Why does Albania forget its friends?

The newspaper 'Afrimi' which was published in Vlora, in its issue dated July 9, 1924, publishes an 'In Memoriam' (memorial) for Colonel Aubrey Herbert who had died a few months ago. The newspaper rightly describes Herbert as the greatest friend Albanians have ever had.

Herbert was a politician, diplomat, soldier and British secret service worker who was in love in Albania.

The newspaper lists Herbert's merits for Albania. Herbert, as the chairman of the 'Albanian Committee', had done a lot to influence the decisions of the Conference of Ambassadors and the Congress of Versailles in favor of Albania.

After his death (1923), Herbert's family known as Carnavon, an upper British aristocratic family which was best known in the world for the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, had continued to help Albania. Herbert's mother had built a village for Kosovo refugees and named him Herbert. She had also organized the economy of this village. The villagers wove clothes which were sold in the British market.

This family had done many other good things, including building a school and building and equipping a library with over 1000 different titles. The Carnavons had also implemented an anti-malaria activity. Countess Carnavon (Elizabeth), Herbert's mother, had also established the tradition of drinking afternoon tea in many Albanian institutions and families. Through Herbert's mother, the penetration of English culture in Albania had begun. Therefore, to honor the Carnavons, several streets, boulevards and institutions were named in Albania with the name of the family and of Herbert, which was also decorated several times by the Zog regime.

"Albania never forgets its friends, but I will mark them with golden letters in its history" - says the article of Afrimi newspaper.

In fact, the opposite of what the newspaper says has happened.

When the Communists took over, all traces of the help that Herbert and his family had offered disappeared. The library and the school were destroyed, while the village Herbert was renamed (Qerret) as it happened with all other names. The communist regime did not want to know that Albania had been helped by British aristocrats and capitalists.

Aubrey Herbert and the Carnavon family were never mentioned again. So, Albania forgot its friends.

Unfortunately, this oblivion continues even today, even though the communist regime no longer exists.