WW1, its aftermath and the Reja and Maurič families

Danila, as a young girl with her mother, Livia, and maternal grandfather, Anton.  Taken about 1932

1915

World War One involved bloody conflict around Gorizia, with a huge impact on the families of Brda.  Both the Reja and Maurič family were expelled to southern Italy, returning after the War to a Kozana which was now part of Italy.

The Reja Family

Anton Reja (born 1859), the maternal grandfather of Danila, was an important person in her life.  With her real father, Rudolf, working in Argentina until Danila Jakin was around 7 years old Anton was Danila’s “surrogate” dad until his death in 1934.

Anton had a total of ten children with three wives.  At that time it was virtually impossible to survive alone with family in a small farming community like Kozana.  Both widowers and widows tended to marry again very soon, often within just a few months of the death of their spouse. 

Anton's third wife, Terezija Rožič, was the mother of both Danila’s mother, Marija “Livia” (born 1903), and Livia’s sister, Alozija “Luisa” (born 1905).

Like grandfather Anton aunt Luisa was an important person in Danila’s life.  Luisa married and moved to Gorizia and it was with her that Danila and Ivan first stayed when they escaped from Yugoslavia in October 1949.  Danila remained close to Luisa throughout her life.

WW1 had a big impact on the Reja family.  Brda was occupied almost immediately by the Italian army.   (See Old Kozana, History and Family intertwined for more details about the Isonzo Front.)  Most of the local villagers from Brda escaped elsewhere to Austro-Hungary at the outset of the war.  But Anton Reja and his family stayed at their home, possibly because Terezija had both an infant (her 5th child, Franc, born 1914) and was pregnant with her 6th, Jozef (who died soon after his birth on 10 May 1915).

By June 1915 there was serious fighting around Brda.  The Italian occupying forces expelled the remaining villagers to southern Italy.  Anton Reja and Terezija with their children (including from Anton’s previous marriages) ended up in Palermo, Sicily.  It was here that in 1917 their last child was born, Rozalija.  As with many infants at the time she died only a few months later.

Meanwhile Bogomir Maurič and his family were sent to Naples.  While in Naples their first son, Bogomir junior, died during the great Spanish Flu epidemic of 1917.

Mavrič family taken about 1917, probably in Naples.  Standing is Kristina's younger sister, Giselle.  In front (L to R) are daughter, Kristina ("Tine"), son Bogomir jnr (on Kristina's lap) and oldest daughter Ernesta.  Bogomir died shortly afterwards

The refugees from Brda in southern Italy lived a hard life, many in camps, and with little support apart from Slovenian priests expelled along with them.  The first of these refugees began returning to their homes after October 1917.  Most did not follow until the spring of 1919.   Even then hardship continued.  A significant part of modern Slovenia was ceded to Italy after the war including the Brda region, meaning that all the Kozana families were now regarded as Italian citizens.  Italy was nominally a Kingdom under King Victor Emmanuel III, but with the rise of Benito Mussolini real power lay with his fascist government.  Mussolini began a systematic campaign of what today we would describe as "ethnic cleansing" again all things Slovene

Kristina's Italian passport, 1929

The family of Bogomir and Kristina continued to grow after their return.  Another son Ivan, was born in 1921 and a third daughter, Alma in 1924.  A further son, Rafael, was born in 1928.  However like Bogomir jnr a decade earlier Rafael died as an infant.

But thousands of Slovenes responded to the problems they faced by migrating overseas, many to Argentina.  At that time Argentina was a prosperous, booming economy.  These emigrants included Danila’s future father, Rudolf Jakin, who first travelled to Buenos Aires in 1925 in search of a better life.

But that’s another story (see Argentina and the Jakins).

The Maurič children, about 1929: (L to R) Alma, Ernesta, Kristina and Ivan

Gorizia, Piazza della Vittoria, 2012.