Milena Kolaříková BEM

Milena, after meeting Chris in 2002, has taken keen interest in remembrance of the Allied fallen in both World Wars. Together with Chris, she is author of the book The House of the Broken Wings – Ypres, about the Resistance movement and evacuation of shot-down Allied airmen during WWII from Belgium across France and Spain back to the UK. In 2017, she founded the RAF F/Sgt Stacey Jones´ memorial located at Proven near Poperinge as well as the memorial plaque on behalf of Major General Alois Liška and his men of the Independent Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade Group liberating Dunkerque in May 1945, at the former CIABG HQ in Wormhout, France.

Milena is currently employed as adviser to the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic in Prague in matters concerning the Czechoslovak fallen.

In 2018, she was awarded the honorary British Empire Medal (BEM) – ´for services on behalf of soldiers of the (then) British Empire who fought or who were killed during World War One and are buried or commemorated in Belgium.’

Milena and Chris today live in semi-retirement in Cornwall. They share their lives with rescue greyhound L/Cpl Tilly, the official Mascot of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient.