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

Jan on board of the RMS Queen Elizabeth

Evening at the Windsor Field base in Nassau. Standing, from the left: Karel Truxa, Ladislav Snídal, Josef Klesnil, Jan Irving (wearing a white tank top), Ilja Hrušák, an unknown man, probably British. Sitting, from the left: Karel Spitzkopf, Oskar Krebs, unknown Englishman

Very rare photograph showing the unadorned reality of lodging in the pilots' barracks

Aerial photography was Jan's lifetime passion. This photograph shows a stunning view of the right side of the B-24 flying low over Nassau.

Jan with the embassy Pontiac in front of the Czechoslovak embassy in Nassau

A "treasure island" adjacent to Nassau as seen from the pilot's cabin

The one and only preserved photograph that depicts Jan Irving's return to his homeland: the Nýřany railway station in September 1945. Only one of the little girls in folk costumes is still alive (in 2019). A few from the bigger ones are those orphans who were later raised by Jan's children

The grandest of military parades was overseen by President Beneš and Mrs. Beneš, state and army dignitaries and thousands of cheering people standing at the sides of Old Town Square. Later, some of the parades took place at Wenceslas' Square

The grandest of military parades was overseen by President Beneš and Mrs. Beneš (in the first row), state and army dignitaries and thousands of cheering people standing at the sides of Old Town Square. Later, some of the parades took place at Wenceslas' Square