The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

On January 1, 1922, Sopron and its surrounding area were returned to the
ancient homeland according to international law, ending the two years struggle
to retain the Western Hungary / Borderland territory. A jubilant celebration
took place on that day. At 11:00, a farewell march-past was formed by the
Entente troops who were ordered into the town on December 8-9 from the
Silesian plebiscite area – 40 British, 120 Italian and 150 French soldiers. After
their march past, companies of Hungarian soldiers marched through the Old
Fortress section of town, followed by the flag-carrying representatives of the
referendum villages. Finally, the Entente and Hungarian units lined up, facing
each other in front of the main Post Office, and the generals and Hungarian
officials walked between them. At precisely noon, the handover document was
signed by generals Gorton, Hamelin and Ferrario, as well as the representative
of the Hungarian government, General Árpád Guilleaume, followed by
ceremonial speeches.
In the following weeks, ceremony followed ceremony in the city. On
January 6, the Mining and Forestry Academy students held a torchlight parade
to City Hall, offering their congratulations to Mayor Thurner and the city that
offered their school refuge three years earlier on their displacement from
Northern Hungary. On January 10, a ceremony was held at the statue of Count
István Széchenyi, in the presence of national and local leaders. The military
units lined up tore off, on command, the black mourning bunting on their flags.
In the Grand Hall of City Hall, a special ceremonial was held where the City
Council said special thanks to the students “who have nothing but their mere
lives, which they offered so freely for our city.” 509
The Hungarian government, to close the dispute peacefully, made a
chivalrous gesture to the still-grumbling Austrian government. In a note, it
expressed its regrets that it only got word too late, on December 14, of the
Austrian wish to delay the referendum. Budapest expressed the hope that
Vienna would finally put to rest the Sopron matter, giving an opportunity for
the opening of dialogue leading to cordial relations between the two countries,
something the Venice Agreement urged. In further two notes, Budapest hinted
at considerations at the upcoming Hungarian-Austrian economic talks, which
would greatly ease Vienna’s situation. In the end, Austria recognized the
referendum results on February 20, 1922. The Hungarian Parliament also
passed Lex XXIX, amending the city’s coat-of-arms with a ribbon on the
bottom that read: Civitas Fidelissima or Most Loyal City.
An interesting and valuable memento of the plebiscite is a silver spoon. The
head of the Inter-Allied Military Mission was Italian General Carlo Ferrario,
charged with overseeing the territorial handover and, later, arranging for the
referendum. General Ferraro looked for suitable accommodations in the city,
renting Templom (Church) Street 6 from a widow. The sizeable rent came in
handy for the large family, in dire straits after the war. They were more than
happy to move in with relatives for the required time. The Mission staff
509 Krug, 1930, op. cit., pp. 153–163.
198