SUBOTICA RED CROSS HISTORY

The Inaugural Assembly of Subotica Red Cross, which was called upon by then district prefect Mr. AUREL JANKOVIC, was held on April 11th, 1886. The Society, however, existed earlier, because the town head Mr. LAZAR MAMUŽIC in his report for the year 1885 mentiones 19 associations in the town, among which there is also Red Cross with 450 members. The establishment of Subotica Red Cross was especially supported by then MP from Subotica Mr. IMRE IVANKA, actualy from Budapest, who was the member of administration of the state Red Cross.

In October 1886 on a meeting held in Subotica, Imre Ivanka announced that Red Cross is to establish a hospital for the wounded in Subotica, which would be situated on the railway station. The hospital was finished in two years.

At first, Red Cross prepared a party almost every year, usually a concert with dancing. The first Red Cross Ball was held in 1887. On these occasions the outstanding guests gave donations and their names would be published in the newspapers. As far as the number of members was concerned, the Red Cross was one of the stronger organizations in Subotica. Thus in 1885 it had 450 members, in 1886 - 499, and in 1888 - 518 members. There is no data for other years. Since 1900 until 1912 in the examined newspapers there was no news about the Red Cross of Subotica, as if it comletely disappeared.

Immediately after the war was announced, on July 30th , 1914, a Red Cross meeting was held in the Main Hall of the Town Hall on which the president ĐERĐ ŠANTA, PhD announced that Red Cross was establishing two hospitals for the wounded soldiers. During the war, the collections of money and goods donations were an every day occasion but special collection days were organized as well. In years 1914 and 1915 concertes and other performances were held for the benefit of the wounded or soldiers at the battlefields. At the beginning of the war in 1914 the Emperor established a special Red Cross medal, which was delivered as an acknowledgement for patriotic and humanitarian work. With this medal many citizens of Subotica were decorated in the years that followed.

The first actions of the Red Cross in period between the two world wars are recorded in Subotica newspapers already in 1918 and they followed the activity of Red Cross which lasted during World War I. The Red Cross on several occasions invited the wounded and sick soldiers to apply for free treatments in the hospital of doctor ĐERĐ ŠANTA, in then 174 Lenkei Street, where there was Red Cross office during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Immediately after the war, the most active is the Russian Red Cross Society within the Kingdom of SCS (Board for Subotica and Palic), which organizes concerts and tea parties so that donations are collected for feeding and curing of the Russian refugees, winter clothes for poor Subotica children, for relief for the war disabled and unemployed Russians.

The 50th aniversary of Red Cross was celebrated in 1926 and that occasion was used also to suplement the rules of the Kingdom of SCS Red Cross Society, which were adopted in 1923.

The first local boards in the villages around Subotica were established in 1930. in Bajmok, Cantavir, Horgoš, Tavankut and Žednik. The boards work together with the Youth organizations and Sokol detachment.

The number of regular members had grown in 1935 to 498 and helping members to 1.111. The last Annual Assembly before occupation should have been held on February 23rd, 1941 in Law School facilities, but there is no evidence that it was held.

During the period between 1941 and 1944 the Administration of the Hungarian Red Cross of Subotica was changed, and the leading persons of the oganization became the people whom the occupier trusted. During occupation, Red Cross helped Yugoslav soldiers who were held prisoners of war in Germany, organized nurses' courses and held various parties, usually for the purpose of opening a new hospital.

The Yugoslav Red Cross was renewed in 1944 in Drvar, on the military medics' suggestion, by decission of the National committee of liberation of Yugoslavia.

In Subotica, the Red Cross Society was established on February 10th, 1945. After the liberation, the increase of the number of members was one of the important tasks. The Main Assembly of the Area board of Red Cross in Subotica was held on October 11th, 1945. At that time, the Society in the area had 3.866 members and in 1947 the number of the members increased to 4.266 and the Youth organization to 8.273 members. District and Town boards of Red Cross Society held on May 11th, 1947 the grand opening of the social hall in their center in Šenoina Street. Since then until today, The Subotica Red Cross has organized numerous actions from various areas. Now, the headquarters of this humanitarian organization in Subotica is 3, trg Žrtava Fašizma.