A memorial plaque bearing the names of 27 residents murdered in April 1945 was recently unveiled in Brodski Drenovac. The plaque is located in the vestibule of the medieval Gothic Church of St Demetrius, adding further symbolism to this historic space and serving as a reminder of the tragic events of the past.
These residents of Brodski Drenovac were killed at the railway station in Staro Petrovo Selo on the island of Đurđevo, while five men from Bučje also lost their lives in the same tragedy. According to available records, the bodies were thrown into a crater formed by an Anglo-American aerial bomb and subsequently buried. It was not until 6 December 1945 that they were found and exhumed, after which they were transferred to local cemeteries for burial.
The unveiling of the plaque was accompanied by a concelebrated Mass led by parish priest Nikola Jušić, with Canon Antun Ćorković and Father Filip Lucić. The Bučje parish choir participated in the service, and the musical portion was enriched by the performance of musician Valentin Petranović. Canon Antun Ćorković, the initiator of this commemoration and the installation of the plaque, emphasised the importance of remembering those who were killed without trial or evidence in his homily. He also read out the names of all 27 murdered residents of Drenovac, including their ages, as well as the names of the five men from Bučje who were buried in the local cemetery.
Parish priest Nikola Jušić highlighted that the plaque is being installed after 81 years to prevent the forgetting of this horrific act and the names of the innocently killed. Numerous members of the victims' families and residents of Drenovac were present at the ceremony. The organisers expressed their gratitude to Zvonko Matijević, Rajko Davidović, Marija Jakovac, Ivica Skeledžija, the Hrvatski dragovoljac football club, and the local Women's Association for their participation in this significant event.
