From Prague to Parham: A Memoir

Carefree and prosperous as Prague was at that time the clouds of war were gathering over Europe. We have a fine water colour by the Czech painter Salvendy on the wall of our sitting room, showing Sarajevo, with a mosque and minaret and a woman in a burka in the foreground. An Austrian Archduke was assassinated by a Serb patriot, and soon Europe was plunged into war. My father was at that time, of course a subject of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so that Czechs too went reluctantly to war. I say reluctantly because Czech patriotism was already well established and the desire for independence was strong, particularly among the young.  The young Karel Bondy, a graduate of the law department of  the ancient Charles University was one of the many who had to join the forces of the Emperor Franz-Josef.

Walking was not to my father’s taste, although he became an enthusiastic walker in much later life, so he opted for the cavalry, entering as an officer aspirant. It was necessary for him to arrive at the barracks where he was to be enrolled with his own horse.  His own father had travelled frequently to Poland from Chlumec to buy horses, and knew something about them. He presented my father with a fine charger and accompanied him to the barracks with the horse.  On arrival father and son said their farewells, and my grandfather was thanked by his son for the gift of a fine horse.

Karel was immediately escorted to the regimental veterinary officer who examined my poor father’s splendid mount. “What is this wretched spavined quadruped you have arrived with?” demanded the vet. “You cannot join this regiment mounted on that pile of old dog meat”. My father then asked what he should do if his horse did not pass muster. The vet took his arm kindly, led Karel and the horse to the stables, gave my father’s horse to an orderly and took out of a nearby stall a broken down old horse, which he said he could pass as fit. He would take my father’s horse in exchange, and my father would become an immediate member of the regiment. The fluency with which this  was said demonstrated that this highly profitable transaction had occurred many times, on the arrival of a new recruit.  This was an immediate introduction to the Austro Hungarian army, so well and so accurately described in Jaroslav Hasek’s book, “The Good Soldier Schweik”.