Albania under Prince Wied. The Dutch Military Mission to Albania 1913-1914
(text by Robert Elsie)
Each of the Dutch officers sent to Albania in 1913-1914 to set up the gendarmerie of the newly created Albanian State
was seconded to the Balkans not only with his normal military equipment, but also - to our good fortune - with a
camera. The men recorded what they saw and experienced at a defining moment in Albanian history: the nation’s
late independence after five hundred years of Ottoman rule, the arrival of a new German sovereign to reign over his
tiny Balkan kingdom, and the country’s descent into chaos precipitated by domestic strife, the Balkan Wars and the
outbreak of World War I. Many of the photos of the Dutch officers have survived the decades to be presented here.
Most of the pictures have never been seen by the general public before.
This photo collection, first published in the album Writing in Light: Early Photography of Albania and Southwest
Balkans, Prishtina 2007, contains many unique views of a lost world, ones which are sure to captivate all those
interested in Albanian and Balkan history. We are grateful to the families of the Dutch officers, many of whom
preserved the collections of old glass slides and offered them generously for this publication. Thanks go, in
conclusion, to others who have helped make the collection available, among whom: the Netherlands Institute for
Military History (Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie) in The Hague and its documentalist Okke Groot, as well
as Durim Bani (The Hague), Jolien Berendsen-Prins of the Thomson Foundation (Groningen), Kastriot Dervishi (Tirana),
Gerda Mulder of the Nederlands Fotomuseum (Rotterdam), Harrie Teunissen (Leiden) and Richard van den Brink
(Utrecht).
History of the Dutch Military Mission
Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire from the age of the Turkish conquest of the southwestern Balkan Peninsula
in about 1390-1400 to the final collapse of the once mighty realm, then known as the Sick Man of Europe, in 1912. In
the course of these five centuries, most of the originally Christian population had converted to Islam and adopted the
customs and lifestyle of the Orient. Albanians also made a substantial contribution to the Ottoman Empire. Many
viziers, grand viziers (prime ministers) and high administrative and military figures ruling the Empire were of Albanian
origin.
It was in the last decades of the nineteenth century, a period of sharp decline in the fortunes of the Ottoman Empire,
that an Albanian national movement arose. For the first time, ethnic identity became more important among the
educated population than religious affiliation or imperial glory. The Albanians increasingly longed for autonomy and
self-determination within the Empire - the thought of political independence was as yet a distant dream. This
movement, known as Rilindja (Rebirth), crystallized in the so-called League of Prizren in the years 1878-1881. Yet
despite the awakening of a national movement, Albania was to be ruled from Constantinople for another thirty years.
In July 1908, the Ottoman Empire was finally shaken out of its lethargy by the Revolution of the Young Turks. This
internal revolt initially received substantial support from Albanian leaders in Istanbul and Thessalonica. Nonetheless,
soon after it had occurred, most educated Albanians came to realize that, with regard to demands for Albanian
autonomy within the Empire, the Young Turks were no better than the old. With none of their grievances met,
Northern Albania and Kosova were in almost constant revolt from 1909 to 1912.
Albania did not play a prominent role in the Balkan Wars that raged in the Peninsula in 1912-1913, although, as a de
facto part of the Ottoman Empire, it did not escape the conflagration. During the first Balkan War from October 1912
to May 1913, the Albanians found themselves in an extremely awkward position, between a rock and a hard place.
There had been numerous major uprisings in Albania against the Turks, but Albanian leaders were now more
concerned about the expansion of the coalition of Christian forces in Montenegro, Serbia and Greece than they were
about the weakened Ottoman military presence in their country. What they wanted was to preserve the territorial
integrity of Albania. Within two months, Ottoman forces had all but capitulated, and it was only in Shkodra and Janina
that Turkish garrisons were able to maintain position for a while. The very existence of the country was threatened.
It was at this time that Ismail Kemal bey Vlora (1844-1919), known in Albanian as Ismail Qemali, returned to Albania
with Austro-Hungarian support and declared Albanian independence in the town of Vlora on 28 November 1912.
Though this declaration of independence proved historic for the Albanian people, it was more theoretical than real.
The Montenegrins had taken Lezha and Shëngjin and were besieging Shkodra; the Serbs had seized not only Kosova
and western Macedonia, but also Elbasan, Tirana and Durrës; and the Greeks had invaded Saranda and stationed
their forces on the island of Sazan outside the Bay of Vlora. Fighting continued in and around Shkodra from March
until May 1913, by which time both Turkish and Serb troops began to withdraw from the country.
Albanian independence was given international recognition at the so-called Conference of the Ambassadors, held in
London in 1912-1913. This conference of the six Great Powers (Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia and
Italy) began its work at the Foreign Office on 17 December 1912 under the direction of the British foreign secretary,
Sir Edward Grey (1862-1933). With regard to Albania, the ambassadors had initially decided that the country would
be recognized as an autonomous state under the sovereignty of the sultan. After much discussion, however, they
reached a formal decision on 29 July 1913 that Albania would be an autonomous, sovereign and hereditary
principality by right of primogeniture, guaranteed by the six Powers. Albanian independence had thus been
recognized, even though the authority of the new Albanian provisional government, formed on 5 July 1913, did not
extend much beyond Vlora.
The new sovereign was to be designated by the six Great Powers upon the proposal of the two most-interested
nations, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Their choice fell upon the German prince, Wilhelm zu Wied (1876-1945). Prince
Wied was born of a noble protestant family in Neuwied on the Rhine, situated between Bonn and Koblenz. His
mother was Marie, Princess of Holland. An officer in the Prussian army, Wied was a cousin of the German Emperor,
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and was the nephew of Queen Elizabeth of Romania. He was married to Princess Sophie (1885-1936) of SchönburgWaldenburg in Saxony. In October 1913, the Great Powers offered him, as a compromise candidate, the throne of the
newly independent country of Albania, a land about which he knew very little at the time. On 1 November 1913, after
due reflection and imposing certain conditions of his own, Wied agreed to accept the Albanian throne, and arrived in
Durrës on 7 March 1914 aboard the Austro-Hungarian naval vessel Taurus.
The chaotic political situation both within Albania and with Albania’s neighbors made it virtually impossible for the
well-meaning prince to reign. Left to fend for himself, he received little or no financial or military backing from
abroad, in particular as a result of the outbreak of World War I. On 3 September 1914, after six months on the throne,
Wied abandoned Albania aboard the Italian vessel Misurata, though without formally abdicating. He never returned.
In July 1913, the newly recognized principality of Albania needed not only a sovereign, but also fixed borders, a
government and - what was of no small significance - a military police force to guarantee the prince’s rule and to
ensure law and order in the country. The Conference of Ambassadors resolved that public order and security should
be assured by an internationally organized gendarmerie. This police force was to be in the hands of foreign officers
who would exercise effective command and control. The officers were originally to be selected from the Swedish
army. The Kingdom of Sweden was, however, busy with a similar mission in Persia, so the choice then fell upon the
Netherlands, in particular because the country was neutral, had no direct interests in Albania, and no doubt because
it had a good deal of colonial experience in the Dutch East Indies where there was a large Muslim population. On 1
August 1913, the Dutch Government was officially requested to furnish officers to help restore order to Albania.
