Josef Veltruský

“And we were told that back in a barn the people went there to arm themselves and that they helped the partisans in Řepín. So we, there was three of us, and we went there. They told us they didn’t have guns anymore and that they can’t give us anything anymore. And we, with our young people’s reckless attitude, we said that we would walk along the road to Řepín, unarmed, with nothing. Luckily we met some good people who went in the opposite direction. “Where are you going, lads?” Well, lads, we were boys. And so we told them and they said: “Then just turn around and walk back. They are now walking towards us, behind us there are some Germans. They just guard it around here, on this road.” So at first we played it tough and all, but then we started hesitating, we started thinking about what we could possibly do with nothing in our hands. And so we went back with them.”

“It was here too, they threw these bombs at us. And I was somewhere outside and didn’t make it home so I hid by this gate and the bombs were falling all over Mělník. And when it was over I ran home and started looking for Mum and she was nowhere to be found. And then I found her in the yard and I hear her crying. And I go back to the goat and she was there with the goat, she spent the bombing with the goat, waiting for it to pass. And I told her: “Come outside, it’s over!” And so she was crying there.”