110 years ago today, on 28 June 1916, something quite unusual happened in Britain… across the country people marked Kossovo Day, a Serbian national day to remember the 1389 Battle of Kossovo, when the Serbs fought the Ottoman Empire. Apparently, although the battle didn’t have a clear winner, it became over the years a symbol of Serbian resistance and hope for freedom.
So where is the British connection? Well, during World War I, Serbia was seen by many in Britain as a plucky underdog that had stood up to the mighty Austrian-Hungarian empire and, in doing so, endured a good deal of suffering. Many British doctors, nurses, and volunteers had gone to Serbia to help, and returned deeply moved by the people and their story.
With Serbia under occupation and many of its citizens in exile, a group of British and Serbian supporters, led by Dr. Elsie Inglis, decided to organise a Kossovo Day in Britain, with the aim of raising awareness about Serbia’s struggle.
The day was marked in all sorts of ways. Schools read a special pamphlet about Serbia’s past and present. Public talks were held by people who had worked in Serbia during the war. Theatres and cinemas showed films about Serbia, and newspapers helped spread the word. One of the biggest events was a service at St Paul’s Cathedral, where the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke about how much Britain had come to admire Serbia. The Serbian national anthem was sung all over the country, from churches to schools.
The Manchester Guardian said of it, “In all the strange developments of wartime there can hardly be anything of such curious significance as Kossovo Day as it is being kept this year. That in London and Manchester and other English cities people should meet and demonstrate in memory of a battle which occurred in The Balkans 527 years ago – here surely is an extraordinary thing”.
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A fuller account of Kossovo Day 1916 by Jenny Blake, on which this post is based, can be read here.
Salonika Campaign Society, 1915-1918 