On 19 September of that year, after internal discussions, the Netherlands notified the International Control
Commission (ICC) that it had accepted the request and would make Dutch officers available for the mission to
Albania. The War Minister Hendrikus Colijn contacted his friend, Major Lodewijk Thomson (1869-1914), a well-known
political and military figure of the age, and inquired if he would be interested. Thomson, born in Voorschoten near the
Hague on 11 June 1869, had been a Liberal Union member of parliament for Leeuwarden between 1905 and 1912,
and had gained military experience in the Dutch East Indies (especially in northern Sumatra), as an observer in the
Boer War, and at the siege of Janina in northern Greece and in Shkodra during the first Balkan War. Before his
appointment as head of the Dutch mission to Albania could be finalized, however, the cabinet resigned, and the new
War Minister Bosboom decided that other potential candidates for the post needed to be considered. For this reason,
the definitive appointment of a head of mission was delayed, despite official agreement on an advanced secondment.
When the choice was finally made, by a Royal Decree of 20 October 1913, it fell upon Colonel Willem De Veer,
Commander of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, with Thomson of the 12th Infantry Regiment as his second-incommand. This constellation proved awkward because De Veer lacked Thomson’s organizational talent and
experience.
The advanced mission of the two Dutch officers and their two adjutants, sergeants Van Reijen and Stok, arrived on 10
November 1913 in Vlora, the seat of the provisional government and of the International Control Commission. Much
time had been wasted and they wanted to tour the country immediately to get a feel for the problems with which
they would be faced. Turkish, Serb and Montenegrin troops had withdrawn from Albania proper, but there was no
unity within the country. Much of central Albania, north of Vlora, was under the authority of Essad Pasha Toptani
(1864-1920), who has gone down in Albanian history as one of the more devious, conniving and self-interested figures
the country has ever produced. On 16 October 1913 Essad Pasha had formed his own Government of Durrës,
encompassing the coastal region from the Mat to the Shkumbin rivers.
Departing on 20 November 1913, the Dutch officers were accompanied by Melek bey Frashëri, who subsequently
became Thomson’s adjutant, and by Et’hem bey Vlora, son of Ismail Kemal. They travelled north to Fier, Berat,
Elbasan and to Tirana, where they met Essad Pasha on 25 November. Essad Pasha received them cordially although
he showed his displeasure at the presence of Et’hem bey, the son of his rival. From Durrës, De Veer and Thomson
continued on to Shkodra where they arrived on 29 November to inspect the contingents of international troops there.
In Ndërfushas, they met Prenk Bibë Doda (1858-1920), prestigious chief of the Catholic Mirdita region. After three
weeks of travel and meetings with local leaders in the north and centre of Albania, De Veer and Thomson returned to
Vlora on 9 December.
The border to the south of Albania had not been fixed and Greek troops had occupied large swaths of the country,
refusing to withdraw so long as Albania was not able to guarantee order. The International Control Commission
therefore asked the two officers to set up a military corps to establish order in the south. The Dutch Government was
duly contacted with a request for more officers. At the same time, De Veer and Thomson mustered an initial 1,000
men in Albania itself - mostly refugees in Vlora - and from Kosova and Shkodra. In its final form, the new Albanian
gendarmerie would have 5,000 men at its disposal, of whom about 800 had received proper training. On 24
December 1913, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands officially appointed De Veer as head of the new Albanian
gendarmerie corps.
In early January 1914, Albania was faced with an uprising of pro-Ottoman forces which were opposed to the
increasing Western influence in the country. In November 1913, these forces, under the influence of the Young Turks,
had offered the vacant Albanian throne to General Izzet Pasha (1864-1937), the Turkish War Minister who was of
Albanian origin. The confusion which reigned throughout the land was furthered by Izzet Pasha in his ambitions to
divide and rule, in order to gain the throne. To this end, he sent a Young Turkish officer of Albanian origin called Beqir
Grebena, known in Turkish as Bekir aga Grebenali or Bekir Fikri effendi, from Macedonia to Albania to stir up trouble
and attempt to overthrow the provisional government in a coup d’état. In Shkodra, Grebena won over the Muslim
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community who felt disadvantaged by the Austro-Hungarian Kultusprotektorat, and in Durrës he managed to gain the
confidence of Essad Pasha for a time.
At the end of the year, in support of Grebena, the Young Turks sent 375 soldiers to Vlora, in civilian disguise, many of
whom on board the Austrian steamer Meran. Syreja bey Vlora, however, caught wind of the undertaking and
informed the International Control Commission without delay. Concerned at the thought of Turkish troops landing in
Vlora, the ICC gave the Dutch officers full powers to act as they saw fit. On 6 January 1914, Thomson and De Veer
immediately incorporated the local police into the new gendarmerie, which had been originally designed to take
control of the south, and seized the telegraph and customs offices. When the Meran arrived in Vlora, they managed
to capture and disarm the 19 officers and sent the 161 soldiers via Trieste back to Istanbul. Beqir Grebena was
sentenced to death.
At the same time, Essad Pasha, who was the only person in Albania to have a self-contained army of his own, strove
to grab as much of the country as he could. On 9 January, his men tried to take Elbasan, but they were repulsed by
the governor of the town, Akif Pasha Biçaku, also known as Aqif Pasha Elbasani.
In his memorandum on Albania, published in August 1917, Prince Wied noted that “Essad Pasha and Ismail Kemal bey
were at loggerheads and were plotting against one another in every possible way. Essad, who was by far the more
important and powerful of the two, was endeavoring to expand his rule southwards to Elbasan. Using gifts and
promises, he was cunningly able to extend his influence and that of his followers and relatives. He never openly
opposed the International Commission, but rather slithered around it like an eel, constantly affirming his loyalty and
claiming that he was ever ready to serve Europe and his new sovereign. Even at that time, the reports on his behavior
from the International Commission gave rise to suspicions that he was double dealing and only had the expansion of
his power in mind. The influence of Ismail Kemal in the south was in constant decline. He lacked requisite military
backing, as opposed to Essad who could rely both on the troops he had withdrawn from Shkodra and on fresh forces.
