“Those were real prison warders there, which is a completely different category of people than those with basic education. The regulations required they had to have at least upper primary education, some of them didn’t. They had some kind of catch-up classes there, and they were preparing to complete their education, so when they found out I was a student, and that I was to take my graduation exam - my cell turned into a classroom. They took turns there days on end, at least I had something to do, so I didn’t just stare at bars in the window.”
“The bell rang at the door, Mum went open it, there was a town cop standing there: ‘We need Vláďa to come with us. We’re going to sort out some Germans in one cellar!’ I had the keys to that cellar, we had our own cellar with coal next to theirs. So I unlocked the cellar, we climbed inside. Vojtěchovský was armed with one petty 6.35mm pistol. So we jumped them with this peashooter, stood them up to the wall, destroyed the communications equipment, that was the main thing, and then we held them captive.”
“When I was in custody, in the regional court prison, it was just at the time when I was supposed to take my graduation exam. I had already successfully passed the written exams, which had been two months earlier, but I went to my graduation exam in handcuffs with warders from the regional prison, just imagine that, and on foot. During the exam I was able to respond to all the questions about my case in English because the warders didn’t understand that. I didn’t receive any favours, nor did I need them, and all the same I graduated with honours.”
“The investigation was led by inspector Vladimír Kohoutek. He was reassigned to State Security and transferred to Prague, and I was studying in Prague, and one time, right on Wenceslas Square, I met Kohoutek. The interesting thing is that Kohoutek immediately recognised me, even after several years, and he owned up to me - simply said, we talked together, chatted for a while there on Wenceslas Square. He asked me, for example: ‘How’s the illegal scene in Prague, what’s it like here?’ But that wasn’t an interrogational question, it was a conversational one. I said: ‘Inspector, I’m afraid that what with my studies I don’t have time to bother with things like that.”
Vladimír Konečný (Scout name Hakim) was born on 26 November 1929 in Místek. His father worked as a bank clerk. During the war he was a member of the Young Announcer book club. At the end of the war he participated in the capture of three German soldiers. After the war he joined the 3rd Místek Scout troop. He attended the 6th World Jamboree (the “Peace Jamboree”) in France in 1947, and he completed the Central Forest School under Brother Plajner. After the Communist coup in February 1948, he and his friends from the troop distributed amateur leaflets, in which they expressed their views on the new regime. They were arrested but luckily escaped with just mild punishment. While in custody, Vladimír Konečný was taken to his graduation exam at the business academy in handcuffs. He later studied at the Business University, but was not allowed to take his state exams; he was not awarded the degree of Engineer until later. He was drafted into military service in 1951. He had difficulties building a career because the regime did not consider him trustworthy. He worked at Ostrava-Karviná Mine Constructions, where he organised summer camps together with other former Scouts under the heading of Tály Recreational Committee. Vladimír Konečný took part in the second renewal of Scouting; he was in the audit committee of the Scout District Council in Ostrava. Both his daughters joined a Scout troop. His efforts were acknowledged by the award of the Scout Medal of Thanks.
