Prague after the war

An unique photograph of the Czechoslovak pilots taken on the 19th of April, 1941, in the garden of the Czechoslovak embassy in Cape Tow. Far right, the Ambassador, Mr. Linhart with his family, and the employees of the consulate. At his right, second from left, Jan Irving, far left, J. Němeček. Front row, kneeling, from the left: J. Grič, J. Zdráhal, O. Žanta, A. Sedláček a Al. Keda.

Photograph of the Czechoslovak pilots taken on the 19th April, 1941, in front of the consular villa "Praha: left, P. Hlinovský, employee o the consulate, J. Zdráhal, K. Zeman, O. Žanta, J. Grič, J. Irving, by the gate, the Ambasador's daughter, Stela Linhartová (maried Haisová), third from right, Al. Keda, J. Němeček and A. Sedláček

Olympic winner Olga Fikotová (right) - cousin of a witness who became a US citizen in 1960

Jan tried his best to spend his free time documenting his travels and in this case, he quite likely enjoyed the process

Together with students from the Stories of Our Neighbors project

Talking about photos from the witness's album

Jan tried his best to spend his free time documenting his travels

Jan tried his best to spend his free time documenting his travels

Finally, back in Britain! After more than two years of travelling around the world, the pilots enjoyed the view of the two-engine Wellington airplane even in rain

Cockpit of the Wellington airplane

Training of new crew members and especially pilots was the most demanding task. One had to manage many different skills and flying as such was, at least for the experienced ones, a cherry on the top of the cake

Practicing landing on water was the least popular part of the training. This exercise could save lives in case of emergency, even if it meant being captured if one found themselves in enemy waters, as general Alois Šiška could perfectly describe. He could "enjoy' a week on sea in a storm with his whole crew after being shot down. He described it in his book KX-B neodpovídá [KX-B does not answer]

Irving's crew in front of a Wellington at the East Wretham base shortly after their lucky return from the Grantham base where they had had an emergency landing on the 8th May of 1942. Their relief is apparent. From the left: Al. Novák, front gunner; Jiří Böhm, tail gunner; Jan Irving, captain [of the aircraft]; František Švejdar, wireless operator; Josef Stach, second pilot; Josef Němeček, navigator.

Closeup of a submarine

B-24 Liberator aircraft at the Beaulieu air base inm 1943

Cockpit of the B-24 Liberator aircraft

Jan Irving in cockpit of "his" Liberator during a guard

On leave. From the left, Arnošt Polák, wireless operator, with his girlfriend, Jan Irving and at far right, engineer G. Shaw, navigator, the only Englishman in Irving's crew, shown here with his future wife Patt

Jan Irving's crew at the Beaulieu base in 1943. From the left: G. Shaw, A. Polák, Václav Spitz, Jan Irving, Jaroslav Hájek and far right, laughing Zdeněk Sedlák who suffered a sad end - he took the flight from England on the 5th October of 1945, the plane crashed and all persons on board were killed, including Zdeněk Sedlák and his wife Edita (WAAF)

Memorial to those who perished in the 5th October of 1945 airplane crash during a flight from Britain, among them were Zdeněk and Edita Sedlák

President Edvard Beneš congratulates Jan Irving after he was, along with others, awarded the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939

The last studio photograph of Jan before he left Britain in 1944

Jan on board of the RMS Queen Elizabeth

Jan on board of the RMS Queen Elizabeth