László Enyedy

László Enyedy was born on March 7, 1919 in Sátoraljaújhely, his father was a Reformed priest, and between 1942-1952 he was a bishop. He graduated from the Bolyai Technical Academy in 1940.

In the second half of 1941 he was with a railway construction unit on the Eastern Front. He was decorated with the Governor's Commendation on the War Ribbon. In the autumn of 1944, as a technical officer of the 102nd Railway Construction Battalion, he took part in the reconstruction of bombed railway stations and the siege of Budapest. In the meantime he also became involved in the military resistance movement through Major Imre Radványi. He did not take part in the fighting, and between 9 and 10 February 1945 he was transferred to the Soviet troops, and from 12 February he was employed as a platoon commander of the Buda Volunteer Regiment, the details of which are not included in his personal document book.

In recognition of the merits of the new army, he was promoted from lieutenant to captain in 1945 and to major in 1948.

Between 1945 and 1948 he graduated from the University of Technology (he was already called up in the autumn of 1944, but he could not start his studies at that time), and then served at the Institute of Military Technology. In 1948 he joined the National Peasant Party and the Hungarian-Soviet Cultural Society. He was demobilized in 1950.

He worked at UVATERV as a design engineer, was a member of the workers' council in 1956, and was later demoted by his company to a lower grade. He played an important role in the construction of the Budapest Metro, receiving three awards for outstanding worker, the "Underground Railway Commemorative Medal" and a Stakhanovist diploma in 1957, the gold medal of the "Housing Medal" of the Patriotic People's Front in 1961, the "Outstanding Innovator" award in 1967, and numerous other non-written awards and diplomas. In 1972, he unsuccessfully tried to regain his rank: his request, supported by his workplace (then UVATERV) on the grounds that his work as a civil engineer and tunnel designer was outstanding, was rejected on the grounds that "his military service is not required by the People's Army." It is worth quoting from his application, as it is a good example of accommodation mixed with detachment and the preservation of human integrity in a party-state: in his application, Enyedy explained his own dismissal in 1950 by saying that he had devoted his time to unfinished business left over from his predecessor instead of "the political struggle, which was of paramount importance at the time". Among his list of achievements, he singled out the Buda Volunteer Regiment. "I am still on the regiment's management committee, and I regularly attend its meetings. The reason for my current request was also the lovely ceremony that our Defence Forces organised in honour of the Regiment this year at the Officers' House, to which I was invited.

I am 53 years old. My reserve officer status is no longer of practical relevance. However, it would be a great thing for my self-esteem and in front of my two KISZ-member sons, who are slowly growing up, if the Comrade Minister would lift this decision, which is very damaging to me."

His request was not granted, unfortunately the reasoning can only be speculated. The reason given was probably that they did not want to set a precedent. Enyedy added to the file, in his own handwritten signature, the following statement. I request, however, that the Party Committee of my company be informed of the reasons for my suspension."

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