Brana Dimitrijević

Serbian medical corps in Dobrudza – following the testimony of Dr. Milutin Velimirovich and Dr. Vladimir Stanojevich

4.08.1916: The arrival of the train in Reni, about noon. (Wrote Milutin Velimirovich, student od medicine, a private, in his war diary.) A short trip from the railway station to our future camp. Terrain – steppe with scorched grass, without any trees. The food – good. The water – bad.[1]

Our military camp located at an equal distance from the station, the town as from the port. The barren steppe stretches out of sight. Our second field hospital is placed between the First one and the Dressing station.[2]

Established following the formations of the Russian infantry, the First Serbian Volunteer Division, wrote Dr. Vladimir Stanojevich, had three medical units: a division dressing station, two field hospitals and four regimental medical departments.

The difference between Serbian and Russian field hospitals is considerable; and this means in everything, points out Stanojevich the commander at the time of the first field hospital. The Russian division field hospitals have more staff, richer and more complete medical and pharmaceutical facilities and supply services, stronger and first class chamber, with tough horses suitable for riding and drawing.

A splendid view onto the Danube and the plane across it, wrote Velimirovich to the distant little hills in Dobrudza. The town of Reni was sunk in the greenery. The afternoon passed in pitching tents. I arranged mine, although the wind was penetrating and threatening to take it away. I have not been downtown yet, but I have been to the port, quite big, which is still being fixed. At night one can see far away across the Danube the lightened Galac on the Rumanian side. Our camps look wonderful with the vast lines of tents in the barren steppe, which is getting lost on the empty horizon. Reni is not bigger than our division by the number of inhabitants.

5.08.: Food – good; water – bad. Nothing special during the day. We pitched two big field hospital tents, arranged our camp, which we will not leave as quickly as we thought.

During the afternoon I went downtown. I was not impressed. Long, straight streets with the low houses and a lot of dust. I was with our commissar and our clerk; both Russians and seem to me as good men .[3]

I returned to the camp late, at dark walking over deep, warm dust. Commissar Fedatov and the clerk Tesik arrived later. We stayed talking for a long time. The commissar is an intelligent, good and pleasant man .[4]

6.08.: The food - good, the water - bad. We got tea. The days hot. Nights cold. Insignificant duties all day long. Monotonous.

I got a card from Milorad from Thessaloniki .[5] He got news from Serbia that Draginja, our sister, was ill. I am afraid, seriously.

I feel depressed from time to time. Life is meaningless. Time is wasted to no purpose. Man encounters various atrocities, which make him even gloomier. Nothing is happening on the fronts. The nights are peaceful. The moon is reflected in the Danube; the water twinkles, and so does Galac in the distance. I went downtown again. Nothing interesting, except for the town club and the small park, full of people, especially women, but there were few interesting, intelligent faces. Our officers have already established relations. Couple pass by in merry and lively conversation.

7.08.: Food – good. Instead of water – tea.

* The Russians had already in Reni to supply their and our army by dragging big barrels of water, writes Stanojević

* We are fixing up our camp. It seems that we will not be leaving soon. The weather is nice. The days are hot. Nights fresh, quiet, simply beautiful. There is no hospital work to be done. Some cases of diarrhea, light sunstroke, little wounds on feet.

* However, Stanojevich wrote that they had cases of malaria „to a considerable extent“ in Reni

* The commander (the medical corps captain of second class Dr Dragutin Kostić), placed me to be in charge of discipline. My duty was to give him a report about the demeanor of the staff – soldiers and paramedics. All of them good and obedient. That is how my life is passing, my best years. Petty things unproductive work. Boredom. Uncertainty, expectations. The Danube, and under it the Balkan peninsula. Somewhere far away is our homeland, where my relatives are. Both depressive and strange. Wandering life. When and where will it end? It is hard at night although the nights are wonderful.

18.08.: Food – good. Water – tea. Our camp looks good. The Second Brigade has arrived from Bendery (Besarabia) and has encamped. We resemble a real steppe military town, judging by area barely smaller than Reni. Regularly distributed regiments, big tents of headquarters and field hospitals and supply units give a beautiful appearance of some well planned developed place, only without greenery. Early in the morning the trumpets announce the beginning of daily life. The murmur begins, commands are given, horses neigh and life begins in the steppe. In the evening trumpets return the peace .[6] The camp becomes peaceful, and the steppe sinks into silence, while officers like shadows hurry to night life.