There was no finance administration serving the interests of the country. Essad Pasha had his hands on the customs
duties in Durrës, and Ismail Kemal bey on the customs revenues in Vlora. The two had thus put the country’s main
sources of income to the service of their own personal needs. Ismail Kemal devoted a portion of the customs revenue
to caring for the refugees and to the creation of a new gendarmerie corps, but Essad Pasha refused categorically to
devote any public monies he had collected to these two expenditures, which the country so needed at the time. The
Dutch officers who, in lieu of the Swedish officers originally foreseen, had been entrusted with the task of building up
an international gendarmerie and who were devoting much energy and enthusiasm to this goal, got no support
whatsoever from Essad Pasha in central Albania. He only created difficulties for them. He hindered their work from
start to finish, making it clear that he already had a good Albanian gendarmerie. The south of Albania was a particular
problem. Greece had still not evacuated the occupied Albanian territories. Numerous bands (komitadji) led by former
Greek officers, no doubt (though not proven) supported by the Greek Government, were working towards fomenting
uprisings and chaos in the region. In the course of its activities, the International Commission recognized that the
elimination of these two powerful figures, Essad Pasha and Ismail Kemal bey, was an essential prerequisite to bringing
peace and quiet to Albania and to enabling the new sovereign to ascend the throne. They recognized that the time
was ripe to do away with Essad Pasha and Ismail Kemal bey because, in their view, the former had become too big for
his boots and the latter was responsible for serious mismanagement. This view was strengthened by their
involvement in the failed plot of the Young Turks which had endeavored to install the Turkish General Izzet Pasha as
ruler of Albania. The International Commission succeeded in persuading Ismail Kemal bey to resign from his position
as president of the “provisional government,” for which he was eminently unsuited, but Essad Pasha continued to
rule unimpeded as Head of the Executive of the Senate for Central Albania.” (1)
Ismail Kemal bey Vlora was forced to leave Albania at the demand of the International Control Commission, but the
Commission did not have enough authority to force Essad to do the same. Essad thus stayed put and only agreed to
give up government if he were allowed to lead the Albanian deputation travelling to Germany in February 1914 to
offer the Albanian throne to Prince Wied.
On 23 February 1914, the rest of the Dutch officers arrived in Vlora, two weeks before the arrival of the Prince. They
were first lieutenant Gerard Mallinckrodt, who became Thomson’s adjutant; the captains Wouter De Waal, Hugo
Verhulst, Henri Kroon, Joan Snellen van Vollenhoven, Lucas Roelfsema and Johan Sluys; and the first lieutenants Carel
De Iongh, Jetze Doorman, Jan Fabius, Julius Sonne, Hendrik Reimers and Jan Sar. Interestingly enough, part of the
equipment which each received for his tour of duty was a camera. The contingent was completed by the health
officer Tiddo Reddingius, a medical orderly sergeant J. van Vliet, and a civilian physician by the name of F. De Groot.
Before the start of their mission to Albania, all of them had been promoted by one rank.
The Dutch officers were swiftly distributed throughout the country. Sluys, Roelfsema and Sar were sent to Durrës,
Kroon and Fabius to Shkodra, Snellen van Vollenhoven and Doorman to Korça, Verhulst and Reimers to Elbasan, De
Waal and Sonne to Gjirokastra, and De Iongh remained with De Veer in Vlora.
Chaos reigned in southern Albania and Epirus in the first half of 1914. Many of the Greeks, who made up about onefifth of the population there, demanded unification with Greece. Greek troops had occupied Gjirokastra and Korça
during the second Balkan War and, despite international admonition, had been refusing to withdraw up until
February, when Austria-Hungary threatened to use force against them. In Gjirokastra, a provisional (Greek)
government for Northern Epirus was set up, which was supported politically and militarily by Jorgios Christaki
Zographos, the governor of Epirus and Greek minister of foreign affairs (1912-1915). The Greek army became more
and more actively involved in supporting groups of armed guerillas and bandits, and by mid-April 1914, Greek forces
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had seized territory up to a line running from Himara to Përmet and Leskovik. The meager forces of the Dutch officers
were hopelessly outnumbered.
In March 1914, soon after his arrival in Albania, Prince Wied appointed Thomson as general commissioner for the
south. This appointment was much to the relief of De Veer who wanted to be rid of the temperamental Thomson. On
10 March, Thomson arrived in Corfu to negotiate with Greek forces, largely overstepping his mandate. Soon
thereafter, on 6 April, Wied issued a decree for the conscription of all Albanian men aged 20 and 21. The Italian War
Minister encouraged the Prince to march on Gjirokastra, assuring him of Italian support.
The situation in the south of the country continued to be difficult. In mid-May, in an attempt to regain control of
Gjirokastra, De Waal and his men, assisted by a corps of Albanian volunteers under Çerçiz Topulli, reached the Drino
river and heard firing at the nearby Orthodox monastery of Kodra, near Tepelena. A terrible scene was discovered the bodies of 218 old people, women and children who had been massacred by Greek forces. Some of the victims,
Albanian Orthodox Christians, had been crucified, and others hacked to pieces. General De Veer reported to the ICC
about the tragic event on 10 May: “South of the village of Kodra (Hormova), I found a little church which was
undoubtedly used as a prison. In the interior the walls and the floor were washed in blood, everywhere were caps and
clothing soaked in blood. The doctor, member of the Commission of Investigation, himself saw human brains. At the
altar we found a human heart which was still bleeding. A hundred and ninety-five bodies were dug out because the
ditch they were thrown in was too shallow, so as to bury them in deeper graves; all the bodies were without heads.”
In the House of Commons in London, Aubrey Herbert (1880-1923) spoke passionately about the massacre, but
Western public opinion had had enough of Balkan atrocities and there was little reaction.
De Waal himself tried to storm Gjirokastra on 12 May with the help of a volunteer corps under Sali Butka (1857-1938),
but was cut off by Greek troops under General Papoulias.
A political agreement, the Disposition of Corfu, was reached on 17 May 1914, under which Northern Epirus would
remain part of Albania, but would be under the control of the International Control Commission. The parliament of
(Greek) Northern Epirus, however, refused to ratify the agreement, and the fighting continued well into the summer
when, on 8 July, Korça fell to Greek troops under General George Tsontos Vardhas.
Despite the arrival of Wied in Durrës, power in central Albania was firmly in the hands of Essad Pasha who had
somehow managed to have himself appointed by Wied as war minister. As such, he was bound to come into conflict
with the Dutch military mission which commanded the only officially armed troops in the country. Essad Pasha had
promised to muster 20,000 reservists to march against the Greeks, but being himself in close contact with Greek rebel
leaders, he did not keep his word.
In early May 1914, Essad Pasha withdrew discreetly to his country estate near Tirana, and soon thereafter rumours
spread of an armed rebellion in Shijak and Kruja. It was obvious to Wied and the Dutch officers that Essad Pasha had
his hand in the unrest.
Machine guns and mountain guns were delivered to Durrës from Austria to help defend the town, and Essad Pasha,
who turned up on 18 May, was intent on getting his fingers on them to hand them over to the Italian military
attachés, Muricchio and Moltedo. Johan Sluys, not trusting the Italians, insisted the cannons be manned by the
officers Klingspor and Tomjenovic who had been seconded with them to train the men how to operate them. Essad
Pasha demanded an audience with Prince Wied, whom he pressured to remove Major Sluys. As a result, the
command of the military corps in Durrës was transferred for a time to Roelfsema.
