Jan Bervida

Ing. Jan Bervida (* born 4th September 1893, Radkov, district Tabor - † died 26th January 1962, New York, USA). Residence: United States of America, 1948 - 1962.Head of department of Czechoslovakian Civilian Airways (1929-38 and also 1945-47). Vicepresident of ICAO and FAI. Member of ICAN and the Council of Free Czechoslovakia.

Preface

After finishing secondary school in Tabor he began studying at the Imperial-Royal Technical University (now ČVUT) in Prague. In 1914, during the 1st World War, he was sent to Eastern Front and 1915 Bervida was taken prisoner by Russians, and later as a private of the Czechoslovak Legion he took part in a march to the United States via Vladivostok. Upon returning to his home country he graduated from the University of Technology, receiving an MA (Ing.) in Aeronautic Engineering.

Public Works Ministry

In 1927-29 he worked at the Public Works Ministry in Prague, where he became Head of the Aviation Department in 1929. By some sources short time before the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Army of the Nazi Germany in 1938, President Edvard Beneš promoted him to Army General in Reserve. There is not any remark in czech military archieves about it.

The Nazi Occupation 1939 - 1945

During the Nazi Occupation of the Czechoslovakia (1939-45), was Bervida 1939, as a former member of Czechoslovak Legion fired and became a teacher. He taught at a secondary school specializing in engineering. Later he was arrested and interrogated. Because he collaborated with the Czechoslovakian External Government in London, he was sentenced for the capital punishement. The end of the 2nd World War in May 1945 rescued his life.

After the 2nd World War

In 1945-47, Bervida became Department Head at the Ministry of Transport (Civilian Airways) and Czechoslovak Airlines (ČSA) Director.

In 1946 was Bervida elected Vicepresident of the FAI and one year later 1947 was he elected Vicepresident to the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).

He was unjustly charged in a court case brought against him, but the case was dropped after the intervention of President Edvard Beneš.

During Communist takeover in 1948 he was in France, where applied for citizenship. In Paris he was involved with Czechoslovak exile authorities (Council of Free Czechoslovakia). Shortly thereafter he emigrated to the United States, where he worked with the International Civil Aviation Organization in New York and in Montreal.

References

*Bervida, Jan : "Naše křídla" (Our Wings), Prague 1939.
*Berwid-Buquoy, Jan: "60. let od zahájení leteckého provozu na letišti Tábor-Čápův dvůr" (60 Years since the Founding of the Airport Tabor-Čápův dvůr), Tabor 2006.
*Mejstřík, Jiří: "Czechs Around the World 1918 - 2000. A lexicon of expatriates who have made their mark in the world", Prague 2000.
*Pejskar, Jožka: "Poslední pocta" (The Last Honour), Encyclopedia, part III., Baltimore, Maryland, USA 1989.----See also List of Czechs