brochure “Partizanski spomenik u Mostaru” (1980)
book “Spomenica Mostara 1941-1945.”
another document or proof of the memorial stone (e.g., a photograph).
Esad S. ČERKIĆ
ESAD ČERKIĆ, son of ŠAĆIR, born on September 22, 1926, in Mostar, a high school student, a member of the League of Communist Youth (SKOJ) since 1942, and the secretary of SKOJ’s branch. As per the task assigned by Aca Dobrić and Dževad Vrgora, he joined the Domobrani in 1944. He was arrested by the Ustaše during the night of September 12th to 13th, 1944, in Zagreb, along with Mate Šokčević and nine other members of the Home Guard who attempted to organize the transfer of personnel and materials to the partisans. According to family memories, they were betrayed by a cook who informed the Ustaše about their intentions. All those arrested were shot in Dotrščina Park on the same night, without trial, and buried in a mass grave. Their names were published as a warning on the posters that covered Zagreb. An announcement was printed in the Ustaše newspaper “Hrvatski narod” stating that a total of eleven young men “attempted on the night of September 12th to 13th, 1944, to persuade a part of their unit to defect and join the enemy. Since they did not succeed, they attempted to defect to the insurgent bands on their own but were captured on the way. A short procedure was conducted against these individuals, and after determining their rank, they were shot.”
Esad was killed about 10 days before his 18th birthday. His name is listed among the victims on the roster of the Dotrščina Virtual Museum.
*On Esad’s memorial plaque, the letter S was originally engraved as his father’s initial. It should be Š (Šaćir).
https://abrasradio.info/prije-natpisa-bio-je-covjek-esad-cerkic-minja-pjescic-mostovi-hercegovine-2-0/; Nikica Barić, Ustroj kopnene vojske domobranstva NDH, 1941.-1945., Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb, 2003.; Lična prepiska autorke sa hrvatskim istoričarem Nikicom Barićem [znanstveni savjetnik, Hrvatski institut za povijest] (2017.); grupa autora: Spomenica Mostara 1941-1945. https://www.turizam.mostar.ba/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=112%3Apartizansko-spomen-groblje&catid=41%3Aznamenitosti&Itemid=424&lang=hr; https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spomen-park_Dotr%C5%A1%C4%8Dina Jasmina Brković, Dunja Vranešević, Virtualni muzej Dotrščina IM 43 (1-4) 2012. www.dotrscina.hr https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/dotrscina; https://vizkultura.hr/pamcenju-su-potrebna-mjesta/; grupa autora: Spomenica Mostara 1941-1945. Photos: porodična arhiva, Večernji list, 25.3.81, str. 10
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