Established in 1920, this award is also known as 'Albanian Commemorative Medal'. One side shows the head of Serbia's Prince Regent Alexander in profile, surrounded by the Serbian Cyrillic text 'СВОЈИМ РАТНИМ ДРУГОВИМА - АЛЕКСАНДАР', which transliterates to 'Svojim Ratnim Drugovima - Aleksandar', and translates to 'For His Wartime Comrades - Alexander'. On the other side is the Serbian Cyrillic text 'ЗА ВЕРНОСТ ОТАЏБИНИ 1915', which transliterates to 'Za Vernost Otadzbini 1915', and translates to 'For Loyalty to the Fatherland 1915'. In November 1915, the Serbian Army, fighting on several fronts against the Austro-Hungarians, Germans, and the newly-invading Bulgarians took the decision to withdraw south through Albania rather than surrender, taking with them a large number of civilian refugees, and leaving behind guerrilla units, known as Chetniks, to fight asymmetric warfare against the larger occupation forces. An estimated 700,000 people took part in the retreat, with some estimated 385,000 Serbian soldiers involved. The first medevac (medical evacuation by air) operations in history took place at this time when the Serbian Air Force evacuated wounded men by air, over Albania, to Corfu. Hunger, exposure, treacherous mountain passes, typhus, and killings by Albanian tribal brigands claimed many victims during the three week, 100 mile trek, and many paths were strewn with bodies during that winter. Some 500,000 people are estimated to have made it to safety, of which some 140,000 were military personnel. The survivors made it to Corfu, where they were fed and cared for, eventually to be re-equipped and re-armed for combat. The surrender and internment option that was rejected by the Serbian Army in late 1915 in favour of the retreat was a very costly one, not only to those participating but also the local Serbian populace who were left behind, who were at times subjected to a seemingly systematic brutality by the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupation forces during the war, but being able to come back one day to fight for their land was deemed a more honourable and useful strategic choice. It's wasn't as if the Serbian Army was going to withdraw, sit back for the duration of the war, and never return to its home. Later in 1916, the reconstituted, though decimated Serbian Army would be on the Salonika Front and would eventually participate in the liberation of their own land. The outer edge of the medal has a Serbian national symbol eagle wings and heads with a crown on top, and the lower edge has a wreath.The medal was awarded to all Serbian Army personnel who took part in the tactical retreat in the winter of 1915, and over 140,000 of these medals were issued. Also shown is the medal in it's case, with the Swiss makers stamp at the bottom of the case, an award certificate, given in 1921 to a Miladin Ljujic, and an identity card from 1940 for, in Serbian Cyrillic, on the card cover 'УЛАНСКА ЛЕГИТИМАЦИЈА - УДРУЖЕЊЕ НОСИЛИЦА АЛБАНСКЕ СПОМЕНИЦЕ', which transliterates to 'Clanska Legitimacija - Udruzenje Nosilica Albanske Spomenice', and translates to 'Membership Identification - Association of the Wearers of the Albanian Memorial'. Finally, there is shown a stamp and ink pad from the 1930's, used for officially stamping membership documents. The writing on the bottom of the stamp, mirrored in the photographs because it is the part that is inked and then stamped onto paper, reads, in Serbian Cyrillic 'ПОДОДБОР ДРУЖЕЊЕ - НОСИЛИЦА АЛБАНСКЕ СПОМЕНИЦЕ, Бр…….. 193…год., МИРОЧ - ДОЊИ МИЛАНОВАЦ' (NB. the 'У' character from the word 'УДРУЖЕЊЕ' is missing), which transliterates, with the missing stamp character added, to 'Pododbor Udruzenje - Nosilica Albanske Spomenice, Br……. 193…god., Miroc - Donji Milovanac', and translates as 'Subcommittee Association - Association of the Wearers of the Albanian Memorial, Nr…….. 193…year, Miroc - Lower Milanovac'. Miroc is a mountain region in eastern Serbia near the Romanian border and Donji Milanovac a nearby town. The stamp itself was made by Misa Goldstajn and the lid of the ink pad, though badly corroded, has Serbian Cyrillic letters showing through.
Serbian Commemorative Medal for Loyalty to the Fatherland in original case. Membership card for Association of Wearers of the medal. Award certificate for the same. Stamp and ink pad for regional association for wearers of the medal. Miniature badge for holder of the Medal.