Our field hospital is organized properly. But the atmosphere is bad because of our commander. When we were leaving Odessa he made and ardent speech to all of us impressing us all. But he changed completely in Reni. Because of discipline, he said. In front of his tent he had an arbor of rods. He sat under it, read, drank and received guests.

Early in the morning I submit my report to him. All is good. I say. Men are really good and obedient. I did not report anyone up to date. But he keeps calling me, scolding, nagging, spoils my life. Later he calms down. Invites me for a drink, fills the glasses, jokes, laughs, tells jokes. He is particularly good at impersonating the Jews and Tatars.

From early morning he begins the inspection throughout our camp. Without boots, in sneakers only, with the whip in his hand. He passes gloomy, waving the whip behind his back. If he finds that something isn’t in order he becomes furious, slaps, whips; then he returns somber, angry under his arbor of rods and calls me from there in the voice of a thunderer. I go to him thinking of the enormous storm which is going to befall me, however he laughs satisfied. Sit down. He says. What do they talk about? Ah! Fear and company! They have to see what discipline is! He fills a glass, content that men are frightened. He had inspired fear, but lost the affinity which he had acquired at the beginning.

The lively hospital clerk Boshko from Banat, named him the adder. Now everyone calls our commander that in conversation. I don’t know when I feel worse. When he is reproaching me about something, or when he condemns me to keep him company for hours. Then he is too kind and considerate.

When there is no work to do, he does not forbid me to go downtown. But there are no chances for the junior ranks, judging by the material possibilities, for some fun.

We got one more student of medicine, Erat from Slovenia. A nice and pleasant young man. He is sub-lieutenant by rank. I share the tent with him. He goes downtown almost every night and returns late. Yesterday we had the inspection, which had be done by general Zajonchkovski, the supreme commander of the corpus. It was excellent. Formed regiments into ranks, with other units, appeared wonderful. The general inspects them and salutes with Serbian salutation „God help us!“. After that at the tops of thousand lungs break: „God help you!“[7]

With our field hospital, with wagons and men, we were staying for the hours on the noon’s sun, waiting for our order. Before the inspection plenty of nervousness, cries, slaps, whips for nothing.

At least the general accompanies wit his adjutants, commander of our division, head of headquarter, arrived to us and everybody petrify. The suite find in the position of attention. Silence. Our commander approach to the general and noticeably excite gave him the rapport. General shacked hands with officers, asking somebody something, measured from head to foot all the group hastily with his gray eyes, and the little procession went away. Before his departure commandant of our division reprimanded in front of everyone our commander, because he appellate the general as „prevashodstvo“ (priority) in stead of „your high prevashodstvo“ (high priority).

Anyhow, the inspection for all of us was good. Only the commander was confused, discontented because of his misfortune; but the soldiers were, just because of that, contented.

General didn’t shake my hand, in spit I was staying beside Erat. I didn’t mine for his salutation but the difference in the same army hurt me. Erat is sub-lieutenant: the rank and salary. I am a soldier only. Both of us are students, but I have more exams passed. But pretending we are – the same army!

* That inequality, wrote Velimirovich thirty years later, was the consequence of bad mistakes of Serbian’s Government and Supreme command yet on Corfu. The commander of the First Serbian’s volunteer division colonel Stevan Hadzich wasn’t sent as a general, as well. Because of that in comparison with commanders of Russians’ and Rumanians’ divisions he was at submitted position by the rank, beside all. The commander of 47th special corps the First Serbian volunteer division gave to some Russians’ commander, more often to the commander of 61. Russian division, general Simansky. So they possessed with Serbian’s battalions even regiments as they wished mutilated the totality of volunteer division even in decisive battles. If the colonel Hadzich was general it wasn’t going on such manner, and many victims would be avoid. Similar but risky custom will be continued following the establish of Serbians’, Croatias’ and Slovenians’ Kingdom, after the war. Former officers of the defeated Austro-Hungarian monarchy got their higher ranks faster than experienced officers of victories Serbian army.

* Following the inspection I had to spend some time with our commander to listen to his laments. What does the general say… Eeeee… I should know, as a Russian student, how to address my superiors! Breee… As if I studied this at university!? In the evening he went downtown to calm himself. The officers dispersed as well. I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. I sat in front my tent with Boshko, the clerk for a long time, we talked about home, getting back, watching the distant lights of Galac.