Rumours spread that Essad Pasha was housing 200 men and ammunition in his house in Durrës to prepare a coup
d’état. On the morning of 19 May 1914, Sluys surrounded Essad Pasha’s house and tried to disarm his guards. When
Klingspor fired a cannon shot, destroying part of Essad’s roof, and then another which burst into Essad’s bedroom,
the unscrupulous war minister gave up and surrendered. Wied had his minister interned on the Austro-Hungarian
warship Szigetvar which was anchored in the bay of Durrës. De Veer and Thomson arrived the next day from Vlora
with proof, in the form of coded telegrams, of Essad Pasha’s treachery and collusion with the Italians. The Italian
ambassador Baron Carlo Alberto Aliotti, however, persuaded Wied not to press charges and to exile Essad Pasha to
Italy, where the latter was received as a martyr for the Italian cause.
Essad Pasha was gone, but unrest in central Albania continued. The region around Shijak, between Durrës and Tirana,
had been settled in part by Bosnian Muslims following the Austrian occupation of Bosnia in 1878. These people were
uneasy about the fall of their Muslim Ottoman Empire and were wary of the Prince from the Christian West who had
been imposed upon their country. Whatever the reason was for the uprising in Shijak and Kavaja that began on 17
May 1914 (the exiled Essad Pasha may have been a major figure behind the scenes), it constituted a direct threat to
the administration of Wied in nearby Durrës.
General De Veer gave Roelfsema orders to take Rrashbull, an elevation a few kilometres from Durrës and strategically
important for its defence. Roelfsema and his men, mostly volunteers from Kosova under their leader Isa Boletini
(1864-1916), took the hill on 20 May and met with no resistance. Plundering ensued and, fearful of a reaction,
Roelfsema withdrew his forces. The small Dutch gendarmerie was no match for the large rebel forces which were
converging on Durrës. The situation improved, however, when a ship arrived from the north with 150 volunteers from
Catholic Mirdita and the northern mountains under Simon Doda, nephew of Prenk Bibë Doda. In order to secure
military assistance, the Prince had made Prenk the new foreign minister of the country.
On 22 May 1914, Jan Sar took the new troops under his command with 65 of his own gendarmes and set off in the
direction of Tirana with an expeditionary force to establish order. On 23 May, they passed Rrashbull and engaged the
Muslim rebels. The volunteer forces from the north, however, refused to attack the rebels because a general besa
(cease-fire) had been agreed on the occasion of Wied’s accession to the throne. When they abandoned ranks and
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fled, Sar and forty of his men were surrounded and captured. Edith Durham later wrote of this incident: “A party of
armed men, led by one of the Dutch officers, went to parley with the insurgents, and took a machine gun. Unluckily,
Captain Sar was ignorant of local customs. He and his party were unduly nervous, for when an Albanian has given his
besa (peace oath), he keeps it. Alarmed unnecessarily, he ordered his men to fire at a group of three armed men. One
escaped, fled to Shijak and spread the alarm that the Prince had begun to massacre Moslems. A number of people
rushed to aid the Shijak men, and a fight took place.” (2)
When news reached Durrës of the capture of Sar, Dutch forces prepared an expedition to free him, but the rebels had
captured Rrashbull and were already firing on Durrës with their light weapons. Roelfsema advanced with a unit, but
was surrounded and taken prisoner, too. Panic broke out in Durrës, and the royal family sought refuge on an Italian
vessel which was anchored in the bay. Ambassador Aliotti had persuaded Wied to take his family to safety there, and
once they were on board, he ordered the captain of the ship to sail farther away from the coastline, thus preventing
Wied from returning to land. This ‘flight’ severely damaged Wied’s reputation among the Albanians.
The rebels released Jan Sar that evening and sent him to Durrës to present their demands, among which were a total
amnesty and the restoration of the sultan. Wied appointed Colonel Thomson as commander of Durrës and, as there
was no more war minister, as “directeur de la force armée.” Thomson was thus the prince’s principal military advisor.
De Veer begrudgingly acceded and withdrew to Vlora on 4 June, subsequently returning to Holland.
The newly created Principality of Albania had in reality now been reduced to a modest few kilometres of territory in
and around Durrës. Thomson began constructing defence fortifications to protect the town, and brought all native
and foreign fighters in Durrës under his strict control. An artillery unit was set up under Captain Fabius, who had
returned from Shkodra, which had been occupied by international troops. The Italians were now secretly supporting
the rebels. Wied described the situation at the time as follows: “The first days of June brought irrefutable proof of the
long-held suspicion that the Italians were colluding with the rebels. On my vehement objection, the Italian
ambassador Aliotti suspended his daily automobile trips to the rebels. Instead of this, however, we now observed
secret flashing lights used by the Italians to communicate with the rebels. Thomson finally managed to catch three
Italians in the act (Captain Muricchio, Captain Moltedo and the mysterious Professor Chinigo). Documents
incriminating them were also found when they were searched. There were great problems with Italy because the
capitulations were said to have been infringed upon when the Italian mission was entered by force to arrest them.
Pointing to the capitulation law, Aliotti demanded that those under arrest be released, and released they were.
Thomson, however, repeatedly rejected Aliotti’s other demand to retract publicly the newspaper reports that the
Italians had been exchanging signals with the rebels and had been in continuous personal contact with them, insisting
that the demand was wrong and that complying with it would be incompatible with his honour as an officer: (3)
“Volontiers je donnerais ma vie au Roi, mais jamais mon honneur.” Aliotti now demanded that Thomson be sent back
to Holland, thus depriving the city of Durrës of an industrious and energetic protector. This controversy came to a
tragic end soon thereafter with the death of Thomson, which occurred on 15 June 1914 during a fierce rebel attack.”
That day, the rebels had stormed and taken Rrashbull, and two days later they were preparing to attack Durrës. Jan
Fabius, described by the Prince’s personal secretary, Duncan Heaton-Armstrong (1886-1969), as the most reckless
and dashing of the Dutch officers, was on guard at the time and woke the defendants of the town with a cannon shot
early on the morning of 17 June. Sar was sent to hold the hills to the north of town, and Roelfsema commanded the
trenches to the west, where the brunt of the attack was to occur. Thomson inspected the artillery unit and joined
Roelfsema near the petrol dump, less than three hundred metres from the enemy line. At the very start of the attack,
Thomson was hit in the chest and died of his wounds within a few minutes. Whether, as rumoured, an Italian sniper
was behind his death will never be known for certain. Prince Wied had, at any rate, lost his best man, but the
defenses of the town withstood the onslaught.
On the next day, Thomson was laid to rest in a widely attended funeral on 16 June 1914. Even a number of rebels, in
compliance with Albanian tradition and chivalry, made their way into town to attend the solemn occasion. In early
July, Thomson’s body was returned to Amsterdam aboard the cruiser Noord-Brabant and, after a lying-in-state there,
the much-lauded hero was buried in Groningen on 18 July 1914.
The political situation was not much better for the Dutch officers in the other parts of the country. Verhulst had
endeavored to reach Tirana from Elbasan, but was taken captive. Reimers, too, was taken prisoner in Elbasan. De
Iongh in Fier hoped to make use of the men of the influential Vlora family and of the landowning Vrioni family in
Berat, but Aziz Pasha Vrioni preferred to retain his fighters to defend the region from the Greeks. De Iongh set out
across the Seman river but only managed to hold out in Fier for three weeks. On 17 June, Major Kroon, who had
arrived from Lezha to succeed Thomson, attacked Rrashbull once more, but was unsuccessful.
