries speak of a brief stay in Vajlevo, but the soldiers retreated with the Austrian army.

• 1 other diary took the same route as Jaroslav Janda to Serbia and speaks about the area, but the soldier than continued with the Austrian army to Galicia and Italy, where he joined the legions. At the end of the war, he fought the Hungarians in Slovakia.

Contemporary 1

• War notes of Josef Mařík, native of the Central-bohemian town of Křečovice, that have been published since 2003 in the e-magazine of the municipality called „Křečovické listy“.

„Za městem na kopci jsme se usadili v srbských dekunkách, kavalerie se rozjela dopředu a

pochytala hodně vojáků a vystěhovalců, kteří jeli do Valjeva. Pak jsme šli zas dál docela bezpečně,

jako by se nám nemohlo ani nic stát.“

Contemporary 2

• The second material are the memoires of Josef Šrámek from Ústí nad Labem, where he describes the stay at the Stretti POW camp on the Asinara island and other POW camps in France, e.g. La Sable Vendee.

• It has been translated to English and is available at http://www.svobodat.com/sramek

„Po 3 dnech jsem konečně dohonil

batalion ve Valjevu. Neměl

jsem se cestou zle. Když se blížila noc,

našli jsme kůču, zabili ovci a pekli.

Odcházíme z Valjeva.“

Contemporary 3 • František Vančura served in the telegraph

unit of the VIII. army corps on the Serbian front.

• He wrote his diary from the start of the war till the end of 1914, then there are only few notes.

• He was just passing through Valjevo but retreated with the Austrian army. His diary ends 5.3.1917 in St. Pölten.

„Jakmile den nastává, po silnici, která se vine

od Valjeva, srbské to pevnosti, kolem našeho nynějšího obydlí, ubírá se nepřetržitá řada povozů, voly tažených…V městě jen samí nemocní, právě naproti nám jest velká nemocnice. „

Contemporary 4

• Josef Kozák also served in the paramedic unit and stayed in a sickroom in Valjevo (23.10.2014). Mentions the stay once, doesn´t write about his wereabouts in Serbia in more detail.

• Stayed in Serbia for a month, retreated with the Austrian army and fought on the Russian and Italian front.

„Šel jsem na marodku do Valijeva, odtamtud nás odvezli do Ubu , tam jsem byl 14 dní, pak jsme jeli do Šabace, zde jsem byl 14 dní, pak jsme šli pěšky přes Drinu do Slavonil na dráhu, pak jsme jeli přes Chorvatsko do Maďarska…“

Contemporary 5

• Some material was also obtained from the blog of the descendants of Alois Holeček from Praha-Vinoř.

• He was taken to the Serbian front in August 1914, also in the paramedic unit and took the same route as Jaroslav Janda through Brčka a Vinkovci.

• December 1914 in the area of Karlovac and after the Austrian defeat he was moved (January 10th 1915) to the Eastern front to Galicia.

• Autumn 1917 through Bohemia to Italy. • 1918 becomes Italian legionary. • He writes very briefly about his stay in Serbia – mainly

about his transfers and very little about the local people or Serbian soldiers.

3. prosince 1914 odpol. jsme odjeli z Lazarevace:

„"Děkujeme vám za nocleh, nic jsme vám neukradli ani nezničili. Přejeme vám šťastné navrácení.

Čeští vojíni 8. zeměbr. pluku – Praha“

Different legionary experiences

→ The more legionaries, the more diaries

„Russian diaries“

• Tens of diaries on 60 000 legionaries

• Some went throught Serbia

Example:

Povinnost nade vše - Legionářský deník plukovníka Zdeňka Stava (publ. by Albatros)

• Ilustrovaná kronika z války Františka Krejčího

• Deník legionáře Adama Kříže

• Deník legionáře Jaroslava Preiningera

• Arnošt Vatras: Vzpomínky z vojenského života

• Legionářská odyssea - Deník Františka Prudila

• Karel Stuchl: Z Hradešic do Vladivostoku a zpět

• Vzpomínky Františka Novotného

• Vzpomínky Františka Jemelky

• Deník Josefa Holuba

• Deník legionáře: Jindřich Bejl

• …and many many more

„Italian diaries“

• Just a few diaries

• Some went through Serbia or other Balkan states (Slovinia)

Example:

Svatopluk Valníček: Vzpomínky na Velkou válku

„French diaries“

• Even fewer diaries

• Nearly all of them crossed the Balkans

Example:

Voják-zajatec-legionář. Mým drahým dítkám věnuje otec Josef Klejna

Conclusions

• Czech war diaries are significant for the understanding of the Serbian campaign of World War I, sentiments of the Czech soldiers towards the declining Austo-Hungarian Empire and the reasons of their subsequent entry into the Czechoslovak legions.

• They didn´t want to fight the Serbs, other Slavs or fight for the A-H Empire at all (remember the uprising of Slovak soldiers in Kragujevac 21.6.1918).

• We can relive their war experience and daily feelings through their diaries and thanks to the detailed diary prose of Jaroslav Janda get to know the story of the Vajlevo hospital 1914-1915.

• Other French legionary diaries are the right place where to seek more insight on the Vajlevo hospital events. E.g. Lauschmann, František: Ze Srbska – Albánií – na Asinaru

Thank you for your attention

www.legionarjaroslavjanda.cz

info@legionarjaroslavjanda.cz