Edita Sedlakova, WAAF

Discussion in 'The Women of WW2' started by Tonym, Jan 7, 2010.

  1. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Would anybody have any information on the above lady who died in 1945? The only details that I have discovered are:-

    "On the 5th of October 1945 a plane was returning from England to Czechoslovakia carrying Czech pilots, mechanics and one WAAF. This was Edita Sedláková, who had served during the war with the 311th Czechoslovak Bomber Squadron. Edita had not been immediately discharged from the WAAF when the war ended, and so was flying to Czechoslovakia secretly. Alas, the plane crashed near Plzeň and none of the passengers or crew survived."

    Any information gratefully received.

    Tony
     
  2. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Sorry no info but intriguing.
     
  3. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

  4. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Cheers Phil

    Will do that right away

    Tony
     
  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Hi Tony,

    Bit of a coincidence but I have a Liberator loss for 5 October 1945 of 311 Squadron, and on the casualty list is an Editha Sedlack aged 19 she was the wife of the Flight Engineer and is recorded as an LACW in the WAAF. Seems Mrs Sedlack was not on the passenger manifest and had been smuggled on board the aircraft by the crew.

    Could this be the same person?

    Regards
    Peter
     
  6. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Peter

    Interesting: I particularly noticed the fact that she had not been discharged from the WAAF and was secretly on board the flight. The date, name and circumstances in what you say are, I would say, a bit more than a coincidence.

    Will keep a note of it and will come back if and when I get a reply from Pavel Vanceta, I say 'if' because when I put a message in the relevant place on his web page is was rejected as site unavailable so we wait and see.

    Cheers

    Tony
     
  7. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

  8. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

  9. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Hi Tony,


    I see that you have posted this request on another site, a site that is not allowed to give you the facts for which you ask. I for one would not expect a researcher to have to purchase a book (in this case £22) for just one piece of info. So I post this from 'The Price of Peace' - Cummings. A book which I highly recommend for immediate post war RAF losses.


    Probably get another bollocking from the dictatorial administrator of the other site.





    05 Oct 1945

    Liberator VI KG867
    311 Sqn
    2 miles south-west of Blackbushe

    During take-off, a petrol pipe feeding the port inner engine ruptured and fuel ignited in the engine nacelle. It seems probable that the pilot operated the wrong fire extinguisher but at this critical stage of flight, he as unable to control the aircraft and, although it became airborne, it crashed out of control and was gutted by fire. With one exception, the passengers were all Czech civilians being flown home to Prague, having agreed to repatriation at the war's end. The exception was the wife of the flight engineer; a 19 year old English woman, who is recorded in some records as an LACW in the WAAF. It is probable that Mrs Sedlack's given name was Edith but that the Czechs referred to her as Editha. She was not included in the aircraft's passenger manifest and had been 'smuggled' aboard by the crew. Checks after the accident revealed that the aircraft had been very poorly maintained with little attention to the daily maintenance and servicing requirements.

    Pilot Officer Jaroslav KUDLACEK 25 Pilot
    Warrant Officer Antonin BROZ 31 Co-Pilot
    Pilot Officer Kavel RYBNICEK 26 Navigator
    Flight Sergeant Zdenak SEDLACK 33 Flight Engineer
    Flying Officer Bohumil VAVERKA 30 Wireless Operator

    Eva Jiri
    Marene SOBESLAVSKA 1
    Margite SOBESLAVSKY 30Marta OBRAZOVA 37
    Otto TRINKS 37
    Marina PAULING 46
    MichalRICHTER40
    Ruzena LICHTENSTEINOVA 25
    Antonie SAFRONKOVA 33
    Otto SCHWARZ 45
    Editha SEDLACK 19
    Irma TRINKSOVA 28
    Vladislav SOBESLAVSKY 1
    Helena WODAKOVA 24
    Helena ZALUD 2
    Margaret SOBESLAVSKY ZAULD 27

    .................................

    This Liberator was one of three positioned at Blackbushe on 29 September 1945 to carry repatriated Czech civilians to Prague.
     