The situation was so desperate that on 21 June 1914, Akif Pasha Biçaku sought a cease-fire with the Muslim rebels
who were led by the Melami dervish, Haxhi Qamili; the mufti of Tirana, Musa Qazimi; the sheikh of Shijak, Hamdi
Rubejka; Mustafa Ndroqi; and the one-time Turkish officer, Qamil Haxhi Fejza of Elbasan. The Dutch officers strongly
disapproved and declared that they would henceforth leave the military to others and would devote themselves to
the original purpose of their mission, which was organizing the gendarmerie. Events in Albania were, however, soon
overshadowed by the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863-1914) in Sarajevo on 28
June 1914 and the subsequent outbreak of World War I. The Dutch officers in Albania were gradually replaced by a
volunteer corps of ca. 150 German and Austrian officers who arrived in Durrës on 4 July, organized by the Austrian
sculptor Gustav Gurschner (1873-1970), who had designed Prince Wied’s uniforms and medals, and by detachments
of Romanian volunteers who arrived in Durrës on 7 and 17 July.
Page 5
Berat fell to the rebels on 12 July and Vlora was occupied without a struggle on 21 August. By mid-summer, at any
rate, with the fall of most of central Albania, public opinion in the Netherlands had it that the continued presence of
the Dutch military mission in Albania would only result in a further loss of life, and General De Veer was pressed to
tender his formal resignation and that of his men. This was done officially on 27 July 1914, one day before AustriaHungary declared war on Serbia. On 4 August, most of the officers departed and returned to the Netherlands as
quickly as they could; although, due to the war situation, some of them ran into substantial difficulties on their
journey. Verhulst and Reimers were released in Shijak on 19 September and departed for Holland the next day. The
Dutch adventure in the Balkans was over. It had lasted less than one year.
(1) Wilhelm zu Wied, Denkschrift über Albanien, Berlin 1917, p. 12-13.
(2) Edith Durham: Twenty Years of Balkan Tangle, London 1920, p. 265.
(3) Wilhelm zu Wied, Denkschrift über Albanien, Berlin 1917, p. 21.
Prince Wied and dignitaries in Durrës in a funeral procession behind the coffin of Colonel Thomson, 16 June 1914
Page 6
Port of Durrës, seen from the water. The konak on the left. 1913-1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Porti i Durrësit, i parë nga deti. Majtas ndodhet konaku. 1913-1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
The konak in Durrës. This future royal residence had been the seat of the Ottoman prefect (mutasarri flik) of Durrës.
The three floors of the building with an interior courtyard contained thirty-five rooms. Its facade was ca. 50 metres
wide. Prince Wied moved into the building five months later and used it as the palace for his six month reign, when
furnishing and a modest bevy of servants were brought from Germany. December 1913.
Konaku i Durrësit. Rezidenca e ardhme mbretërore kishte qenë selia e mutesarifllëkut osman. Ndërtesa trikatëshe me
një oborr të brendshëm kishte tridhjetëepesë dhoma. Fasada ishte rreth 50 metra e gjërë. Mbreti Vid hyri aty pesë
muaj më vonë dhe e përdori si pallat për qeverisjen e tij gjashtëmujore, pasi kishin ardhur orendi dhe një numër i
mjaftueshëm shërbëtorësh nga Gjermania. Dhjetor 1913.
Page 7
Square in Durrës. Varosh Mosque on the left. ca. 1914. (Photo: De Iongh).
Shesh në Durrës. Majtas ndodhet Xhamia e Varoshit. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Mosque behind the palace in Durrës. ca. 1914.
Xhamia prapa pallatit mbretëror në Durrës. rreth 1914.
Page 8
Durrës. Waterfront with an Orthodox church at Bërryli i Currilave. ca. 1914.
Durrës. Bregdeti me një kishë orthodokse në Bërrylin e Currilave. rreth 1914.
Durrës. Town walls and spire of church. ca. 1914.
Durrës. Muret e qytetit dhe kulla e kishës. rreth 1914.
Page 9
Street scene in Durrës with a lady from the court, possibly Princess Sophie. Spring 1914.
Një rrugë në Durrës me një zonjë të oborrit, mbase Mbretëresh a Sofi. Pranverë 1914.
Street scene in Durrës. Spring 1914.
Një rrugë në Durrës. Pranverë 1914.
Page 10
View with cannons and powder tower from atop the fortress of Durrës. View of bay. Spring 1914.
Pamje e topave me xhebehanen (kullën e barutit) në kalanë e Durrësit. Gjiri në largësi. Pranverë 1914.
Ruins atop the fortress of Durrës. View of bay. 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Gërmadha mbi kalanë e Durrësit. Gjiri në largësi. 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Page 11
Prince Wied’s interpreter in Durrës. ca.1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Përkthyesi i Mbretit Vid në Durrës. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Women fetching water at a fountain in northern Albania. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Gra duke mbush ujin në një krua në veri të Shqipërisë. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 12
Group of children. 1913-1914.
Një grup fëmijësh. 1913-1914.
Group of dancers and musicians. ca. 1914.
Një grup valltarësh dhe muzikantësh. rreth 1914.
Page 13
The one-time wooden bridge at Koxhaz near Shijak, on the road from Durrës to Tirana. ca. 1914.
Ura e dikurshme prej drurit në Koxhaz të Shijakut në rrugën nga Durrësi për në Tiranë. rreth 1914.
Street scene somewhere near Durrës and Shijak. ca. 1914.
Pamjë diku në afërsi të Durrësit dhe të Shijakut. rreth 1914.
Page 14
Ox-carts, probably near Durrës. ca. 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Qerre, mbase afër Durrësit. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Woman and boy standing against a house wall. ca. 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Grua dhe djalë pranë një shtëpie. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Page 15
Ferry with ox-carts, crossing the Kir/Drin river at Bahçallëk near Shkodra. The old five-arched Ottoman bridge (Ura e
Bahçëllëkut), of which there exists a photograph dating from 1863-1864, was constructed in 1768 by Mehmed Pasha
Bushati and was destroyed by flooding in 1880 (Photo: Thomson).
Traget me qerre duke kaluar lumin Kir/Drin në Bahçallëk të Shkodrës. Ura e vjetër osmane me pesë qemerë (Ura e
Bahçëllëkut), prej të cilës ekziston një fotografi e vitit 1863-1864, u ndërtua në vitin 1768 nga Mehmed pashë Bushati
dhe u shkatërrua gjatë një përmbytje në vitin 1880 (Foto: Thomson).
Tirana. View of Mosque of Sulejman Pasha. ca. 1914.
Tiranë. Pamje e Xhamisë së Sulejman pashës (Xhamia e Vjetër). rreth 1914.
Page 16
Market square in central Albania, possibly Tirana. ca. 1914.
Një treg në Shqipërinë e mesme, mbase Tiranë. rreth 1914.