26.08.: Food – good. Tea for drink. We have been here for a long time. In the series of uniform days there were some events. Our field hospital got some newcomers. Three doctors. Two Russian Jews: dr Gomberg and dr Mutermilh and a Russian: dr Polivec. With a pharmacist Czech Bedzrih Korzinek. We even got a unit of Russian feldschers .[8]

Doctors are in the rank of a Russian captain, the pharmacist is our lieutenant. Dr Gomberg says that he knows my brother Bora and his wife Marisa back from Harkov,[9] and that his bother is a good friend of theirs.

Now I don’t have so much to do, as I don’t have the pharmacy and management of the hospital lists. Dr Gomberg explains to me what is happening with each patient. It seems that he is a very prepared doctor and that I will learn a lot from him.

Dr. Gomberg sat the first two days with our commander under the arbor. He was fascinated by our commander with knowledge of several languages, literature and social issues. He is really a rare man, said Dr. Gomberg to us. An encyclopedia, good, careful, interesting.

Our commander really knows how to be interesting and kind, simply sweet, but only for those who don’t know him. So dr Gomberg was quite astonished why Erat, who had already had the opportunity to feel the strange nature of our commander, and I too, did not share his excitement.

But when they started on the Jewish issue in their conversation and our commander, who has a Jewish phobia, spoke against the Jews, Dr Gomberg was dumbfounded. It seems that he wished to reply something, but our commander as was his usual custom shouted at him. A quarrel was heard under the arbor, and after that Dr Gomberg, all upset, walked in the circles for a long time, all alone. Only after that did he come to Erat and me to pour out his grief. I got a hundred rubles from my brother Bora from Blagovjeshchensk, so I got all I needed and prepared myself for the campaign. There are some talks that Rumania has joined the Entente and that it will thus joint the war very soon. That’s what we are waiting for impatiently.

I got some postcards from Milorad from the Thessaloniki front.

He informs joyously about the news from our people from Serbia. They are all healthy and are in Krushevac. That made me very happy. I often think about home, I am worried, but now I have calmed down, though not completely. I wonder why are they in Kruševac? I would like to know some more, but this is enough. Just as long ast they are not in Kurshumlia any more, under Bulgarian occupation.[10] My brother Velja is also well. He is in Athens.[11]

He reports that he might go to France with a few students. Now they are more concerned about me, as they have not got any news. Horses for our patrol units arrived by train; Siberian, beautiful and strong, short, they incited a good mood in everybody. Officers and solders from Banat tried them out immediately. They rushed across the steppe on them, while the rest of the people looked at them with pleasure.

86 Czech soldiers and sub officers left our division, because a Czech regiment is being formed in Kiev. None of the Czech officers, of whom there were just as many, wanted to leave the division. All of them already spoke Serbian very well. Their stay incited an unusually pleasant mood.[12]

There are rumours that a Second Serbian Division of Volunteers is already being formed in Odessa. The Tsar’s order has already been read whereby he is saluting the volunteers.[13] It seems that we will soon be going to Dobrudza.

One evening we had a great storm. Dense, black clouds gathered over the steppe from the west. Lightnings appeared on that curtain afterwards. The endless steppe with its yellowish, scorched grass looked sad. In the afternoon a severe wind blew. It overturned many tents, it almost blew away some. The continuous thunder was accompanied with a deluge. One hour of thunderstorm seemed like a whole night.

We also had a wedding, in which I was a brother-in-law. Our Russian, clerk, Belik, got married. His bride arrived even from the Poltava province, in order to finish all this before our departure to the front, and before she becomes a mother. And there is not much time left until then. A real Russian wedding. A dinner in a Moldavian house. A real feast. There were two very pretty girls, one Russian the other a Romanian, with a very beautiful figure. We looked at each other the whole evening, talked, kept company. I came to the camp very late. Thinking of the pretty Rumanian I could not fall asleep for a very long time. 28.08.: Food good. Tea.

Yesterday Rumania declared war to Austria. An indescribable pleasure overcame the whole division. The officers celebrated this event in their regiments. And we did so in our field hospital: dr Lav, clerks, Erat and I. We proposed toasts and drank two bottles of „Marssala“, which Mika Foki[14] brought from Galac.

