Alois Vocásek

Alois Vocásek came from Pečky in central Bohemia and later grew up in Chrást nearby Pilsen, where the family moved for work. He was born on April 13, 1896. His father worked in a foundry and Alois was trained as a foundry worker as well. Later on, he studied at an industrial school run by the state. However, he was not allowed to complete his studies as he was enlisted in the Austro-Hungarian army in the 7th Infantry Regiment in 1915. He was trained in Rumburk and then left with his unit to Carpathian Ruthenia. After the launch of the Brusilov offensive in the Ukraine, he deserted the Russians. From a prison camp in Dárnice, he enrolled for the Czechoslovak Legions that were being created from Czechoslovak prisoners of war. As a scout, he saw action for the first time nearby the Stochod River, later he fought at Zborov and Ternopil, where he was seriously wounded. Although he hadn't quite recovered from his injury, yet, he returned to the front and continued with the legions to Chelyabinsk and from there farther to Siberia. He returned home in 1920. He married, lived in Chrást and worked for the state-run railways until the outbreak of the Second World War. At that time, he sympathized with Nazi organizations and joined the nationalist organization "The Flag," (Vlajka), which later collaborated with the Nazis. During the war, he continued to work for the railways. After the war, he was accused of collaboration with the Nazis and of being a snitch and was sentenced by an extraordinary people's court to life imprisonment. However, in 1954, he was released from prison in the wake of an amnesty. After the fall of communism in 1989, he tried to clear his name and asked the courts at all levels to reopen his case. He claimed that he was convicted wrongfully. The courts nevertheless rejected his request. He died in 2003 at the age of 107 years.

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