From left to right: Captain Et’hem Vlora, General De Veer, Colonel Thomson, Lieutenant Meleq Frashëri. 29 or 30
November 1913.
Nga e majta në të djathtë: Kapiten Et’hem Vlora, Gjenerali De Veer, Koloneli Thomson, Togeri Meleq Frashëri. 29 apo
30 nëntor 1913.
Page 17
Six of the Dutch officers standing in front of the konak in Durrës. Front row from left to right: Henri Kroon, General De
Veer, Carel De Iongh and Gerard Mallinckrodt. Back row from left to right: Lucas Roelfsma, an Albanian officer and Jan
Fabius. 1914.
Gjashtë oficerë holandezë para konakut të Durrësit. Rreshti i parë nga e majta në të djathtë: Henri Kroon, General De
Veer, Carel De Iongh dhe Gerard Mallinckrodt. Rreshti i dytë nga e majta në të djathtë: Lucas Roelfsma, një oficer
shqiptar dhe Jan Fabius. 1914.
Austrian health clinic in Tirana. From left to right: Austrian doctor, General De Veer, Captain Et’hem Vlora, a citizen,
Meleq Frashëri, an Albanian. 16 November 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Ambulanca austriake në Tiranë. Nga e majta në të djathtë: mjeku austriak, Gjenerali De Veer, Kapiteni Et’hem Vlora,
një qytetar, Meleq Frashëri, një shqiptar. 16 nëntor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 18
Three Dutch officers (General De Veer, Gerard Mallinckrodt and Carel De Iongh) and some Albanian children around a
well. ca. 1914.
Tre oficerë holandezë (Gjenerali De Veer, Gerard Mallinckrodt dhe Carel De Iongh) dhe disa fëmijë shqiptarë rreth
pusit. rreth 1914.
Restaurant of Hotel Clementi in Durrës, also known as Hotel Europa. This hotel was run by Mrs De Clementi of Trent,
then in Austria and now in Italy, with the support of the Austro-Hungarian trade mission. It experienced quite an
upswing with the arrival of Prince Wied and his entourage in 1914.
Restoranti i Hotelit Klementi në Durrës, i njohur gjithashtu si Hotel Evropa. Pronarja e hotelit ishte Zonja De Klementi
(De Clementi) e Trentos, qytet në atë kohë në Austri dhe tani në Itali, e cila kishte mbështetjen e misionit tregtar
austro-hungarez. Hoteli përfitoi shumë nga ardhja e Mbretit Vid me oborrin e tij në vitin 1914.
Page 19
General De Veer and members of the gendarmerie in Vlora. ca. 1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Gjenerali De Veer dhe anëtarët e xhandarmërisë në Vlorë. rreth 1914 (Foto: Thomson).
General De Veer and some English officers having a meal on a hillside. 2 December 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Gjenerali De Veer dhe disa oficerë anglezë dukë ngrënë bukë në një kodër. 2 dhjetor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 20
From left to right: Meleq Frashëri, General De Veer, Et’hem Vlora, December 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Nga e majta në të djathë: Meleq Frashëri, Gjenerali De Veer, Et’hem Vlora, dhjetor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
From left to right: 1. ?, 2. Et’hem Vlora, 3. a Kosova fighter, 4. General De Veer, 5. ?. December 1913 (Photo:
Thomson).
Nga e majta në të djathë: 1.?, 2. Et’hem Vlora, 3. një luftëtar kosovar, 4. Gjenerali De Veer, 5. ?. Dhjetor 1913 (Foto:
Thomson).
Page 21
General De Veer and Lieutenant Meleq Frashëri meeting northern fighters on the beach at Shëngjin (San Giovanni di
Medua). ca. 28 November 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Gjenerali De Veer dhe Togeri Meleq Frashëri në një takim me luftëtarët e veriut në plazhin e Shëngjinit. rreth 28
nëntorit 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Physician F. de Groot and sergeant J. van Vliet at the beach hotel in Vlora. ca. 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Mjeku F. van Groot dhe reshteri J. van Vliet në hotelin e plazhit të Vlorës. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Page 22
Physician F. de Groot at the beach hotel in Vlora. ca. 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Mjeku F. van Groot në hotelin e plazhit të Vlorës. rreth 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Unloading a horse from a ship in the bay of Vlora. 1913-1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Dukë shkarkuar një kalë nga anija në gjirin e Vlorës. 1913-1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Page 23
Muradiye Mosque in Vlora, dating from 1542-1557 (Photo: De Iongh).
Muradie në Vlorë, ndërtuar rreth viteve 1542-1557 (Foto: De Iongh).
Troops marching past the Muradiye Mosque in Vlora. ca. 1914.
Trupa në kalim para Xhamisë Muradie në Vlorë. rreth 1914.
Page 24
Building in the port of Vlora, from the balcony of which Ismail Kemal bey Vlora declared Albanian independence on 28
November 1912. Photo: 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Ndërtesa në portin e Vlorës nga ballkoni i të cilës Ismail Qemal bej Vlora shpalli pavarësinë e Shqipërisë më 28 nëntor
1912. Foto 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Road from the centre of Vlora to the port. On the hill are the ruins of the Bektashi tekke of Kuz Baba. 1913-1914. On
the left: General De Veer and Et’hem Vlora (Photo: Thomson).
Rruga nga qendra e Vlorës për një port. Në majë të kodrës ndodhen gërmadhat e teqes bektashiane të Kuz Babait.
1913-1914. Majtas: Gjenerali De Veer dhe Et’hem Vlora (Foto: Thomson).
Page 25
The military barracks in Vlora. 1913-1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Kazerma ushtarake e Vlorës. 1913-1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
First Lieutenant Gerard Mallinckrodt and Albanians in Tepelena. 1913-1914.
Togeri Gerard Mallinckrodt me disa shqiptarë të Tepelenës. 1913-1914.
Page 26
Albanian fighters under Dutch command. 1913-1914.
Luftëtarë shqiptarë nën kommandën e holandezëve. 1913-1914.
The Dutch officers with the members of the International Control Commission. From left to right: 1. August Ritter von
Kral (Austria-Hungary), 2. Sir Harry Harling Lamb (Great Britain), 3. Leoni (Italy), 4. General De Veer, 5. ?, 6. Petraev
(Russia), 7. Colonel Thomson, 8. Von Winckel (Germany), 9. Myfid bey Libohova-Arslanpashali (Albania), 10. possibly
Filip Nogga (1868-1917), who was Minister of Finance from 3 May 1914. Photo 1913-1914.
Oficerë holandezë me anëtarët e Komisionit Ndërkombëtar të Kontrollit. Nga e majta në të djathën: 1. August Ritter
von Kral (Austro-Hungari), 2. Sër Harry Harling Lamb (Britania e Madhe), 3. Leoni (Itali), 4. Gjenerali De Veer, 5. ?, 6.
Petraev (Rusi), 7. Koloneli Thomson, 8. Von Winckel (Gjermani), 9. Myfid bej Libohova-Arslanpashali (Shqipëri), 10.
mbase Filip Noga (1868-1917), i cili nga 3 maj 1914 ishte ministri i financave. Foto 1913-1914.
