London “Surmach” Journal as a Source for Studying the History and Activity of Former Ukrainian Soldiers Abroad

Abstract

This article is the first attempt to study the little-known in Ukraine military journal of Ukrainian emigration “Surmach” (trumpeter). The founder and publisher of this periodical was the Association of Former Ukrainian Soldiers in Great Britain (AFUS) – a non-governmental organization of Ukrainians registered in London in 1949. This periodical was issued in London from 1955 to 1997, initially as a bimonthly, later as a quarterly, and from the mid-1960s as a yearbook. The first issue was released in January of 1955; the last – in 1997. The editor-in-chief (during recent years) was S. Fostun.There is no complete file of this journal in any book collection of Ukraine; it is still not digitized, and the editorial office does not have a website. In view of this, the author has conducted a study of this edition in Shevchenko Library and Archive of the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) in London.Archival documents and materials, related to the activity of the Association of Former Ukrainian Soldiers in Great Britain in London and the British National Library have also been observed.The peculiarities of the journal’s formation and the specifics of its editorial policy, program, tasks, and readership have been clarified. The periodical was founded for former and future Ukrainian soldiers and was to perform four main tasks: to crystallize the characters of a Ukrainian soldier; to deepen love for Ukraine; to instill the highest ideals of a Ukrainian soldier; to familiarize with the highest achievements of military equipment, tactics and strategy.Attention is focused on the analysis of the thematic palette of “Surmach”. It is clarified by the following areas: military science (history, tactics, strategy, reviews of the then military events, reviews of works on military topics); life and activity of AFUS and related Ukrainian combatant organizations in Europe and America; memoirs of divisional officers; poetry, prose, military essays; religious topics; editorial articles.