Northern Serbia

I left Valjevo to spend the last couple of days in northern Serbia. Before leaving, I spent the morning at the National Museum Valjevo, which, unsurprisingly, focuses on WW1, given that the city played a central role in the early Austrian offensives.

This is General Živojin Mišić's office, and there is a fine modern statue of him in the city centre. He commanded the First Serbian army in the Battle of Kolubara, an astonishing Serbian victory when they were on the last-ditch defensive line. 

The museum also remembers the Scottish Women's Hospital, based in the town. 

I drove around the Kolubara battlefield on my way north. Not a lot to see unless you count the bridge over the river that was used in the film Kelly's Heroes. You would not drive a tank over it today!

Next was Petrovaradin, the largest Vauban-style fortress in the Balkans and the site of Prince Eugene's victory over the Ottomans in 1716. We did this as a display game at Claymore in 2006, and still have both armies. There have been some improvements since my last visit, particularly at the museum, but there must be many tunnels below to explore.

I spent today in Belgrade. I have been several times, but will never tire of the Kalemegdan fortress and the military museum.

The museum itself is excellent, covering all of Serbia's military history.  It is supplemented by an astonishing collection of tanks and artillery outside. The pre-war Yugoslav army had some obscure weaponry, to which you can add all the types the Axis brought to the Balkans. 

Not many Polish tankettes around

There must be around 100 pieces of artillery from early bombards to the modern period. I'll put more on the website, but the collection is outstanding.

105mm Horska Houfnice

75/27 Deport

Breda 20mm

After browsing the bookshops, I went to the National Museum, which was under refurbishment on my last visit.

A very useful section on the early Serbian states for a current project, and some useful historical paintings.

This is either poorly proportioned, or this is a fat Hussar on a horse too small for him!

My only disappointment was not visiting the CWGC cemetery, which closes at 4pm. They don't usually close, but I suspect they are worried about graffiti and the like.

PS.

I did get into the cemetery the following morning on my way to the airport. There is a code for the padlock on the GWGC website. The cemetery is immaculate, as they usually are. 481 soldiers, sailors and aircrew are buried here. 355 from the UK, but others from the Commonwealth and other allies, including Poland. Most are aircrew shot down over Yugoslavia, but they include 77 soldiers and 56 sailors killed in raiding operations on the Dalmatian coast.

Polish aircrew

My local regiment, the Highland Light Infantry, was the defence battalion on Vis.

Užice

 After an overnight stay in Valjavo in Western Serbia, I drove south through the mountains to Užice, a city about 90km away. This is terrain hard-fought over in both World Wars and tough going for an attacker. The mountains are not particularly high, similar to the west coast of Scotland, but with very few level routes - zig zags much of the way.

The city is famous as Tito's first partisan base. In 1941, after Nazi occupation, Užice was liberated by the Yugoslav Partisans, who chose it as the capital of the Republic of Užice. It didn't last long after facing a multi-pronged Axis attack. The partisans delayed the attack for long enough for the main force to escape to Bosnia.

The National Museum in the city has a wide range of exhibits covering this period, and they have opened some of the caves used to manufacture arms and ammunition, including 2.7 million rifle bullets. There is also a rare statue of Tito.

A French Hotchkiss tank was captured from the Germans, who used a lot of them in the Balkans.

The city was part of an early Serbian state after the Slavs infiltrated the Balkans in the 6th century. Nikola Altomanović built the stone tower, while the rest of the fortified complex was most likely made of wood. The fortress remained Serbian until 1459, when it was conquered by the Ottomans, who developed it; the crenellations in the reconstructed upper town date to that period. The Austrians gained the fortress in the early 18th century, but lost it to the Ottomans in 1738.

The best view is from the river below. However, you can drive up and visit the castle, just don't expect Mrs Google to get the route correct. She took me all around the narrow residential streets. A very knowledgeable guide greeted the weary travellers. They have done an excellent job with the reconstruction and hope to do more with the lower town.

This is the view from the river, and it's stunning.

And this is from a viewing position at the base of the upper town.

The main tower

After that, I decided to go back to Valjavo on a different route, which took me past the partisan memorial at Kadinjača. On 29 November 1941, the Battle of Kadinjača was fought here. A workers' battalion fought and died against the German assault on the Republic of Užice. The memorial is huge with great views, but sadly, the museum was closed. If I understood the notice, it was due to a contaminated water supply.

The route back runs along the Bosnian border, where the main Austrian attack came from in 1914. I'll leave you with a photo near the border that gives a good impression of the terrain. Over those distant mountains lies Srebrenica, a reminder of a more recent conflict in these hills.

Grocka and Smederevo

 I am in Serbia this week. After the usual car hire faff at Belgrade Airport, I headed for the Danube. First stop was Grocka, the site of the decisive battle of the Austro-Ottoman War 1737-39. I say decisive because it led the Austrians to agree to a peace treaty that returned much of Prince Eugene's gains from earlier in the century. However, the battle itself was only a score draw to the Ottomans.

