In the torrential, sometimes starting rain (as if nature was also mourning), Nyíregyháza’s hero was remembered at the plaque placed on the wall of the Vármegyei Penitentiary Institute by the supporters, the Nyíregyháza Organization of the Trianon Society and the representatives of the 5th Army Auxiliary and Recruiting Office of the MH Military Administration and Central Records Command. .
István Kovács fought through the First World War on the Italian front as the first lieutenant of the 8th Artillery Regiment, then returned home in the chaos of the so-called Aster Revolution and established the National Guard of our city to protect the citizens, and was its commander. The commune that came to power in March, whose dreaded representative was People’s Commissar József Pogány, captured him with the Lenin boys, then his summary court sentenced him to death, and immediately executed the only 27-year-old in the prison yard.
The commemoration was opened by Árpád Dalmay, the president of the Nyíregyház Organization of the Trianon Society, after the recruiter István Martinovszky.
“It is an honor to be able to pay tribute to the memory of our former comrade, the brave First Lieutenant of the National Guard István Kovács, but at the same time, as a soldier, it is particularly difficult to talk about this unjust and sad period of history.
The proletarian dictatorship is a painful chapter in the history of our nation: the first lieutenant died a heroic death as its first victim in Nyíregyháza on April 22, 1919 – he lived for 27 years. As is well known: upon returning home from World War I, he founded the Nyíregyháza National Guard, which he led, in order to maintain order. While many of his comrades fled, he never left Nyíregyháza. He was killed for political reasons. People’s Commissar József Pogány forced the revolutionary tribunal to sentence him to death on suspicion of being a counter-revolutionary.
From the perspective of 105 years, we consider what happened back then to be incomprehensible: we believe in democracy, our civil rights, and the power of justice. However, we have to collect authentic information, experience this situation emotionally, and even if it is painful, we have to face the truth.
As a war grave care officer, my important task is to help preserve the memory of HEROES like István Kovács. I have to talk about his actions to the next generations, since he can serve as a real example, conveys value, and has a personality-shaping effect. According to the records, our comrade behaved like a soldier and a man until the last moment. Courageously and proudly, always maintaining his dignity, he took on his views, stood up for his principles and spoke honestly about what he believed in.
We considered it necessary that the grave monument in the North Cemetery be renovated in a dignified way, and our recruiting office considers it a success that all of this was achieved. In order to be able to stand here in front of the memorial plaque, the cooperation of several organizations, including our recruiting office, was also necessary. We also took the initiative to rehabilitate István Kovács, to find the related verdicts, and to publicly state that he was a victim. We trust that our efforts were not in vain and that in time he will receive the respect, honor and recognition he deserves”.
First lieutenant Márton Boglárka gave a speech. “It is an honor to be able to pay tribute to the memory of our former comrade, the brave First Lieutenant of the National Guard István Kovács, but at the same time, as a soldier, it is particularly difficult to talk about this unjust and sad period of history,” he said in his introduction, then continued: “As a war graves officer, it is my important task to help preserve the memory of such heroes , as István Kovács was. I have to talk about his actions to the next generations, because he can serve as a real example, conveys value, and had a personality-shaping effect.” After that, the poem “In memory of István Kovács” Zombory Andor was recited, and then the participants placed wreaths of respect and gratitude.
The event continued in the northern cemetery in front of the beautifully renovated tomb of the brave István Kovács, where local historian Dénes Komiszár spoke about preserving the memory of our nation’s martyr. He said that in 1924 he was posthumously ordained a valedictorian. “Next to his parents’ house, a full-length statue was erected in his memory, which was knocked down and broken in 1944. The Petőfi statue was made of the bronze material, which was later transferred to Mándok. In place of the statue of István Kovács, the statue of the Cossack rider, a symbol of the Soviet occupation, stands to this day. It was toppled in 1956, but restored later. The birth house was also set on fire in the fall of 1944. The turulmadaras tombstone that once stood in the Northern Cemetery, which was the most beautiful and largest memorial of the cemetery, was destroyed. Only in the 1960s (!) could the family fix the resting place in a simple way. The figure of István Kovács was demonized by the communists, they feared him even when he was dead, and defiled his memory. After the system change, we managed to achieve so much that the former location of the birth house is marked by a plaque, and the resting place of István Kovács became part of the National Cemetery”.
His commemorative plaque, completed five years ago, was inaugurated on the wall of the penitentiary in 2020.
Tags: forget memory executed lieutenant
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