There are rumours that the Rumanians have begun their offensive already and are advancing. Everybody is in a good mood, believing that the victory is near and the end of the war. In the next two days the embarking into boats and barges will begin, and the transport along the Danube to Chornovoda will take place. The Russian army has also arrived. Their infantry passes through and encamped in the steppe. The artillery batteries arrived also. One which was stayed near our field hospital reminded us to a gipsy camp. We expected much more. The officers from our division were dissatisfied with of our armament. The guns were old, with the ammunition without magazines. The machine guns were old too broke down very often.

It seems that there are not enough Russian soldiers. Somebody hope that there will be a lot of Rumanians, although judging by our commander, the commander of the port, the Russian admiral Vesjolkin, hasn’t got a lot of confidence in the Rumanians. There are tales among our officers, that the admiral is a bastard son of Tsar Alexander the Third and that he is thus a brother of Tsar Nicola the Second. He resembles very much the Tsar, and people say that he is on a „per tu“ relationship with him. A witty and merry fellow, he likes Serbs, and he invites often our officers to his boat for dinner. According to him „Rumanians aren’t a nation, but a profession. Their women give, and men receive.“ Even if it is from a tsar’s brother, it isn’t fair. We don’t even know yet how many Rumanians will fight in Dobrudza, as they have sent all their troupes to Transylvania. The admiral and many Russian officers, from the corps headquarter; hope that the Bulgarians will not fight against their previous liberators the Russians. But our officers from Serbia don’t share their view.

Anyhow, there is a firm belief that our division with the Russians and Rumanians will be in Serbia within a month at the latest. In our field hospital everybody is nervous and the atmosphere is heavy. The commander is ill – he has something growing in an inconvenient place, behind his anus, the abscess. He is angry, and explodes at any time.

I treat him and dr. Gomberg says that this must be cut up very soon. I have written letters to Bora in Blagoveshechenk, home in Serbia, via the Red Cross, and to Milorad on the front, for him and Velja, because I don’t know where Velja is. We are going to front and of course we are all excited. We are going with a lot of hope. But, the war is on – war. I went out to steppe after the taps. I stayed a long time, lying in the dry grass. The night in the steppe is mystic and heavy with the soldiers’ tents. The solders, who will be going to fight in a few days’ time are asleep. Over the steppe and our camp there is an endless sorrow and longing. I returned to the camp, but the pharmacist and Erat weren’t there. They arrived just before dawn.

31.08.: Food - good. Tea.

Our division started embarking for Chornovoda begin in the morning. The First field hospital left. Good luck.

* Stanojevich said, on 28th august, a day after the declaration of the war, but Velimirovich is more precise.

* Our regiments and Russians’ artillery[15] embarked today.

Barges full of soldiers move upriver Danube singing and playing the accordion and crying „Huraaah…" Special enthusiasm among soldiers was provoked by two Serbian ships – „Takovo“ and „Djerdap“ – which had succeeded during the Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian attack to descend downstream Danube and find shelter in Reni.[16]

Somebody had eyes filled with tears, wrote Velimirovich later on, when they saw the Serbian three colored flag flying in the wind, and the Serbian three colored circles around the ship chimneys.

* Everybody believes this to be a favorable sign that we will certainly reach Serbia.

Before embarking there was solemn praying performed by Russian bishops. The steppe looks strange after the soldiers departure. It seems somewhat emptier, sadder ... Until yesterday everything was so lively. In our field hospital everything is ready, and we are just waiting for the order to leave. Our commander has troubles with his abscess. He is angry and unbearable. Fortunately, dr Lav visits him, thus I am a little freer. Dr Lav is a real Russian, Cossack, very likable. An open man. The commander likes him very much, and calls him Ljovushka. I have also made friends with him. 2.09.: On the Danube. Barge No. 522 of the Danube river fleet. Dry food. Tea. Weather sunny and windy.

Today we embarked also. In the enormous void inside the barge are horses, and on the roof are the soldiers and wagons. There is also the dressing station of our division. The student of medicine, Mihailo Babovich is convinced that we are going to pass through Bulgaria without stopping.[17]

That’s what his commander, dr Boza Jankovich, the medical first class capetain, hopes too.