In 1739, the village of Grocka was much smaller, and there has been development on the hills before the village and much more on the site of the Ottoman camp on the hills behind. The period map was drawn by someone who was there and looks reasonably accurate. The hills the Ottomans held are significant, and it would have been challenging to dislodge them. Sadly, nothing to mark the battle that I could find. Ottoman victories are rarely marked in the Balkans, with the arguable exception of Kosovo. More than 10,000 soldiers died here; they deserve better.

The hills on the right were the main Ottoman positions. I suspect the road into the village and the land on either side are flatter than they used to be. Contemporary notes describe it as a defile, and the top of the hill is narrow.

The river is now a stream, and the main Ottoman camp was in the hills in the background

I went a bit further down the river to the fortress at Smederevo. There is only one word for this site: enormous. The fortress is encircled by 1.5 kilometres of crenellated walls over 2 metres thick and 25 towers, each approximately 25 metres tall. It was built between 1427 and 1430 by Despot Đurađ Branković, the ruler of the Serbian Despotate, a buffer state between the Ottomans and Hungarians. It was further developed by the Ottomans after they captured it in 1459.

I last visited this site in the 1990s, and the half-collapsed tower on the railway station side still looks as if it's about to fall over. I parked well away.

Some restoration work has been done, and most of the damage was done by German ammo going off inside during WW2. Still an outstanding site to visit.

If you have the time, I would also recommend going further down the Danube to Golubac Castle. I didn't have time as I was driving right across Serbia to the western mountains for my stop in Valjevo. However, I have been there before, and it is a fabulous site right on the river. 

Brougham Castle

 I was heading south for the Partisan show and decided to take a break at Brougham Castle, which is on the A66 near Penrith. The staff will be quick to tell you that it is pronounced 'brum' or 'broom', one of those strange quirks of the English language.

The site was originally a Roman fort called Brocavum, as it was on the intersection of three Roman roads. The medieval castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century, on land (Barony of Westmorland) granted to him by King John. He built the stone keep, but the walls would have been wooden palisades. 

As the male descendants died out, the castle came into the possession of the powerful Clifford family. Their lands and castles are scattered across northern England. He built stone walls and the outline you can see today.

All was well until my ancestors, the wicked Scots, arrived after Bannockburn. Clifford was killed in the battle, and the castle was wrecked in several raids. It was partially rebuilt and garrisoned in several civil wars, but never really recovered.

When George Clifford died in 1605, his wife Margaret became dowager countess and began repairing Brougham Castle, which became her favoured residence. You can see the Tudor influences in the windows and some of the stonework inside.

It was a cavalier castle during the War of the Three Kingdoms, and was slighted by Parliamentary forces commanded by John Lambert. It has been a ruin ever since. It is still a picturesque ruin in a lovely spot by the river. Well worth a visit.

Perth Museum

 I was working in Dundee last week and took the opportunity to visit the redeveloped Perth Museum on the way home. The museum opened in 2024 after a £27 million redevelopment project. The centrepiece is the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, one of Scotland and the UK’s most significant historical objects. Returning to Perthshire for the first time in over 700 years, having previously been at Westminster Abbey, and briefly at Edinburgh Castle, when the UK government agreed to its return to Scotland. It returns to London for coronations.

The stone in Perth is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, when it was seized by Edward I during the First War of Scottish Independence and taken to England. Thereafter, it was used in the coronation of English and later British monarchs. You can't take photos inside the exhibition, but the story is explained in a couple of short videos, with support from knowledgeable staff.

There is an alternative story that says this is not the real stone; rather, the monks at Scone, knowing that Edward was coming for it, hid the real stone and substituted this lump of sandstone. They knew that if they simply hid the stone, Edward would be none too gentle in extracting it. There is some evidence that Edward knew he was being duped, as searchers returned later to hunt for the hidden version. I remain a sceptic that this is the real stone, but in many ways it doesn't matter. It is the idea behind the stone that is important.

The museum has other exhibits that make a visit worthwhile. This was the final week of a special exhibition showcasing the final letters of Mary Queen of Scots.

For military history, there are exhibits on Cromwell's invasion and the Perthshire Volunteers during the Napoleonic Wars.

Dundee also has plenty to see, including the Discovery, HMS Warrior, McManus Museum and Broughty Castle. The biggest redevelopment along the waterfront is the V&A Museum. Not an obvious trip for anyone interested in military history, but it does have an interesting display of Jacobite memorabilia, and some models from the Carron Ironworks, famous for the carronade.

I also made my first visit to Claypotts Castle, on the outskirts of Dundee. This is a fortified house in remarkably good condition. Its most famous owner was John Graham of Claverhouse, who died leading the victorious Jacobites at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689. Better known as Bluidy Clavers or Bonnie Dundee, depending on which side of the Jacobite line you stand.