The Battle of Cer - 95th Anniversary
Today we are hosting an entry written by Bill Longhurst, Deputy Head of Mission in the British Embassy in Belgrade.
I represented the UK on 23rd August to lay a wreath at the 95th Anniversary of the Battle of Cer – one of the first major battles of the First World War and the first significant victory for Allied forces as Serbia defeated the invading Austro-Hungarian forces. The participating nations were invited, Serbia and present-day Austria, Hungary, Czech and Slovak Republics, as were Serbia’s WW1 allies.
Although Serbia is rightly proud of this key achievement, the ceremony paid due respect to the 36,000 troops from both sides who perished. It brought to my mind the death last month of Harry Patch, the last British army veteran of World War I. As the events of World War I pass from living memory, it will be left to the history books, and events such as these, to ensure we never forget the terrible loss and sacrifice that war entails, nor to take peace and freedom for granted.
Posted at 14:27 24 August 2009 by Stephen Wordsworth | Comments[0]
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