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Miloš Knesl

Date 1935–1937
Routes
Code Z18
Address Hluboká 795, Zlín
Public transport Public transport: Slovenská (TROL 1, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13; BUS 13, 90)
GPS 49.2231803N, 17.6732008E
Literature
  • , Pamětní deska hrdinovi, Naše Pravda, 4. 10. 1966, s. 1


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The family house No. 795 between Hluboká and Prlovská gained its current outline with the addition of a courtyard wing to the ground-floor building (from 1922), which served as accommodation for bricklayers. In 1932 the builder Josef Winkler designed its adaptation and superstructure. Two apartment units on the first floor were supplemented by a third on the ground floor together with operational rooms, such as a workshop, laundry room, and cellars. In 1933, one of the ground-floor rooms was used as a commercial space. One of the rental apartments was occupied in the mid-1930s by the Knesl brothers, employees of the Baťa company. 
 
Writing a biography of the International Brigade member, M. Knesl, especially the reconstruction of the last years of his life, is difficult due to the small number of authentic period sources. There are, however, notes in the Zlín post-war chronicles recorded as a reminder of his wartime activities. You can also study the archived memories of his surviving comrades. When browsing through period newspapers, you can find articles that celebrated his heroism on the anniversary days. Newly available are also websites dedicated to his combat engagement.


Despite the varying quality of the sources and factual discrepancies, the following story is most often presented in a condensed form: Miloslav Knesl, a worker at the Baťa company, heard the call to defend the Spanish Republic, which was being attacked by the rebel troops of General Francisco Franco, and in October 1936 travelled to Spain with a false passport. There, he gradually became involved in fighting on several fronts. In the summer of 1938, during a military operation by his partisan unit to rescue several hundred captured women and children, he was seriously injured, captured by the putschists, and subsequently publicly executed in Seville, southern Spain, with a medieval strangulation instrument – ​​the garrote.


When we carefully collect the fragments of contemporary information, however, this picture begins to become considerably problematic. International Brigade member Knesl was not named Miloslav, he did not travel to Spain in the fall of 1936, he did not participate in the rescue operation of women and children, and strangely enough, he was not even born on September 6, 1903, as stated on the Liberation Monument in Komenského Park (Comenius Park) in Zlín. Despite these findings, his story is no less dramatic, and his performance with a gun in hand against the dictator Franco in the Spanish Civil War is no less inspiring.
 
Miloš Knesl (* 31. 10. 1908) and his brother Jaromír (* 16. 8. 1907) who was a year older and František (* 30. 10. 1911) who was a few years younger were born into the family of František and Marie Knesl, owners of a bakery and a grocer's shop at Husova třída no. 40 in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou. The lives of the two older brothers were closely intertwined from their youth and this bond accompanied them until Miloš's untimely death. 
 
The Knesl brothers spent their childhood in their native Jaroměřice, where they also attended school. In the second half of the 1920s, the family moved to Znojmo. The teenage Jaromír and Miloš, both trained as millers, gradually became independent at this time. At the end of 1929, we first find Jaromír in the Rychnovský brothers' mill in Luka nad Jihlavou, from where he left for Austria in February 1930. In the late 1920s, Miloš alternated between his native Jaroměřice and Prague, where he had his conversion from the Roman Catholic Church to the Czechoslovak Church officially confirmed at the Smíchov municipal office in January 1928.
 
The relationship of individual family members to religiosity shows the degree of liberal environment in the Knesl family. While mother Marie Kneslová remained a Roman Catholic, father František practically immediately after the formation of the Czechoslovak national Church asked the authorities in February 1921 to matriculate into their ranks. Seven years later, his middle son Miloš followed him into the same church. In contrast, the youngest son František left the Roman Catholic Church in 1931 and remained without a confession. The eldest son Jaromír took the same path and had it confirmed by the District Office in Zlín in February 1936. 
 
The connection of the Knesl brothers with Zlín started at the beginning of December 1930, when Miloš, trained in the milling trade, joined the Baťa company. He did not form a particularly strong bond with the concern, however, and after less than three years he resigned from the company in October 1933. In contrast, Jaromír, who came to Zlín in August 1931, intended, at least at first, to link his professional career with the Baťa company for a long period. As an employed worker, he was active not only in the East Moravian metropolis for the next five years, but the company also sent him as an instructor to the company's newly established foreign branches. In December 1933, he travelled for a year's work, staying at the British Baťa factory in East Tilbury near London. After another three months in the Zlín operation, in March 1935 he left again for a longer stay at the Baťa factory in Best in the Netherlands.
 