Because of his pains our commander is terribly nervous and demands that I be with him all the time. He keeps requesting different things, I must palpate his abscess, to see if it is mature enough for incision. Dr Lav got lost somewhere, and for the Jewish doctors and Erat the commander doesn’t care. I am bored with him in the inside of the barge, because I can’t watch the landscape while we are sailing. Before Galac he went out to the roof. Our barge is hauled bravely by a small ship along with another three barges, passing by the low banks. There are big crowds of people in the ports in Galac and Braili. They shout: Să trăiască![18] and Ziveo[19] and some shout Să trăiască Sârbia Mare!.[20]

There are many women in multicolored dresses. They shout and wave with their kerchiefs. We stare at them, and talks about women and different comments continue for a long time, and revive with the new enthusiasm after any bigger place.

Our commander every now and the goes to his cabin to change his coverings, or to the roof where he quarrels with the young officers volunteers, and I am standing beside him, as a paramedic or orderly. He picks particularly on sub lieutenant Shajatovich, a student of medicine, who is going to the war as an infantry officer. I tried to protect Shajatovich, but the commander snapped at me: Why do you stand up for him! Here is Dobrudza let them prove themselves! Fortunately the surgeon from our dressing station dr Bergman cut up the abscess and gave the commander an injection to sleep. So I stayed on the roof until evening talking to Shajatovich.

3.09.: The second day on Danube. Windy weather. Dry food. Tea. We are sailing slowly upriver by flat and hilly riverbanks. I spent the night in the cabin of the barge keeper, as a Shajatovich’s guest . All night horses neighed, banging with their hoops. Poor Shajatovich he slept restlessly having nightmares. He jerked, moaned in his dream, and his face wrinkled. Once I woke him up, but he said: nothing, nothing, it’s alright… I always sleep turbulently. Then he turned to the other side. Watching him and listening to his moans I couldn’t help thinking: what the destiny is waiting for him?

The wind howled, but in the cabin of the good-natured bearded uncle, the barge keeper, one had the illusion of home and safety. 4.09.: Dry food. Tea. We arrived in Chornovoda at 6 o’clock,[21] a small provincial town with beautiful houses, big gardens and plenty of greenery. Across the Danube is a huge bridge with a railway.[22]

The captain from our division headquarts, Fotije, gave us further orders in the port.

There was great excitement in town, because of the war and air planes, which flew in to bomb the bridge. People welcome us with joy and gratitude. We went to some homes where they served us. Only women, because men were mobilized, They were frightened. Afraid of bombardment. We consoled them. I consoled most a beautiful lady, a doctor’s wife. She looked at me with such confidence; although I talked nonsense, enjoying her handsome face and her big and frightened eyes.

At noon we departed to Medzidija, by foot and on wagons, over the wavy, barren terrain. We spent the night on the wasteland near the village Chebikjoj. Our commander went from Chornovoda to Medzidia by train.

(Translated by Verica Baletich)

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[1] Following the orders of the division commander of July 31, 1916, all medical units constituted the 10th echelon which left Odessa on August 2, 1916 at 4.35h by train.

[2] Under the Russian influence the field hospital designated in our language also for some time a military hospital, dressing station, usually close to the battlefield. Here, according to the Russian military terminology of the time, it denotes a division field hospital. Besides, the Italian word lazaretto meant elsewhere admittance shelter for serious and incurable patients, and afterwards quarantine.

[3] The staff of the field hospitals, also constituted following Russian regulations, was mixed.

[4] In his novel The Terrible years (1953) Velimirovich wrote about Fedotov: „The fiield hospital manager, clever and agile, had in his grey eyes something heavy and hidden even when he presented himself as open and sincere. His smile resembled more a mask and well practiced act over the years. Immediately upon his arrival he stressed that he was a real Russian nobleman.” (Milutin Velimirović: The Terrible Years, Bratstvo i jedinstvo, Novi Sad, 1954).

[5] His eldest brother, at the time a reserve medical corps captain of second class, troupe doctor of the 20th regiment of the Timok division.

(Aleksandar Nedok: The Withdrawal of the Serbian army to the Albanian coast and its evacuation to Corfu 1915/1916 – the operation of the military – medical service. AMD system, Belgrade 2006, page 88-89 and page 172).

Milutin Velimirovich was the eighth child of archpriest Milosh Velimirovich and Helen born Mortovanski and Milorad was the first one.

[6] According to the text of the commander’s order No. 125 war military division training had not been finished yet.

[7] All salutes and commands were on Serbian language.

[8] The German word feldscher used in Russian language and Serbian as well, means surgeon, but before the discovery of sepsis and antisepsis rules. When surgery was integrated into medicine feldchers became doctors’ assistants, especially skilled in wound healing. In Tsar’s Russia there were higher and lower feltchers, by rank.

