Momcilo Gavric

The Boy Soldier of the First World War.





In August 1914, Austro Hungarian soldiers entered Momcilo's village and hanged his father, mother, grandmother, his three sisters and four brothers then burned his house to the ground. Momcilo survived because he was not at home when it happened.





Left with nothing, Momcilo wandered the forests near Gucevo. He was later found by units of the 6th Serbian artillery. He was taken to Major Stevan Tucovic who after hearing his story assigned Momcilo as a caretaker within the unit.





The next evening, Gavric showed his unit the location of the Austro Hungarian soldiers, and participated in the encirclement and massacre of the perpetrators. After the Battle of Cer, at the age of eight, he was promoted by the commander of his unit to the rank of Corporal and

given a military uniform.





At the battle of Kajmakcalan, Serbian Field Marshal Misic was utterly stunned when he saw a uniformed ten year old boy fighting in the trenches. Major Tucovic explained the situation to him that Gavric had been with them since the Battle of Cer, and that he had also been wounded during his service with the unit. Marshal Misic promoted Gavric to Lance Sergeant and the order was read out to the whole division.





















After the war Major Tucovic ensured that Gavric would receive aid from a British mission which was helping war orphans in Serbia. He was sent to England to be educated in Kent. Momcilo graduated in 1921 and returned to his homeland that same year.



In 1929. while working in Belgrade, he received a letter of conscription and told to report at the military barracks in Slavonska. He reported that he had already served in the war and had been wounded receiving the Albanian Commemorative Medal. However, the Royal Yugoslav Army did not believe his story and sentenced him to three months imprisonment for refusing to serve.



After his sentence was served he returned to Belgrade, where he worked in the Vapa paper mill. In 1943 during the German occupation, both Gavric and his employer were sent to the concentration camp at Banjica. However a Police Superintendent expressed his favoritism towards the boy hero of the Great War and made arrangements to have him released.



Immediately after the war, Momcilo was arrested by the newly established Communist regime on the charges of collaboration. As luck would have it his case was actually investigated and he avoided persecution.