Page 27
Town of Kanina near Vlora. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Kanina afër Vlorës. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
View from fortress of Kanina. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Pamja e kalasë së Kaninës. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 28
View of the fortress of Berat. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Pamja e kalasë së Beratit. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Berat. Group of dignitaries. Photo taken from the site of the present hotel. One of the officers in uniform on the left is
Lieutenant Meleq Frashëri. Beside General De Weer to the left is Aziz Vrioni and to the right is Fejzi Alizoti, prefect of
Berat (who would soon become a minister). The officer in uniform on the right under the window is Et’hem Vlora.
1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Berat. Një grup zyrtarësh të lartë. Fotografi marrë nga vendi i hotelit të tanishëm.Një prej oficerëve me uniformë
majtas është Togeri Meleq Frashëri. Pranë Gjeneralit De Veer ndodhen majtas Aziz Vrioni dhe djathtas Fejzi Alizoti,
prefekti i Beratit (i cili më vonë do të bëhej ministër). Oficeri me uniformë djathas nën dritare është Et’hem Vlora.
1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 29
Berat. The Gorica Bridge over the Osum river. This bridge, built by Ahmed Kurd Pasha in 1780 was damaged in the
floods of December 1888 and destroyed during the First World War, i.e. soon after this picture was taken. 1913-1914
(Photo: Thomson).
Berat. Ura e Goricës mbi lumin Osum. Kjo urë, ndërtuar nga Ahmed Kurd pasha në vitin 1780 u prish gjatë përmbytjes
së dhjetorit 1888 dhe u shkatërrua gjatë Luftës së parë Botërore, pak kohë pas kësaj fotografie. 1913-1914 (Foto:
Thomson).
Berat. Osum river, the old Gorica Bridge and Mount Shpirag. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Berat: Lumi Osum, ura e vjetër e Goricës dhe Mali i Shpiragut. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 30
The Bridge of Hasan Bey, also known as the Konisbalta Bridge, on the Osum river at Ura Vajgurore, fifteen kilometres
northwest of Berat. This bridge no longer exists. 1913-1914 (Photo: Thomson).
Ura e Hasan beut, e njohur gjithashtu si Ura e Konisbaltës, mbi lumin Osum në Urën Vajgurore, pesëmbëdhjetë
kilometra në veriperëndim të Beratit. Kjo urë nuk ekziston më. 1913-1914 (Foto: Thomson).
Albanians laying fire in a field. Vlora? 1913-1914.
Disa shqiptarë dukë bërë zjarr në fushë. Vlorë? 1913-1914.
Page 31
Church in Kodra, near Tepelena. May 1914.
Kisha e Kodrës, afër Tepelenës. Maj 1914.
Bridge in Fier. 1914.
Urë në Fier. 1914.
Page 32
Troops of Captain De Jongh resting in Fier, June 1914.
Trupat e Kapitenit De Jongh duke pushuar në Fier, Qershor 1914.
Portray of Prince Wilhelm zu Wied and Princess Sophie. 1913-1914.
Portreti i Mbretit Vilhelm cu Vid me Princeshën Sofi. 1913-1914.
Page 33
The Arrival of Prince Wied and entourage in Durrës. 7 March 1914.
Ardhja e Mbretit Vid dhe të oborrit të tij në Durrës. 7 mars 1914.
Postcard of Prince Wied. 1914.
Kartolinë e Mbretit Vid. 1914.
Page 34
Prince Wied saluting and alighting from his carriage. Spring 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Mbreti Vid duke përshëndetur dhe duke zbritur nga karroca. Pranverë 1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Prince Wied on horseback in front of the palace in Durrës. Spring 1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Page 35
Essad Pasha Toptani, Turhan Pasha Përmeti, Countess Villebrosa (or Princess Sophie?) and General De Veer. 1914
(Photo: De Iongh).
Esad pashë Toptani, Turhan pashë Përmeti, Kontesa Villebrosa (ose Princesha Sofi?) dhe Gjenerali De Veer. 1914
(Foto: De Iongh).
Group of men. From left to right: 2. Meleq Frashëri, 4. General De Veer, 5. Turhan Pasha Përmeti, 6. Et’hem Vlora.
December 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Grup figurash. Nga e majta në të djathtë: 2. Meleq Frashëri, 4. Gjenerali De Veer, 5. Turhan pashë Përmeti, 6. Et’hem
Vlora. Dhjetor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 36
General De Veer and Prince Wied’s Irish private secretary, Duncan Heaton-Armstrong (1886-1969). Spring 1914
(Photo: De Iongh).
Gjenerali De Veer dhe ndihmësi irlandez i Mbretit Vid, Duncan Heaton-Armstrong (1886-1969). Pranverë 1914 (Foto:
De Iongh).
Kosova warrior Isa Boletini (1864-1916). June 1914.
Luftëtar kosovar Isa Boletini (1864-1916). Qershor 1914.
Page 37
Gathering in Elbasan. Sitting from left to right: 1. Dervish Hima, 2. Lef Nosi, 3. Ali Agjah Bey of Elbasan, 4. ?, 5. Aqif
Pasha Biçakçiu of Elbasan, 6. General De Veer. Standing from left to right: 1. ?, 2. Emin Matraxhiu, 3. ?, 4. ?, 5. ?, 6.
Andon Beça (tallest), 7. ?, 8. ?, 9. Filip Nogga. 1913-1914. 24 December 1913.
Tubim në Elbasan. Ulur nga e majta në të djathtë: 1. Dervish Hima, 2. Lef Nosi, 3. Ali Agjah bej Elbasani, 4. ?, 5. Aqif
pashë Biçakçiu i Elbasanit, 6. Gjenerali De Veer. Në këmbë nga e majta në të djathtë: 1. ?, 2. Emin Matraxhiu, 3. ?, 4. ?,
5. ?, 6. Andon Beça (më i madhi), 7. ?, 8. ?, 9. Filip Noga. 24 dhjetor 1913.
From left to right: 1. General De Veer, 2. Ibrahim Biçakçiu as a ten-year-old boy (in 1944 he would become Prime
Minister of Albania), 3. Aqif Pasha Biçakçiu of Elbasan (who was the father of Ibrahim Biçakçiu), 4. Ali Agjah Bey of
Elbasan (Photo: Thomson).
Nga e majta në të djathtë: 1. Gjenerali De Veer, 2. Ibrahim Biçakçiu dhjetëvjeçar (në vitin 1944 ai do të bëhej
kryeministri i Shqipërisë), 3. Aqif pashë Biçakçiu i Elbasanit (babai i Ibrahim Biçakçiu), 4. Ali Agjah bej Elbasani (Foto:
Thomson).
Page 38
Entrance to the konak in Durrës. 1914.
Hyrja e konakut të Durrësit. 1914.
Portray of an Albanian. 1913-1914 (Photo: De Iongh).
Portreti i një shqiptari. 1913-1914 (Foto: De Iongh).
Page 39
Prince Wied and Colonel Thomson. Durrës, June 1914.