[9] Third child, and the second son of archpriest Milosh and his wife Helen, Borislav born in Slatina near Zajechar in 1880, died in Belgrade 1944. He studied veterinary in Petersburg and Harkov. Worked as a bacteriologist later on in Siberian cities Omsk, Tomsk, Chita, Blagovjeshchenk, involved in the production of immunoserums. He spent most time working as the head of Pasteur’s institute in Habrin.

[10] Archpriest Milosh Velimirovich as a respectable and proven patriot, had to flee twice with the members of his family in the Bulgarian occupation zone. He was in a refugee camp with his family in Krushevac until the end of the war.

[11] Velimir Velimirovich, Milutin’s younger brother, the ninth child, and fourth son of archpriest Milosh and Helen Velimirovich, born in Pirot in 1895, died in Split in 1971, matriculated in 1914. The withdrawal in 1915 found him in the position of a teacher in the village Chetirc, near Kumanovo. He passed through Albania with his brother Milutin.

[12] They declared, as Velimirovich wrote later, that before going to the front they couldn’t leave the solders with whom they had exercised the whole summer and with whom they had become close. All of the 75 Czech officers went to Dobrudza. They fought bravely, and eight of them were killed. After the war all of them had been decorated with the medals of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, the survivals or the members of their families had been awarded the medals by general Stevan Hadžić personally, the former commander of the First Serbian Division of Volunteers, the Military Minister at the time.

[13] A telegram from general Zajonchkovsky addressed to colonel Hadzich has been read. „I had the great honor of being introduced to Master Imperator on 20.08.1916. His Majesty ordered me to give His ruler’s salute to the division entrusted to you, and I am very happy to inform you about this mercy on the ruler’s part. Master Imperator remembered the inspection of your division with pleasure. Zajonchkovsky.”

[14] The veterinarian, Velimirovich In his novel Terrible Years (published in 1953) described him: „All of who arrived from Corfu were divided into two groups - officers and non officers. Among non officers were students of medicine together with sub officers and orderlies. Only Mika who gained his nickname Foki very soon belonged to the officers. He had already travelled in the past to Russia in order to get horses. An agile and skilled to do anything – to make an acquaintance, to introduce people, to provide everything required by the senior officers – he knew how to tell tales and to fascinate his collocutor in ten minutes. When he made a new acquaintance with some Russian, near the end of their conversation he would already be on „per tu“ relationship with him. He would embrace and laugh. Very soon that Russian would invite Mika to his home. As Mika was well dressed and always accompanied by officers, and as he always paid the whole bill in restaurants, which the officers would compensate him immediately upon leaving the restaurants, it was thus believed (in Odessa) among the Russians that Mika was a Serbian prince. Judging by epaulets it was obvious that he did not have an officer’s rank and that he was always in the company of senior officers paying for everything! In restaurants „At the Rabin’s” and „Fanconi”, where the noble people gathered, Serbian officers were regular guests. To kill the time they were very interested in Mika’s adventures, thus some paid him special attention for jovial reasons and gave him money to pay. Gradually Mika accepted the role of a prince. Leaving the restaurant he would summon a waiter loudly, take out large bills, and give him a bit tip. slowly putting on his gloves and as the waiter lighted his cigarette, he would leave, smiling and nodding his head gently to the guests.“

[15] According to the Rule about the Landing on the Danube, which had been signed by rear admiral Vesjolkin, the embarking and the transport of troupes were under the supervision of the naval officers. Smoking was absolutely forbidden in rooms which were used for accommodation, as well as in the other interior premises of the building, being permitted only on the upper deck, on the leeward side, but in the presence of solders on duty (fireguards) which will have cans full of river water. The cigarette remains had to be throwing into the river from the deck, but only on the leeward side. It was also forbidden to approach and lean on the railing.

[16] They sailed in in October 1915. Year, and joined the Danube flotilla of admiral Vesjolkin.

[17] He was sent from Corfu, too.

[18] Long live! (In Rumanian language)

[19] Long live! (In Serbian language)

[20] Long live great Serbia (In Rumanian language)

[21] Stanojevich also arrived with the First field hospital in Cherna Voda, the place which bears the same name today.

[22] Stanojevich: … a big and beautiful bridge across the Danube, with the railway route Backrest – Constance on the Black Sea.