How Fra Didak Buntić’s ‘trains of hope’ saved up to 17,000 children from famine

(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)

There are trains remembered not for the goods or passengers they carried, but for the hope they brought. Among them are the trains that transported thousands of children from famine-stricken Herzegovina to Slavonia during the final years of World War I, in one of the region’s largest humanitarian rescue efforts.

The mission, organised by Franciscan friar Fra Didak Buntić, is estimated to have saved up to 17,000 children from starvation.

Herzegovina suffered one of the most devastating periods in its history in 1917. Between April and October, virtually no rain fell, leaving crops to fail and food supplies exhausted. Combined with the hardships of war, drought pushed many families into severe hunger, while child mortality continued to rise.

Determined to act, Fra Didak Buntić launched a large-scale humanitarian operation aimed at relocating children to areas where food was available. Known today as the “Father of Herzegovina’s poor” and sometimes referred to as the “Moses of Herzegovina”, Buntić was also an educator, former headmaster of the Franciscan Grammar School in Široki Brijeg and the driving force behind the construction of the basilica there.

Speaking about his legacy, Franciscan friar Fra Marinko Šakota, who has researched Buntić’s work and helped establish the “Didak Days” event in Čitluk, said Buntić’s mission extended wherever people needed help.

“His work reached as far as people’s needs reached. He believed his homeland could achieve much more,” Šakota said.

(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)

Following negotiations with the authorities of the time, and with support from fellow Franciscans, doctors, benefactors and local communities, trains began carrying children from Herzegovina to Slavonia, Srijem and Bačka.

Many of the children were leaving home for the first time without their parents, taking only a few belongings and facing an uncertain future.

According to Šakota, historical records show that the first group departed from Mostar on 10 September 1917.

“Records show that 12,270 children were included in the organised operation, but it is believed the total number may have reached as many as 17,000, as many travelled to Slavonia through private arrangements. Slavonia was prosperous, the breadbasket of the region, and its people opened their hearts,” he explained.

(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)

Upon arrival, children were welcomed by local families who provided food, clothing and shelter. Boys often helped with farm work, while girls assisted with household duties. Most importantly, they received security and the opportunity to continue growing up away from famine.

“Everything was very well organised for that period,” Šakota added.

(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)

Not every child returned to Herzegovina. Research cited by Šakota suggests that around 4,000 children remained in Slavonia, where they later established families and became part of the local communities that had welcomed them. Today, many of their descendants continue to live across Slavonia and Srijem.

Fra Didak Buntić’s humanitarian mission remains one of the most significant rescue efforts in the region’s modern history. Beyond transporting children to safety, it became a lasting example of solidarity, compassion and cooperation between communities during one of the darkest periods of World War I.

(Photo: Vinkovačke jeseni)

The story also forms part of the theme for this year’s 61st Vinkovci Autumn Festival, “The Train of the Slavonian Plain”, highlighting the railway’s role in connecting people and changing lives.

Šakota welcomed the festival’s decision to remember the humanitarian effort.

“I thank the Vinkovci Autumn Festival for giving people the opportunity to learn about this man and this remarkable mission, and about the connection between Slavonia and Herzegovina, which highlights the generosity of those who welcomed the children from Herzegovina,” he said.

The legacy of the “trains of hope” continues to symbolise the power of compassion and solidarity in times of crisis.