| Admitted to: Sheppey County Hospital. |
Date of Injury: 07/09/1940 |
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| D.O.B/Age when admitted: 28 |
Cause of Incident: Friendly Fire. Shot down by British anti-aircraft fire. Landed using his parachute. |
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| Transferred to QVH: 31/10/1940 |
Injuries: Burns to face, hands and legs. |
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| No. of Operations at East Grinstead: 28 |
IDENTITY CARD
This is to certify that the patient mentioned below and whose description is stated hereon is the authorised holder of this Identity card.
| Forename: Josef |
Surname: Koukal |
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| Service No: 120764 |
Nationality: Czech |
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| Awards/Honours: --- |
Patient Unit: 310 Sqn |
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| Profession: Pilot |
Patient Rank: Flt Lt |
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| Death: 23/02/1980 |
Age at Death: |
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| Dr Rank: |
Dr Unit: |
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Koukal was a peacetime pilot, and, when the Germans invaded Czechoslovakia, made the decision to leave and continue the fight. He left in August 1939 and made his way to England via Romania and France, where he was accepted into the RAF.
During a dog fight, his plane was hit, catching fire and plunging into a dive. The owners of the farm where he crashed went for help, and Koukal was taken to QVH. He returned to flying after 2 years of treatment.
Following the war, he returned to Czechoslovakia, meeting his 5 1/2 year old son for the first time. He was treated with suspicion, as were all ex-RAF Czech pilots.
Founder member of the Guinea Pig Club.
The wreckage of his hurricane was found on the Isle of Sheppey in summer of 1972. The following year, Koukal was given a piece of the engine as a souvenir and met Mrs Wright, who had provided him with first aid.
We've been looking through our collections, and discovered this 1972 photograph from the East Grinstead Observer, o…