A delegation from the Slovak Ministry of Defence visited Brookwood on 22 May 2025 to commemorate the fallen Czechoslovak airmen of WW2.
The delegation was led by by Martin Vojtašovič, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic.
The members of the delegation laid a red carnation and Slovak and Czech flags by each of the 50 Czechoslovak graves in the CWGC Military Section at Brookwood. By the Czechoslovak Memorial, Martin Vojtašovič laid a flower bouquet and gave a short speech.
In his speech he said: “The stories of our heroes such as Ján Ambruš, Jozef Kaňa, Otto Smik and Karol Valach remind us that the very freedom that we take for granted today was bought with blood and suffering. Our duty is not only to remember, but to act and protect the values for which our people died – freedom, peace and democracy – at a time when these values are once again being challenged.”
The Slovak national anthem was then sung and a memorial service was given by the Slovak Military Chaplain with the Delegation.
The Delegation then visited the post WW2 Czechoslovak section where afain a red carnation, along with a Slovak and Czech flag were placed by the grave of Gen. Ivan Schwarz.
Earlier that morning the Delegation had visited the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede and laid wreaths to commemorate the 150 Czechoslovak airmen, 15 of whom were Slovaks, who are named on the memorial walls there.
After being guided to the 15 Slovak airmen’s names on the Memorial Walls, Martin Vojtašovič, then signed the visitors book on behalf of the Delegation.
A report of this visit by the Slovak Ministry of Defence here.