The autumn of 1935 is associated with Miloš Knesl's second stay in the Baťa city. On September 10, Miloš moved in with his brother Jaromír, who lived at Hluboká Street No. 795 in a sublet with Karel Branč. At that time, Jaromír worked in the toy department of the Bata rubber operations. Miloš moved to Zlín from Prague-Vršovice, where he worked in his father's timber trading company Knesl. He joined the Baťa company on November 5, 1935.
 
During their second stay in Zlín, the Knesl brothers were demonstrably involved in the left-wing movement. Both were believed to be members of the Communist Party and, due to their left-wing activities, they soon came under the sights of the Zlín police department, which was the city's security agency controlled by the Bata council. In an attempt to uncover the members of the leftist group, the police launched an extensive search, which culminated in the raid on the tramp hut of former Baťa employee Zdeněk Mencl in the Ludkovice area on Sunday, September 20, 1936 at four in the morning. 
The search of the eight overnight guests resulted in the seizure of six photographs depicting the Spanish Civil War, several communist brochures, and, after their identities were established, the immediate dismissal of three participants from the Baťa company “for poor work”. In addition to the two Knesl brothers, another native of Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, František Fiala, was also involved. The following evening, a house search was conducted in the Knesl apartment, which resulted in the seizure of one postcard from a collection campaign for the benefit of Spanish youth.
 
The fate of Republican Spain, as evidenced by the repeated seizure of Spanish material, was not indifferent to Miloš Knesl. After a short time spent in the family of his youngest brother František Knesl in Prague's Záběhlice, a coal and wood merchant, Miloš returned to Zlín. Here, at the beginning of January 1937, due to the district office's benevolent attitude towards issuing travel documents, he had his passport extended with a permit for all European countries and travelled to Republican Spain that same month. For a year and a half, he fought in military and partisan units on various fronts. After being captured during a combat in the summer of 1938, he was probably executed in Seville in southern Spain, but the manner of execution is unknown. Jaroslav "Jarin" Hošek, one of the group of people checked at the cottage in Ludkovice, was also his fellow soldier for a certain time. In memory of Miloš Knesl's military performance in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the defenders of the republic, one of the streets in Zlín's Bartošova neighbourhood has been named after him since 1966.
 
The aforementioned mutual connection between the Knesl brothers and the deeper anchoring of Jaromír in the Zlín environment probably led over time to the renaming of Miloš's name to Miloslav, which eventually penetrated the public sphere (Zlín memorial, chronicles, etc.). Miloš was familiarly referred to by his Zlín friends as Míla, while Jaromír was called Slávek (in one of the regularly held censuses he is listed as Jaroslav!). It was only a short step for later historical records to describe Miloš as Miloslav. Similarly, the description of Miloš's life coincides in some details with Jaromír's activities and sometimes borrows a lot from his story.
 
While Miloš was engaged in Spain, his older brother Jaromír, who did not leave Zlín, permanently came under the sights of the security apparatus due to his leftist positions. During the following years, he was summoned, interrogated, searched and detained by the pre-war police, the German Gestapo, and the post-war District National Committee investigative commission several times. 
 
The fates of the Knesl brothers intertwined dramatically once again after Miloš's death. Before Christmas 1944, Jaromír was summoned to the Zlín Gestapo, where he was interrogated on suspicion of participating in the Spanish International Brigade. It was only during the interrogation that it became clear that Jaromír had once again been mistaken for Miloš.
 
 
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Miloš Knesl

Date of birth: October 31, 1908
Temporary residence: Hluboká 795, Zlín
Permanent residence: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, č. p. 40
Residence in Zlín: 1930–1937 interrupted in the years 1933 to1935
Departure to Spain: January 1937
Supposed date of death: July 28, 1938
 

 

Jaromír Knesl

Date of birth: August 16, 1907
Temporary residence: Hluboká 795, Zlín
Permanent residence: Znojmo, no. 8
Employment in companies of the Baťa Group: August 18, 1931 – September 25, 1936; May 13, 1942 – October 26, 1948

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sources:
 
