The youngest soldier in first world war

 Momcilo Gavric (1 May 1906 – 28 April 1993) was the youngest known soldier in the First World War who was accepted into his unit at the age of seven and promoted to the rank of Corporal at the age of eight.

 

He was born in Trbusnica, near Loznica, on the slopes of the mountain Gu?evo, as the eighth child of eleven, in the family of Alimpije and Jelena Gavric.

At the beginning of August 1914, Austro-Hungarian soldiers of the 42nd Croatian Home Guard Infantry Division maimed and hanged his father, mother, grandmother, three sisters, and four brothers. His house was also set on fire. Momcilo survived because he was not at home when it happened. His father had sent him to his uncle earlier.

 

Left without family and without a home, Momcilo went to find the 6th Artillery Division of the Serbian army near Gucevo at the time. Major Stevan Tucovic, brother of Dimitrije Tucovic, accepted Gavric into his unit after hearing about what had happened and assigned Milos Misovic, a soldier in the unit, to be Gavric's caretaker. The same evening, he took revenge by showing his unit the location of the Austro-Hungarian soldiers and participated in the bombardment, as told by his son Branislav Gavric in an interview.

 

At the age of 8, after the Battle of Cer, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal by the commander of his unit and given a military uniform.

 

When his unit was sent to Thessaloniki, Major Tucovic sent him to Sorovits, where he hastily went through the equivalent of four elementary education grades.

 

In Kajmakcalan, Field Marshal Misic was stunned when he saw a uniformed ten-year-old boy in the trenches. Major Tucovic explained the situation to him that Gavric had been with them since the Battle of Cer and had been taught discipline and wounded during his time in the unit. Misic promoted Gavric to Lance Sergeant, and the order was read out to the whole division.

Momcilo Gavric