The Czechoslovak Memorial Fountain in Jephson Gardens celebrated its 50-year anniversary with a special remembrance service on Saturday 27 October, attended by the Deputy Czech Ambassador Jan Brunner and the Head of the Consular section of the Slovak Embassy, Ivan Zachar. Together they laid red roses in remembrance of the Czechoslovak soldiers, airmen and patriots who lost their lives in World War II.

Originally erected in 1968 by Czechoslovak veterans, the fountain underwent restoration earlier this year thanks to funding from The Friends of the Czechoslovak Memorial Fountain, The Czech Ministry of Defence, Warwick District Council, Leamington Town Council, Czechoslovak House in London, Reading Help (a Czech Charity) as well as a substantial donation from one of the last living veterans in the Leamington area.

The fountain was also awarded Grade II listed status by English Heritage this year, recognising it as a monument of historic interest. The fountain was designed by John French and is sculpted in the shape of a parachute, honouring the brave soldiers who participated in Operation Anthropoid, as well as honouring all Czechoslovak soldiers that lost their lives in World War II.

The Free Czechoslovak Army made their home in Leamington during the Second World War following the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany.

The 50th anniversary of the fountain coincides with the 100th anniversary of the formation of Czechoslovakia as an independent state by Thomas Masaryk. Representatives from Leamington Town Council, Warwick District Council, The Friends of the Czechoslovak Fountain and MP Matt Western were also present to lay a rose. Children from the Czech and Slovak Club in Birmingham sang a traditional Czechoslovakian song.

Red roses from Lidice, one of the Czechoslovak villages raised to the ground as a reprisal by Nazi Germany, have been planted adjacent to the fountain by Warwick District Council’s Green Spaces team.

The Friends of the Czechoslovak Memorial Fountain commented: “The ‘Friends Of’ group was formed to protect and restore this important monument. The unique history of the Czechoslovak soldiers and civilians that it honours has now been preserved for future generations.”

Councillor Moira-Ann Grainger, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, added: “The Czechoslovak Memorial Fountain has been a presence in Jephson Gardens for 50 years, and I am pleased that the recent restoration work means that it will continue to stand as a fitting memorial of the bravery and courage of the Czechoslovak soldiers that lost their lives during World War II.”

Of the seven names engraved on the fountain, two of them - Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš - participated in Operation Anthropoid, a daring mission to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich, a German Nazi official who after the was discovered to be one of the main architects of the Final Solution.

The remaining five - Adolf Opálka, Josef Bublík, Josef Valčík, Jaroslav Švarc and Jan Hrubý - were Special Operations Agents caught up in the aftermath of Heydrich’s assassination; all seven died following a firefight with the SS in a church in Prague on 18 June 1942.