Award from the Association for Preserving the Traditions of the Serbian Liberation Wars Until 1918
Several medals from the Association for Preserving the Traditions of the Serbian Liberation Wars Until 1918, plus ribbon bar.
Founded on 30 September 1970, the Serbian-based Association for Preserving the Traditions of the Serbian Liberation Wars Until 1918 was founded by former artillery colonel, Dimitrije Pavlovic, who found from personal experience that general public awareness of the sacrifice of the Great War generation was often poor, not what it could be, and that existing memorials required maintenance or, worse yet, that there should be memorials to remember certain events and individuals, but there was nothing at the time to fulfil this requirement. That all began to change. Since the Association was created, it has participated annually in memorial events, restored memorials and monuments, laid foundation stones, commissioned busts, created video, audio, and printed publications, and so on. It is truly commendable work to turn the decades of forget and neglect following the end of the First World War and to raise it in people’s consciousness. Hopefully, the memorials and remembrance of those who sacrificed themselves remain and will continue to do so, being renewed when required, in perpetuity, having found its momentum of memory. The Association has also worked with individuals and organisations in other countries such as, for example, Canada, France, Germany, and Greece. Shown here is the highest award that is conferred by the Association. The central figure shown on the award is based of the Monument to the Third Class Reservists, which is in Karageorge Park in Belgrade, and was created by the sculptor Stamenko Djurdjevic in 1923. The Serbian Army, at this time, had a ban system, which were age-defined groups of soldiers: first ban troops were aged 21-31 and had full uniforms and the most modern equipment available, the second ban were aged 32-37 and had army caps and coats with second-rank equipment, and third ban troops were aged 38-45 and wore civilian clothing because there were no uniforms available for them, and the standard rifle for these reservists was the obsolete, single-shot Russian Berdan rifle, which was no match for the opposing army Austrian Mannlicher rifle, which had a rate of fire easily more than five times that of the Berdan. The statue, and the central figure that appears on the preservation Association was based on true events, that of these third-line reservists taking on the first enemy attacks near the Danube and Sava rivers, and symbolised the struggle that the Serbian Army faced when it’s back was against the wall with the odds very much against them at times. Looking at the medal, which was awarded to significant benefactors to the Association and their work, the cross part and the ribbon make use of the Serbian national colours, that of red, blue, and white. Also shown is the ribbon bar of the award and also a golden medal produced by the Association, which is awarded to worthy individuals. One side of the gold medal has the central figure from the Monument to the Third Class Reservists, with the following Serbian Cyrillic text surrounding it, ‘ДРУШТВО ЗА ЧУВАЊЕ СПОМЕНИКА И НЕГОВАЊА ТРАДИЦИЈА ОСЛОБОДИЛАЧКИX РАТОВА СРБИЈЕ ДО 1918’, which transliterates to ‘Drustmo za Cuvanje Spomenika i Negovanja Tradicija Oslobodacki Ratova Srbije do 1918’, and which translates as ’The Society for the Preservation of Memorials and Traditions of the Serbian Liberation Wars to 1918’. The other side of the medal has the year ‘1918’, and the Serbian Cyrillic text, ‘СЛАВА ПАЛИМ ХЕРОЈИМА ЗА СЛОБОДУ ОТАЏБИНЕ’, which transliterates as ‘Slava Palim Herojima za Slobodu Otadzbine’, and translates as ‘Glory to the Fallen Heroes for the Freedom of the Fatherland’. Finally, one of the first medals produced by the Association, that showing Serbia's King Peter in profile on one side, with the Cyrillic text 'КРАЉ ПЕТАР', which transliterates to 'Kralj Petar', and which translates to 'King Peter', and the other side has the Association's design that also appears on the reverse of the previous medal.
CONTRIBUTOR
Špiro Vranješ
DATE
/
LANGUAGE
eng
ITEMS
12
INSTITUTION
Europeana 1914-1918
PROGRESS
METADATA
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