Memorial to the fallen in WWI, Pouchov

With the end of WWI, the municipal council in Pouchov began to consider the construction and installation of a monument to the fallen soldiers, which was interrupted by the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the independent Czechoslovak Republic. 

 

The municipal council, headed by Mayor Václav Hroneš and councilors František Pická, Adolf Čepek and Karel Hils, met on 11 September 1921 and elected a committee to deal with the establishment of the monument. The committee members included former legionnaires František Jaroš, Antonín Holub, Josef Matějka and Václav Hodek and their main task was to raise funds for the monument.

 

When a collection was announced in the village, inhabitants of Pouchov contributed a total of CZK 1,837. To this amount, CZK 99.32 were added from the fund for the benefit of the families of the mobilized soldiers, and CZK 150, which were originally intended for the establishment of a children’s nursery. The municipal council donated 40% of the funds originally intended for entertainment.

 

On 5 March 1922, the committee decided to negotiate with Antonín Müller, who became the new owner of Karel Hilský’s sculpture factory. The factory was to produce a monument to the fallen soldiers in WWI for CZK 9,000. The members of the Pouchov Sokol organization objected to this, demanding that more sculptors be approached, whose designs for the memorial would then be displayed in a competition. The village council and the committee agreed. 

In total, three designs were submitted by Josef Václav Škoda, Karel Hils and Antonín Müller. The architect Oldřich Liska and the teacher Hugo Pávek, who worked at the Hradec Králové locksmith school, were invited to assess them. Both agreed on the design by the academic sculptor Josef Václav Škoda. A previously concluded contract between the municipality of Pouchov and the owner of the sculpture factory, Antonín Müller, became a bone of contention. No agreement was reached and Antonín Müller withdrew from the contract.

 

The committee subsequently decided that the monument would be erected the following year. Following an invitation to tender, the monument was awarded to Josef Václav Škoda, a native of Česká Skalice, for CZK 10 000. He designed a statue of a young girl dressed in a flowing dress with short sleeves. The girl sits on a pedestal made by the building official Václav Bouček. The inscription on the pedestal reads: “They did not return, they are dead; 1914–1918“. The names of the fallen soldiers were carved on the back of the monument: “Antoš Jos., Brož Jos., Doležal Ant., Doležal Al., Demczuk J., Ešner V., Fejtek Jos., Hajna Lud., Havránek J., Hacker Rud., Havelka J., Hebelka V., Hloušek Jos., Jaroš Jan, Kareš Jos, Klamt Jos., Kotland Jan, Králík Jos., Neuman Jos., Novák Jar., Pultar Ant., Pavel Jos., Šidlichovský Kar., Tylš Vil., Šklubal Fr., Tomeš Jos., Veith Jos., Vognar Jarosl., Vognar Svatopl., Volák Jos., Vintera Jos., Vosmík K., Kubec Jos., Vojtěc Fr Legionář.” The area around the monument was planted with flowers by local gardener Jan Vognar.

 

The monument was put in place on 15 June 1923 and the unveiling ceremony took place two days later, on 17 June 1923. The ceremony was opened by the then mayor of Pouchov, Václav Hroneš, followed by a speech by Josef Jahoda, the education officer of Infantry Division 4 from Hradec Králové. After the end of WWII, more names were added on the rear part of the monument: “1938–1945; Janeba Jos., Vokál Ad., Satranský Jos., Kopič Václav, Kopič Jan, Uhlíř Jarosl., Němec Mir. Čejková Květa, Bareš Vlast., Vokolek Zd.”

 

The monument was completely restored at the expense of the municipality in 2004.

JFB