Appeal for information – Young Serbian boy rescued by French aviator Marcel Thirouin and his dog Flock (1915–1917)

I am conducting historical research on the French aviator Sous-Lieutenant Marcel Gaston Marie Thirouin (1884–1969) and a young Serbian boy he is said to have rescued during the Great War, together with his dog Flock.

Contemporary French newspapers and magazines from 1916–1917 recount the story of a Serbian boy (approximately 10–12 years old) whose family was killed during the war. He is referred to under several name variants: Sinichal, Sinicks, and Simchal. Some accounts mention that Thirouin transported him towards Albania and that the boy later arrived or was schooled in France.

I am looking for any information that could help identify this boy after 1916–1917:

• Full name or another spelling / later French name
• School, military, civil, marriage or death records
• Photographs, letters, diaries, family papers
• Mentions in veterans’ associations or in the Thirouin family archives
• Any family testimony concerning a Serbian boy taken in by a French airman

Even a small lead would be greatly appreciated. Please indicate the source of any information.

Personal details of living descendants will not be published without their consent.

Thank you in advance.

Predrag Torbica

President of the local section of Smederevska Palanka

Association of War Volunteers 1912–1918, their descendants and sympathizers

Smederevska Palanka, Serbia

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection (https://velikirat.nb.rs)

WWI Postcard, published by Andra Popović from Belgrade.

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection (https://velikirat.nb.rs)

A couple of years ago I picked up the In Storms of Steel from amazon and ended up getting this version. i quite enjoyed the book but I was wondering if anyone has any extra information or if there were any reviews of this translation, I haven't been able to find much about it. I'm not even sure which edition of of Junger's original this translates. Any information would be highly appreciated.

From the wartime photoalbum of major Andra Popović

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection (https://velikirat.nb.rs)

Somehow, this ended up in a small ww2 Canadian ephemera lot i picked up recently. Would anybody be able to ID the signature as well?

Found this little guy at a Legacy stall this morning and couldn’t resist bringing him home 🥹🧸

It’s Legacy Week here in Australia at the moment. Legacy is a charity that has supported the families of Australian veterans and service personnel for more than a century, so these bears are sold as part of their fundraising.

From what I can work out, he appears to be dressed as a trooper of the 5th Australian Light Horse Regiment, judging by the red and light blue colour patches on his sleeves.

I love all the tiny details on his uniform and equipment, especially the bandolier and riding boots 😍 Thought some people here might appreciate him too !

For those who know Australian Light Horse uniforms better than I do, how accurate are the details ? Is there anything else on him that specifically identifies the 5th ?

Serbian soldier of the 3rd line guarding the bridge under the shelter made of an old bed in the village of Dobrun, Bosnia. Sometime after 1918. Photo by Risto Šuković.

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection (https://velikirat.nb.rs)

https://youtu.be/w2NTKGIcevE

Found this in my Grandfather's papers - I need help with the location on the back. I can make out "field hospital 27 at" and "Germany 1919" but can't figure out the location. The hosptial (according to the internet) was always stationed in Tours, France. Any thoughts?

The supply section of a unit, with two-wheeled carts called "agava", probably in the Maglenica valley in the rear of the front of the Serbian II Army.

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection ([https://velikirat.nb.rs\](https://velikirat.nb.rs))

I am a young amateur historian/author working on a narrative history covering the opening campaigns on the Western Front, mainly from the Siege of Liege to the beginning of the great retreat. As WW1 aficionados, what sort of things do you look for in a good book on the subject?

My aim is to balance sweeping prose with rigorous historical research, and bring some of the lesser known figures to life. Let me know what you all think!

Additionally if you have suggestions for research and angles to take, it would be much appreciated.

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection ([https://velikirat.nb.rs\](https://velikirat.nb.rs))

How many of you read the lesser known novels that were written during the war or up into the 1930s? Books such as 'Over the Top' by Arthur Guy Empey, the 'Army Boys' series by Homer Randall, or the 'Over There' series by Captain George H. Ralphson to name just a few. I've collected several of these over the past several decades. The writing styles are definitely different than most, especially current styles, yet they have an appeal.

H.R.H. Prince Alexander with the officers observes the Bulgarian positions at Čeganj mountain, Kajmakčalan, Macedonia.

Photo by Risto Šuković

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection ([https://velikirat.nb.rs\](https://velikirat.nb.rs))

My cousin bought this miniature bayonet-style letter opener today, and we’re hoping someone may be able to help identify it.

One side of the blade is engraved “YPRES”, suggesting it may have been produced as a First World War battlefield or commemorative souvenir.

It has wooden grip scales with two metal rivets, a hooked quillon, and what appears to be a small circular maker’s stamp near the guard. We have not been able to work out what the stamp represents.

Does anyone recognise the maker’s mark or this particular style of letter opener?

We would especially like to know:

- whether it appears to be an authentic period souvenir or a later reproduction

- approximately when and where it may have been made

- whether it was commercially manufactured or possibly trench art

- what the circular maker’s stamp signifies

I’ve included photographs of both sides and a close-up of the stamp. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I posted the following in r/silentfilm. They were very helpful, but could not identify the film I am trying to remember. They suggested J'Accuse, a 1919 antiwar film. It is not the one I am looking for. They suggested trying here.

Can anyone help me Identify this film?

I've been trying for decades to identify a silent film that I saw on television in the United States many decades ago, probably in the 1960s or 1970s. I have been searching for it on and off for years without success.

What I remember:

• It was a genuine silent film, not a later film made in a silent style.
• I believe it was French, or at least had French intertitles.
• The setting was World War I, with trench warfare prominently depicted.
• The main character was a French officer (or what I remember as a French officer).
• A major theme was the officer's psychological suffering. He seemed to be under great stress both from the realities of trench warfare and from living up to the reputation of his father.
• The father was believed to have been a hero in an earlier war, which I think was the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, although I am less certain about that detail than the others.
• There was a recurring visual motif involving a bottle of aspirin. I distinctly remember repeated shots of a stoppered bottle with a short neck and flanged top. The label simply read "L'ASPIRINE." The bottle seemed to symbolize the officer's headaches, stress, or emotional suffering.
• Near the end of the film there was a scene involving the father carrying a flag forward across a battlefield. My memory is that this scene undermined rather than confirmed the father's legendary reputation. In other words, the film revealed that the father had not been the great hero he was believed to be.
• I do not recall flashbacks, comedy, court-martial scenes, or a romantic plot.
• I do not think the film reached the end of World War I.
• I do not remember the officer dying at the end.
• Unfortunately, I do not remember the title, and I remember very little of the intertitles apart from the recurring "L'ASPIRINE" bottle.

Because many decades have passed, I recognize that some details may be imperfectly remembered. However, I am highly confident about the following elements: the silent-film format, the World War I trench setting, the officer protagonist, the recurring aspirin-bottle motif, and the theme of a son's burden under a father's supposed military glory.

Does this description suggest a specific French silent film to anyone?

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Stuart and some Serbian ladies who aided them in distributing relief, including the wife of Prof. Popović, Miss Selesković and Mr Karaulić. Belgrade, 1916.

Im trying to make a charater.

Courtesy of the National Library of Serbia, Great War Collection (https://velikirat.nb.rs)