Stanislav "Staško" Sondermajer (5 September 1898 – 5 August 1914) was the youngest Serbian soldier killed at the beginning of the First World War during the Battle of Cer; he died on the battlefield at the age of 15.[1]
Stanislav Sondermayer was born on 5 September 1898 in Belgrade, in 1914 he was a sixth-grade student of the Second Belgrade Secondary School. He was the youngest of the Sondermayer family, son of surgeon Colonel Dr Roman Sondermajer, founder and director of the Serbian Army Medical Service, and of Stanislava Đurić Sondermayer, volunteer nurse in both Balkan wars, daughter of General Dimitrije Đurić and grand-daughter of Dimitrije Matić. His siblings Tadija and Vladimir, were both junior officers at the outbreak of the war, having both served in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 (Vladimir only 4 years older than Stanislav had been decorated with a silver medal for courage) while his sister Jadviga was a volunteer nurse.[1]
War service and deathedit
When war broke out on 12 July 1914, the men were preparing to go to the front following the Austro-Hungarian invasion; Stanislav eager to join the army to defend his homeland stood before his father seeking a blessing to go but his father refused as Stanislav was still too young.
Stanislav ran away from home to the border, he was taken in by a local volunteer group somewhere near Šabac; an experienced rider, he managed to enter the service in the Third Cavalry Regiment on July 16 under the command of Colonel Peter Savatic.[2]
He participated in the Battle of Cer where he was fatally wounded on August 5, during a charge on the Austro-Hungarian corps near the village of Dobrić, exactly one month before his sixteenth birthday.[1]
Legacyedit
Stanislav Sondermajer's grave in Bogosavac
After the battle the women from the village of Bogosavac found his body and brought him back to the village to be buried; a diary wrapped in a handkerchief with Stanislav's notes was found on him. In them, he wrote about the death of his mother, two days after the mobilization, and his feelings from being at the front. His body was buried in the center of the village where a monument was later erected to the young hero. Isidora Sekulić wrote the song Tihestrofe, dedicated to Stanislav Sondermajer, while Historian prof. Miodrag Ibrovac, who was also his classmate, wrote:
A heartfelt regret, young, and so famous, the little hero of the Third Cavalry Regiment is living an eternal dream in the field of honour.
— Miodrag Ibrovac
On August 5, 2011, the remains of Stanislav were reburied in Bogosavac, after a memorial prayer service.
Bojan Pajic (2019). Our Forgotten Volunteers: Australians and New Zealanders with Serbs in World War One. Australian Scholarly Publishing. ISBN978-1-925801-44-6.
Jovo Simišić (2018). Sondermajers - patriots and heroes. Politika.
Further readingedit
Obituary (in Serbian)
The youngest hero of the Battle of Cer (in Serbian)
Exhibition about Sondermajer family in Loznica (in Serbian)
A little hero (in Serbian)
January 01, 1970
stanislav, sondermajer, stanislav, staško, sondermajer, september, 1898, august, 1914, youngest, serbian, soldier, killed, beginning, first, world, during, battle, died, battlefield, stanislav, staško, sondermajernative, nameСтанислав, Сондермајерborn, 1898, s. Stanislav Stasko Sondermajer 5 September 1898 5 August 1914 was the youngest Serbian soldier killed at the beginning of the First World War during the Battle of Cer he died on the battlefield at the age of 15 1 Stanislav SondermajerStanislav Stasko SondermajerNative nameStanislav SondermaјerBorn 1898 09 05 5 September 1898Belgrade Kingdom of SerbiaDied5 August 1914 1914 08 05 aged 15 Dobric Kingdom of SerbiaAllegianceArmy of the Kingdom of SerbiaService wbr branch Kingdom of SerbiaYears of service1914Battles warsWorld War I Battle of Cer Contents 1 Early life 2 War service and death 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 Sources 6 Further readingEarly life editStanislav Sondermayer was born on 5 September 1898 in Belgrade in 1914 he was a sixth grade student of the Second Belgrade Secondary School He was the youngest of the Sondermayer family son of surgeon Colonel Dr Roman Sondermajer founder and director of the Serbian Army Medical Service and of Stanislava Đuric Sondermayer volunteer nurse in both Balkan wars daughter of General Dimitrije Đuric and grand daughter of Dimitrije Matic His siblings Tadija and Vladimir were both junior officers at the outbreak of the war having both served in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913 Vladimir only 4 years older than Stanislav had been decorated with a silver medal for courage while his sister Jadviga was a volunteer nurse 1 War service and death editWhen war broke out on 12 July 1914 the men were preparing to go to the front following the Austro Hungarian invasion Stanislav eager to join the army to defend his homeland stood before his father seeking a blessing to go but his father refused as Stanislav was still too young Stanislav ran away from home to the border he was taken in by a local volunteer group somewhere near Sabac an experienced rider he managed to enter the service in the Third Cavalry Regiment on July 16 under the command of Colonel Peter Savatic 2 He participated in the Battle of Cer where he was fatally wounded on August 5 during a charge on the Austro Hungarian corps near the village of Dobric exactly one month before his sixteenth birthday 1 Legacy edit nbsp Stanislav Sondermajer s grave in Bogosavac After the battle the women from the village of Bogosavac found his body and brought him back to the village to be buried a diary wrapped in a handkerchief with Stanislav s notes was found on him In them he wrote about the death of his mother two days after the mobilization and his feelings from being at the front His body was buried in the center of the village where a monument was later erected to the young hero Isidora Sekulic wrote the song Tihestrofe dedicated to Stanislav Sondermajer while Historian prof Miodrag Ibrovac who was also his classmate wrote A heartfelt regret young and so famous the little hero of the Third Cavalry Regiment is living an eternal dream in the field of honour Miodrag Ibrovac On August 5 2011 the remains of Stanislav were reburied in Bogosavac after a memorial prayer service See also editRoman Sondermajer Tadija SondermajerReferences editCitations edit a b c Jovo Simisic 2018 Bojan Pajic 2019 p 242 Sources edit Bojan Pajic 2019 Our Forgotten Volunteers Australians and New Zealanders with Serbs in World War One Australian Scholarly Publishing ISBN 978 1 925801 44 6 Jovo Simisic 2018 Sondermajers patriots and heroes Politika Further reading editObituary in Serbian The youngest hero of the Battle of Cer in Serbian Exhibition about Sondermajer family in Loznica in Serbian A little hero in Serbian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stanislav Sondermajer amp oldid 1036918862, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
