This post has been written with inspiration from when I was in Prague in 2012. I visited the concentration camp Terzin. This was a very touching experience and in front of the Fortress Terezin, there was a cemetery with over a thousand tombstones and I took a picture of Joseph Koubeks grave and decided to investigate his life. This post has been written with help from Czech historians and by my own knowledge. Thanks to Štěpán Havela and Ivan Bystřický who have made this possible to tell his story.
Josef Koubek was born in Pilsen Skvrnany 18 December 1913. He started school in Blovice, where his parents moved. He was a good and diligent boy. At school he always taught well and so his parents sent him to 4. citizinesses to Pilsen, who will study later. Unfortunately, it never happened, although the test is passed. He was working class and without favoritism and period were not in school instead. Therefore had a locksmith on Mr. Zelenka in Blovice, but even here not. Have crisis and unemployment and champion of apprenticeships disciples did not work. Koubek fortunately had a lot of interest, and one of them helped him to overcome the worst period.
He was an avid musician, his greatest love was the violin. When he was financially worst, taught their game. The students had sent local teachers Radl, Panocha and Valenta, who knew him as a great musician and knew his predicament. He had a total of 38 students. Furthermore already begun running orchestra students OOS, who was himself a member of the child. Performances always had tremendous success. Blovice children and his reputation spread through the village throughout the neighborhood. Toured in several years. Koubek was also interested in the sport. As the students practiced in Sokol. For puppet union Sokol They made posters and worked as a cameraman.
In 1935 he joined the army. After training, he was a military band and perfected here in playing other musical instruments. When in 1937 he returned from the war, still continuing crisis. Only after the time came to Skoda and Přeučil Turner. His salary was very low, but then he moonlighted with the band Blovice band leader Ubľa. Then again, the family moved to Pilsen. Love for music kept him still, and so on Skvrňanská sokolovně established from beginners musical group of young people. It did not take long before the ring was found to be a good dance band whose quality continued to grow. He called Happy Seven and played balls throughout Pilsen and the surrounding area. All members of the orchestra then caught on even in major orchestras (saxophonist Marek and Karel Vlach Orchestra trumpeter Václav Brabec was a member of the musical theater JKTyla).
Koubek in autumn mobilization in 1938 he hired, but after signing the Munich Agreement and the Sudetenland returned home. He was disappointed that we gave up without a fight. After returning home, already in wartime, reassembled dance music. Cheerful SEDMA been extended. At each performance, despite many warnings always played and sang a song Czech song, which at the time unofficially replaced the Czech national anthem. People in the audience when they rose up, listened and sang well. At that time he worked in Skoda Koubek in Doudlevecká tough shots, where he served as a partner. He married, and when he died his father-in-law, moved with his family to Dvorce U Nepomuk. With his wife Anna and their daughter, Jaroslava (b. 30 July 1941) and Bolzano (b. March 8, 1944) lived in Dvorec at No.10. Make Skoda commuted away. A still worked for his father-in nehospodářství. A well-established in Dvorec rural band.
On a night watchman got into a dispute with the master - Cech, who originally trained as a hairdresser and had an interest in high labor productivity for the Germans. Workers for not understanding it and sabotaged production. When he called for a master mentally inferior worker "bodyguard". The worker was brutally zkopán.Ostatní workers stopped work in protest as a master agreement in place. The Germans took it as a rebellion.
The next day was the Koubek and dozens of workers on the afternoon shift. arrested by the Gestapo it happened on November 14, 1944. His youngest daughter at the time was only eight months, was jailed for several days in Pilsen, then were taken to Terezin-... Small Fortress Seven of them have returned home When Koubkova wife the Gestapo question of what her husband was arrested, she was told that a rebellion in the arms industry and it is death Nothing more, the family knew And it's not even directly from Koubka because of the prison sent a short message -... Tickets - . on food, clothing and medicine. He died after a long and severe suffering May 9, 1945 already after the surrender of Germany in Terezin, on the third farm, broke out at the end of the war a huge typhus, still around 14 days after the war, died here. former inmates and pay strict quarantine here was not allowed in the Small Fortress. Hardship weak Koubek defeated along with hundreds of others this disease, and to the day when he or his immediate thought probably not return.
