Dalibor Brochard – Trinity School War Memorial

Key Information

Name: Dalibor Brochard

DoB: 11 May 1924

Regt:

Warrant Officer

787809

War Service: RAF Volunteer Reserve

Transport Operational Training Unit

246 Squadron

DoD: 14 March 1945

14 March 1945

Place: Lajes War Cemetery, Terceira, Azores

Academic Career: CGS 1939-41

Other:

Biographical Information

Family Background

Family Background:

Dalibor Brochard was born in Nitra, in modern day Slovakia, on 11th May 1924 in 6 Fabricka street. His parents were Otakar Brochard (1898) and Mária born Šmidková (1904). He had an older brother. His father had served in the Czechoslovak Army, between 1924 and 1930. Otakar died in 1934. Later Maria moved to Dobřívi with her new partner.
Academic Record

Academic Record

Dalibor first attended school in Bohemia, and then joined the military secondary school in Hranice na Moravě and Moravska Třebova. Due to the political situation in Europe, Dalibor was unable to complete his studies in his homeland. In 1939 he left Czechoslovakia on one of the trains organised by Nicholas Winton (Dalibor was one of the few non-Jewish children to be carried by these transports) and came to England, where he had been sponsored by V J Dunston, the Head teacher of Carlisle Grammar School.

When he arrived Dalibor could not speak English and was seen as being quite exotic by the other boys. In M Scott Parker’s book, another student recalled that Dalibor was quite athletic, played rugby, and went to Scout camp. He lived at Railway Cottages at Southwaite with Mrs Nicholson, who had a son of the same age at the Grammar School.

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War Record

War Service:

Dalibor enlisted as volunteer with the Czechoslovak Auxiliary Corps in 1941 from where he was reassigned to the air force group and thus to the RAF. He was promoted the same year and posted to 311 Sqn as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. In 1943 and 1944 he took part in operational activities mainly in the Battle of the Atlantic. He was promoted several times and on the 1st September 1944 he received the Czech Military Cross. After completing his operation tour, he was sent to further training at 105 OTU and then was posted to 246 Sqn RAF, in Transport Command.

On 14 March 1945, Dalibor took off in a Liberator C-Mk VII EW626 in the crew of Václav Jílek together with Alois Volek and Ludvík Kondziolka, two English airmen and 13 other passengers. The aircraft gained height, but suddenly it turned on its right side and plummeted to the ground. All the passengers and the crew were killed in the crash.

Awarded the Czech medal for conspicuous gallantry
Other
Sources
Sources:

Carlisle Grammar School by Mary Scott Parker

Commonwealth War Graves website

Free Czechoslovak Air Force website

*CGS Record of Service in HM Forces (Archives Carlisle)