Museum curator in Tain invited to Czech Republic to share stories of fallen airmen
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An Easter Ross museum curator is preparing to embark on a "unique opportunity" to exchange research on war service personnel with his counterparts abroad.
Jason Ubych of Tain & District Museum will fly to the Czech Republic at the end of this month to attend an exhibition held by the RAF Museum in Brno.
The prestigious 'Knights of the Sky' exhibition, which will be held on Sunday October 1, is set to be opened by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pawel and is being held in celebration of the many Czech airmen who served in the RAF during the war.
The visit will also serve as a chance for Mr Ubych and the museum to exchange research on the 311 Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron, which was stationed at Tain during the Second World War.
The 311 squadron, the RAF's only Czechoslovak-manned medium and heavy bomber unit, suffered the heaviest losses of any Czechoslovak formation in the force.
St Duthus burial ground in Tain is home to the graves of eighteen members of the squadron, who died in carrying out the tasks of the coastal command.
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Mr Ubych said: "The invitation to visit came via the son of a Czech pilot who had been stationed in Tain during the war. He called me on the phone after speaking with the curator of the museum over there to extend an invitation to share our research with them.
"They said they would like to meet me and they'd like me to come out to attend this fantastic exhibition and book launch, which the President of the Czech Republic shall also be attending. We had to do a bit of fundraising to make it possible, but thanks to everyone's generosity, I was delighted to accept."
The opportunity was made possible, Mr Ubych says, thanks to the research efforts of his late uncle, John Fleming. For many years, Mr Fleming watched over the graves, researching the lives of those who had passed and acting as a guide to those visiting.
Such was his dedication to preserving the history of the squadron, in 2009, Mr Fleming was nominated as a honorary member of the Free Czechoslovak Air Force Association in recognition of his "outstanding friendship and service".
After his passing, Mr Fleming's wife, Marion, provided Tain Museum with the records of his extensive research.
Mr Ubych added: "Over the years, John attempted to research just about every air incident in the Highland region, from Dalcross up to Wick and maybe Orkney as well. He had accumulated poems, stories, photographs and even some video from their time here. Having this research at our disposal has allowed us to add extensively to our memorials for the airmen who died here.
"When I go over to Burno, I plan to bring with me as much of his research as I can to help them build their records."
Mr Ubych also extended his thanks to Billy and Mary Grant, for their long serving efforts in looking after the graves in Tain.
He said: "As a young man, Billy witnessed one of the planes crashing in Tain and it has remained quite personal to him. He and his wife Mary for around forty years have been cleaning and maintaining the graves in Tain.
"I visited them to say thank you for what they have done as I wouldn't have this opportunity were it not for their dedication in looking after the graves."
