MEMORIAL TABLET TO VELA PEEVA

Wielitchka (Vela) Peeva was a member of “Union of Young Labours”, of  “Bulgarian Labours’ Party” and participant in the partisan movement in Bulgaria during the World War II.

She was born on March 16, 1922, in Kamenitsa village. In 1938 she entered Pazardzhik Secondary School for girls and graduated in the summer of 1941. At the end of the first semester of 1938/1939 she became a member of “Young Labours Union”.

In the autumn of 1941 enrolled at the University of Sofia as a student of pedagogy, and in 1942 she transfered to the Faculty of Geography. Trying to expand her horizons, she attended the conferences of the famous philosopher with left ideas prof. Dimitar Mihalchev, and listened to him with great interest. At the same time she participated in the activities of the Bulgarian Popular Student Union.

On April 27, 1943, Vela Peeva, with her sister Ghera, enters the clandestine partissan squad “Anton Ivanov”. Takes part in the armed actions of the squad in the Western Rhodopes. In August 1943 becomes member of Bulgarian Labours Party. At the beginning of November she goes to the partisan camp “Teheran”. In the summer of 1944 she is in the partisan brigade “Chepinets.”

In a battle with the fascists she loses contact with the partisan squad, and hides in the mountains for more than a month. She spent 37 days alone, sick, hungry, cold and without glasses in her strong myopia.

A supporter of the fascists sees her in the forest and betrays her. Surrounded by all sides she fights alone against the numerous gendarmerie more than five hours. She defends herself while she has bullets left. The last one preserves for herself. The fascists cut off her head and expose it in the square. (The traitor receives a prize of 100,000 levs, but at the end of August 1944 he is shot by her  friends partisans).

In memory of Vela Peeva in 1948 the villages of Chepino, Ladzhene and Kamenitsa are united in the town of Velingrad. In 1953 her native house in Kamenitsaa is turned into a museum.