Mbreti Vid dhe Koloneli Thomson. Durrës, qershor 1914.
Prince Wied, Isa Boletini, Essad Pasha Toptani and Colonel Thomson (right). Durrës, 13 June 1914.
Mbreti Vid, Isa Boletini, Esad pashë Toptani dhe Koloneli Thomson (djathtas). Durrës, 13 qershor 1914.
Page 40
Prince Wied and Isa Boletini. Durrës, 13 June 1914.
Mbreti Vid dhe Isa Boletini, Durrës, 13 qershor 1914
Forces gathered under Prenk Bibë Doda. From right to left: Captain Et’hem Vlora, Prenk Bibë Doda in white jacket,
General De Veer, an Italian Catholic priest, Lieutenant Meleq Frashëri. 5 December 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Forcat e Prenk Bibë Dodës. Nga e djathta në të majtë: Kapiteni Et’hem Vlora, Prenk Bibë Doda me jelek të bardhë,
Gjenerali De Veer, një prift katolik italian, Togeri Meleq Frashëri. 5 dhjetor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Page 41
Albanian troops under Dutch command. Vlora? 1913-1914.
Trupa shqiptare nën komandën e holandezëve. Vlorë? 1913-1914.
Fighters from the north and local Albanians lined up at the roadside. Spring 1914.
Luftëtarët e veriut dhe shqiptarë vendas të rreshtuar në rrugë. Pranverë 1914.
Page 42
Albanian troops under Dutch command, lined up at Porto Romano (Currilat) north of Durrës. Spring 1914.
Trupa shqiptare nën komandën e holandezëve, të rreshtuar në Porto Romano (Currilat), në veri të Durrësit. Pranverë
1914.
The Anglo-German hospital in Durrës. Spring 1914.
Spitali anglo-gjerman në Durrës. Pranverë 1914.
Page 43
Cannons firing from the hill overlooking Durrës. Spring 1914.
Topat duke hapur zjarr mbi kalanë e Durrësit. Pranverë 1914.
Albanian soldiers practising with the newly imported machine guns from Austria. Spring 1914.
Ushtarë shqiptarë duke u ushtruar me mitralozët e importuar nga Austria. Pranverë 1914.
Page 44
An Albanian fighter taking a snooze in the niche of a wall. 1913-1914.
Një luftëtar shqiptar duke pushuar në kamaren e një muri. 1913-1914.
Group of flag-waving children in Durrës to welcome Prince Wied. First view. 7 March 1914.
Grup fëmijësh me flamuj në Durrës për të përshëndetur Mbretin Vid. Pamja e parë. 7 mars 1914.
Page 45
Group of flag-waving children in Durrës to welcome Prince Wied. Second view. 7 March 1914.
Grup fëmijësh me flamuj në Durrës për të përshëndetur Mbretin Vid. Pamja e dytë. 7 mars 1914.
Group of Albanian soldiers and fighters. Spring 1914.
Grup ushtarësh dhe luftëtarësh shqiptarë. Pranverë 1914.
Page 46
Captain Hendrik Reimers taken prisoner in Elbasan in June 1914. He was released on 19 September 1914 and
returned to Holland. Photo of August 1914.
Kapiten Hendrik Reimers zënë rob në Elbasan në qershor 1914. Ai u lirua më 19 shtator 1914 dhe u kthye në Holandë.
Fotografi e gushtit 1914.
Transport of supplies on horses and donkeys. Spring 1914.
Transporti i mallrave me kuaj dhe gomarë. Pranverë 1914.
Page 47
Bottom row in military uniform (from left to right) are: Captain Et’hem Vlora, Lieutenant Meleq Frashëri and General
De Veer. December 1913 (Photo: Thomson).
Poshtë me uniformë ushtarake (nga e majta në të djathtë) janë: Kapiteni Et’hem Vlora, Togeri Meleq Frashëri dhe
Gjenerali De Veer. Dhjetor 1913 (Foto: Thomson).
Line of Albanian fighters lined up on a hillside near Durrës. Spring 1914.
Luftëtarë shqiptarë të rreshtuar në një kodër afër Durrësit. Pranverë 1914.
Page 48
Artillery guns being deployed for the defence of Durrës. Spring 1914.
Artileria e vendosur për mbrojtjen e Durrësit. Pranverë 1914.
Fighters from northern Albania. Durrës 1914.
Luftëtarët e veriut të Shqipërisë. Durrës 1914.
Page 49
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Funeral procession for Colonel Thomson in Durrës. 16 June 1914.
Varrimi i Kolonelit Thomson në Durrës. 16 qershor 1914.
Prince Wied and Major Kroon at the funeral of Colonel Thomson, 16 June 1914.
Mbreti Vid dhe Majori Kroon në varrimin e Kolonelit Thomson, 16 qershor 1914.
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Prince Wied and dignitaries in Durrës in a funeral procession behind the coffin of Colonel Thomson, 16 June 1914.
Mbreti Vid dhe zyrtarë të tjerë në varrim prapa arkivolit të Kolonelit Thomson. 16 qershor 1914.
Invitation to Captain N. Thomson, brother of Colonel Thomson, for lunch at the royal palace in Durrës, 25 June 1914.
Ftesa për Kapitenin N. Thomson, vëllain e të ndjerit Kolonel Thomson, për drekë në pallatin mbretëror të Durrësit, 25
qershor 1914.
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The original grave of Thomson in Durrës, 16 June 1914.
Varri i parë i Thomson-it në Durrës. 16 qershor 1914.
Officers of the Noord Brabant inspecting the site in Durrës where Colonel Thomson was killed. (Lucas Roelfsema in
white). June 1914.
Oficerë të anijes Noord Brabant duke vizituar vendin në Durrës ku u vra Koloneli Thomson. (Lucas Roelfsema në
uniformë të bardhë). Qershor 1914.
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Cover of the Roman weekly La Tribuna Illustrata of 28 June 1914, with a romanticised portrayal of the death of
Colonel Thomson.
Kopertina e revistës së përjavshme romake La Tribuna Illustrata më datën 28 qershor 1914, me një ilustrim të
zbukuruar të vdekjes së Kolonelit Thomson.
Cover of the Dutch weekly Panorama of 24 June 1914 with Colonel Thomson on horseback.
Kopertina e revistës së përjavshme holandeze Panorama me datën 24 qershor 1914 me Kolonelin Thomson mbi kal.
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Cover of the Dutch weekly Panorama of 14 July 1914 with the arrival of the coffin of Colonel Thomson in the
Netherlands.
Kopertina e revistës së përjavshme holandeze Panorama me datën 14 korrik 1914 me ardhjen e arkivolittë Kolonelit
Thomson në Holandë.
Funeral procession for Colonel Thomson in the Netherlands. 18 July 1914.
Varrimi i Kolonelit Thomson në Holandë. 18 korrik 1914.
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Source : "http://www.albanianphotography.net/"
Date : "20121010", Exp : ""
ULK : "Albania", TLK : "photos", DMK : "old, early Albanian photos"
Copyright : "Robert Elsie"
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