  10. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Peter

    Thanks for that, I was proposing to see if my library could obtain a copy of the book as my interest is not primarily RAF but all female casualties.

    In this particular case my interest was specifically in the WAAF casualty and jumping between WW2Talk & RAF Commands I appear to have all I now want for her profile.

    I have also just received an email from Pavel Vanceta confirming the crash location.

    The only unanswered question, that will probably remain unaswered, is whether she intended to return but I will be generous and say she would.

    Thanks again for your help.

    Tony
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Had this email sent to the admin email account.
    I don't really want to join your forum site but just wanted to reply to TonyM with regard to his query about Edita Sedlacova. I have no clue how to use the site as I am a new computer user. So would you be kind enough to pass on this info for me? Edita Sedlacova is burried at Brookwood Military Cemetary, quite near to the Czech air crew of the Liberator in which she crashed (along with all the passengers on board) at Blackbushe aerodrome. Thanks - Rosel
     
  12. Oggie2620

    Oggie2620 Senior Member

    Cant find her on the CWGC list at Brookwood but then she is listed as Sedlak on the rafcommands forum... Cant find her only her husband under that. Might be worth looking at their thread as its got quite a lot of info on it.
     
  13. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Had this email sent to the admin email account.

    Thanks Owen.

    I was aware that she is buried in Brookwood Cemetery and I understand in a communal grave with the other civilian casualties. Haven't managed to get a photo of the grave yet.

    I am still unsure whether she was actually 'deserting' or was only on a 'jolly' and intending to return. If she was intending to return then technically she died in service but is certainly not commemorated by CWGC. An unusual case and one that we will probably never know the answer.

    Her profile is still in my pending file.

    If you are in contact with Rosel thank her, from me, for her interest.

    Tony
     
  14. lisadh73

    lisadh73 Junior Member

    Any additional information about this flight would be much appreciated. My great aunt was Helena Wodakova and on this flight you are discussing. She was heading back to Czechoslovakia to be with her only surviving sibling, my Grandmother. After this flight went down, my Grandmother had officially lost all of her immediate family. It was all so tragic.
     
  15. martin14

    martin14 Senior Member

    Cant find her on the CWGC list at Brookwood but then she is listed as Sedlak on the rafcommands forum... Cant find her only her husband under that. Might be worth looking at their thread as its got quite a lot of info on it.


    Can you try Sedlakova ?

    All females in Slav countries have 'ova' at the end of their family name.

    So a married couple would be i.e.

    not Jan and Edith Sedlak, but

    Jan Sedlak
    Edith Sedlakova
     
  16. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Any additional information about this flight would be much appreciated. My great aunt was Helena Wodakova and on this flight you are discussing. She was heading back to Czechoslovakia to be with her only surviving sibling, my Grandmother. After this flight went down, my Grandmother had officially lost all of her immediate family. It was all so tragic.

    Hello Lisa (If you are watching)

    This situation is slightly confusing. Yesterday I received, in the form of a Private Message, an email from you with basically the same details as above. I responded last night with an email (The add included in that email) with all the details that I have, did it arrive?

    I have to assume that Edith (Edita - Editha, whatever) is rocking the boat because her details were still in my pending file; so it appears that I will have to attempt to solve the problem.

    She is not commemorated by CWGC so I assume she is buried in the communal grave that would be in the public sector of Brookwood Cemetery where, I understand, there is a problem with photography.

    Will be back later.

    Tony
     
  17. chrisharley9

    chrisharley9 Senior Member

    Tony

    Im quite happy to take her case forward via IFCP - have found the DC ref. The DC should answer if she was in service or not

    Chris
     
  18. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Chris

    If you give me the DC details I will speculate on a certificate.

    Tony
     
  19. chrisharley9

    chrisharley9 Senior Member

    Tony

    It is Editha Sedlak aged 19 Q4 1945 Aldershot 2c 257

    Chris
     
  20. Tonym

    Tonym WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Thanks Chris

    Will hold on to it for awhile preparing an email for you to explain why. Be with you a little later.

    Tony
     

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