Jaroslav Pleva

* 1939

Ukrývané osoby, Oběť nuceného přesídlení, Svědci lokálních událostí z éry komunismu
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    Hiding his father

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    “Either we wouldn’t let the person in and we’d deal with the matter in the corridor outside, or if he had to go into the room or the kitchen, we tried to keep him inside the room. We had a big cupboard in the kitchen. There was some space behind it, where Dad stood and hid. It always worked out. Grandma had a bed in the kitchen - we lived there with our grandma. One time, that was that time when Kolařík was there, just imagine, when Kolařík stormed in and we couldn’t get Dad out, Grandma - his mother-in-law - tucked him into the bed. The whole time that bastard ripped through our clothes and so on, that whole time, Dad was tucked into the bed.”

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    The cadre committee

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    “One member of the committee, comrade headmaster Šváb told me that they’d let me study the school if I renounce my dad. If I renounce my dad! Imagine that, it was terrible. I remember sitting there, sweat pouring down, I could feel the sweat trickling. A lot was at stake, my whole future life was at stake. When I heard that, I refused without a doubt, I said that Dad had taken exemplary care of his family his whole life, that I loved him, and that I could never renounce such a person! And I left.”

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    Dad’s arrest

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    “Someone rang. Because the flat was always locked, so we wouldn’t be taken by surprise. I went to open the door. It burst open. There were two stetsecs [State Security officers - trans.] with pistols in hand. They charged into the room, where they only saw Mum and me, so they charged into the kitchen - because they were no doubt familiar with the plan of the flat. Dad was standing by the stove. I rushed in behind the two stetsecs. I can see it as if it was today. They were aiming their pistols at Dad. ‘Hands up! Hands up!’ they yelled. Dad said: ‘Is this necessary?’ Well, it was. They handcuffed him, of course, and took him away.”

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    Vrchlabí, 21.02.2017

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Never join the Communists and never greet others with ‘praise work’

youth
youth
photo: pamětník
photo: pamětník
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Jaroslav Pleva was born on 6 November 1939. His parents owned a scrapyard in Hradec Králové. The family lived in a small house on the firm’s premises. The scrapyard remained profitable until 1948, when it was nationalised. The witness’s father was then accused of stealing his own property and repeatedly taken into custody. What was to be a small punishment turned into two years of prison and a hefty fine. His father did not commence his sentence but instead hid himself at home from 1951 to 1956. This influenced the life of the whole family, including Jaroslav Pleva, both at the time and throughout the whole Communist period. The witness wanted to study construction, but he was not accepted because the regime did not like his father. After doing mandatory military service he successfully graduated from an evening course at a secondary technical school while working. After his graduation he was promoted and placed in charge of the construction department at Texlen Trutnov. After changing jobs several times he worked as head of the investment department at KRNAP (Krkonoše Mountains National Park) for twenty-four years. He was active in the technology enthusiast group Svazarm and the local Association of Parents and Friends of the School. He refused offers to join the Communist Party. He married in 1966 and has two children. He lives in Vrchlabí.

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