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Třebíč, pracoviště Moravské Budějovice, fond Národní škola chlapecká Jaroměřice n. Rokytnou, i. č. 135, 144, 151, 152, 153.
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Jihlava, fond Archiv obce Luka nad Jihlavou, i. č. 18, Hlášení vojínů v záloze.
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Zlín, fond Baťa, a. s., Zlín, sign. II/2, kart. –, inv. č. 7a a inv. č. 8a, Knihy přijatých, Knesl Miloš, č. 56021 a Knesl Jaromír, č. 64491.
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Zlín, fond Archiv města Zlín, inv. č. 1118 (kart. 581 – Fiala František, kart. 585 – Knesl Jaromír, kart. 589 – Mencl Zdeněk)
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Zlín, fond Okresní úřad Zlín I., kn. 19, pasová evidence, č. 5 / 1937.
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Zlín, fond Okresní národní výbor Zlín I. – Trestní nalézací komise, kart. 30, č. 1183.
  • Národní archiv v Praze, fond Policejní ředitelství Praha II – všeobecná spisovna 1931–1940, kart. 7556, sign. K1953/10 Miloš (Knesl Miloš) a kart. 7556, sign. K1953/16 (Knesl František starší).
  • Národní archiv v Praze, fond Policejní ředitelství Praha II – evidence obyvatelstva, (Knesl Miloš, Knesl František starší, Knesl František mladší).
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Třebíč, fond Okresní úřad Moravské Budějovice, č. ukl. j. 682, poř. č. 1 – Sčítací operát 1910: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Husova třída, č. p. 40 (citováno dne 17. 11. 2023: https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/16440?image=226104010-000393-000173-000932-000682-01-MB0227-01220.jp2" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/16440?image=226104010-000393-000173-000932-000682-01-MB0227-01220.jp2 ).
  • Moravský zemský archiv v Brně, Státní okresní archiv Třebíč, fond Okresní úřad Moravské Budějovice, č. ukl. j. 766, poř. č. 1 – Sčítací operát 1921: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Husova třída, č. p. 40 (citováno dne 17. 11. 2023: https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/15956?image=226104010-000393-000000-00000N-000766-01-MB0343-00410.jp2" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/15956?image=226104010-000393-000000-00000N-000766-01-MB0343-00410.jp2 ).

 
 
 
 
  • Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Třebíč, Moravské Budějovice office, National Boys' School Jaroměřice n. Rokytnou fund, i. no. 135, 144, 151, 152, 153. 
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Jihlava, Luka nad Jihlavou fund, i. no. 18, Report of soldiers in reserve. 
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Zlín, Baťa, a. s. fund, Zlín, sign. II/2, card –, inv. no. 7a and inv. no. 8a, Books of those admitted, Knesl Miloš, no. 56021 and Knesl Jaromír, no. 64491. 
  • Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Zlín, Zlín City Archives fund, inv. no. 1118 (card. 581 – Fiala František, card. 585 – Knesl Jaromír, card. 589 – Mencl Zdeněk) 
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Zlín, Zlín I District Office Fund, book. 19, passport records, no. 5 / 1937.
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Zlín, Zlín I District National Committee Fund – Criminal Investigation Commission, card. 30, no. 1183. 
  •  National Archives in Prague, Prague II Police Headquarters Fund – general file 1931–1940, card. 7556, sign. K1953/10 Miloš (Knesl Miloš) and card. 7556, sign. K1953/16 (Knesl František elder). 
  • National Archives in Prague, Police Headquarters Prague II fund – population records, (Knesl Miloš, Knesl František elder, Knesl František younger). 
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Třebíč, Moravské Budějovice District Office fund, no. ukl. j. 682, order no. 1 – Census report 1910: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Husova třída, no. p. 40 (cited on 17. 11. 2023: https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/16440?image=226104010-000393-000173-000932-000682-01-MB0227-01220.jp2" style="text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/16440?image=226104010-000393-000173-000932-000682-01-MB0227-01220.jp2 ). 
  •  Moravian Provincial Archives in Brno, State District Archives Třebíč, Moravské Budějovice District Office Fund, No. ukl. j. 766, order no. 1 – Census report 1921: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Husova třída, no. p. 40 (cited on 17. 11. 2023: https://www.mza.cz/scitacioperaty/digisada/detail/15956?image=226104010-000393-000000-00000N-000766-01-MB0343-00410.jp2)

 

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