TRH Hereditary Prince Philip, Princess Danica, Prince Stefan and Princess Marija attended yesterday the 101st anniversary of the erection of the fallen soldiers of World War I memorial fountain in the village of Baničina near Smederevska Palanka.
In 1925, Prince Philip’s great-grandfather, HM King Alexander I, attended the ceremonial unveiling of this monument and paid tribute to his fallen brothers in arms.
Thanking the hosts for their hospitality, HRH Hereditary Prince Philip said: “Baničina was already known for its steadfast faith and indomitable spirit of freedom, but also for its loyalty to the King and the Homeland.
The great hero of the First Serbian Uprising, Stanoje Stamatović Glavaš, was buried in front of the church, and following his example, many fathers of the family and their sons, sons of people’s leaders, merchants, fell in the fight for freedom.
It remains remembered that in one day, near Shkodra in 1913, 27 unmarried young men from this village died. This region has suffered a lot in every era, but it has never betrayed the code of honour.
That is why today, with my family, I came to Baničina for the first time, feeling great pride and respect, but also a duty towards the path of my great-grandfather and their sacrifice, and enjoyed the hospitality of the hosts, while my children played in the church yard with the children of these proud people from Šumadija.
Their smiles and shouts, as we gather around the heritage of our ancestors, give hope that better times are coming for those who have paid the highest price for freedom for too long.”
