Friday with Friends!

Unravelling the history of the Czechoslovak community and Bata Shoe Company in World War II-era Singapore
Jan Beránek

About 125 Czechoslovaks lived in Singapore before and during World War II, many of whom worked for the Bata Shoe Company. In this talk, Jan Beránek uses archival documents, personal diaries, and letters gathered from their descendants to reconstruct their lives. He reveals how they perceived the British colonial regime, what aspects of Czechoslovak culture they brought with them to Singapore, and how they adapted their lifestyles to colonial society.

Jan also explores how the events of the war impacted the lives of Czechoslovaks: besides supporting numerous charities, many volunteered for the Singapore Volunteer Corps, and about a dozen participated in the Battle of Pasir Panjang. At least ten lost their lives during the Japanese Occupation, including Jan’s granduncle, Silvestr.


About the speaker

Jan Beránek is a director and strategist at Greenpeace International. A Czech ecological activist and energy expert, he is a former chairman of the Czech Green Party. The Czech edition of Pátrání po Silvestrovi (In Search of Sivestr) was published in 2020. 


^{Images, from left to right:
Bata Building, North Bridge Road 1940s (Bata Archives)
Silvestr’s Tiong Bahru apartment (Jan Beranek collection)
War Medal 1939–1945 (Jan Beranek collection)
1939–1945 Star (Jan Beranek collection)
Bata staff at Bukit Tiga, Johor (Bata Archives)}

Organised by the Friends of the Museums (FOM) with support from ACM