6 April 1941

We started our work in Serbia back in 1936 but our office in Belgrade was officially opened in 1940. For all these years we worked together with the people here, sharing the moments of happiness and some of sorrow. Today, we are remembering 6 April 1941, when the World War II started in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

That is why, today, after 70 years, for the very first time, we are opening our archives and presenting you with excrept from the report that the first Director of British Council here, David Shillan, wrote after that tragic day, presenting his personal experience.

Here it goes...

The first page of D. Shillan's report (British Council Serbia Archive)

REPORT

EVACUATION FROM BELGRADE

1941

At mid-day on Saturday, 5th April, I received by telephone instructions from Legation to be ready in half-an-hour to go to Athens. On being assured that I could be back well within twenty-four hours, I was prepared to go. Leaving a few instructions with Thom (Registrar of the Institute), I joined the Athens party, which included the daughters of the Yugoslav Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs. It was not possible to get beyond Salonika that night. Leaving at dawn on Sunday, 6th April, we landed at Tatoi, Athens, at about 7 a.m. and were told that Germany had begun war against Yugoslavia.

The flight back to Belgrade, non-stop, took 3 hours and was uneventful except when parts of the plane were hit by bullets first from Greeks on the ground, later by Yugoslavs, and then a Yugoslav “Blenheim” was responsible, evidently using this means of pointing out that there was a war on and that we should keep out of the way of it. Coming round the back of Avala I saw a pall of smoke rising from behind the palace on the top of Dedinje. The Yugoslav pilot, Milovanovic, made a neatly inconspicuous landing at Zemun, which we found intact, if deserted, and with three Yugoslav fighters lying on it, two pancaked and one burnt out.

The second raid was just over. I had to establish contact in Belgrade before the next one began. The telephone was not working. Most of the Air Force personnel were in their shelter stations in caves.

"Albanija" building where British Council (Yugoslav-British Institute) offices were located on the first floor (British Council Serbia Archive)

The drive into Belgrade across the King Alexander bridge gave an idea of the damage done so far. The Albanija (seat of the Yugoslav-British Institute – British Council) was even more prominent than usual owing to the hits scored all around it – it remained undamaged to the end, except for broken windows. Dead were lying prominently in streets and squares. Outside the blazing War Ministry a group of officers and men were waiting with packing cases for the lorries to attempt to save something from the wreck. All the central Ministries were already badly damaged, but more was in store for them. Our office looked badly shaken. Our Consulate windows were shuttered. The Legation street, hitherto always full of cars, and lately lorries too, was deserted. I was too late.

There was no difficulty in getting in. Everything was gaping open. Someone called me to the side door and down to the shelter. The next attack was coming. Bajic, the temporary messenger at the Institute (British Council), appeared and was relieved to find me alive. He had stayed in the Institute through one raid.

(…)

At about 5.30 p.m the car appeared. I begged for five minutes to drive me by my house and see Mrs. Vidakovic, Directress of Studies at the Institute (British Council). She had, of course, already made up her mind to stay whatever happened. A bomb had fallen outside the gate of her house. She came down the garden to meet me, told me that she and her daughter were all right, but that her old mother-in-law partly for whose sake she was staying, was in avery bad state of nerves.

We greeted each other and we had to part.

(CONTINUED)

D. Shillan