By Zylyftar Hoxha

Lady Elisabeth Carnarvon, the wife of Lord Henry Howard Herbert-Carnarvon, came to Albania at the end of 1923, just after the death of her son, Habry Erbert. Unlike other foreign travelers, she was not struck by the exotic and curious Albanian world, but by the poverty and misery of an entire people. Inevitably, after recognizing this bitter reality, she felt sorry for it, so she decided to alleviate the pain and wounds of this indescribable poverty as much as she could. A year later, when she came to Albania for the second time, she brought two specialized English nurses, Miss Harrison and Miss Hald Houghton, for the Vlora Psychiatric Hospital, whom she initially paid for with her family budget and later from the Herbert Foundation.

This was the beginning, but then she intensified her work not only in collecting aid, but more in raising public awareness. She took advantage of every connection and opportunity. Among others, family connections. Her brother was the British ambassador in Washington. On a special trip to the USA in 1927, she created and brought to Albania the “Rockefeller Foundation” as well as the “Near East Foundation” charity. These organizations and associations played a very important role for years in the emancipation, education, culture and health of the Albanian people. In addition, the fight against malaria was institutionalized with the establishment of medical centers for the treatment of thousands of Albanians, but also the elimination of foci of infection.

For six years she did not stop working, raising funds and raising awareness among circles and charitable associations in England and America, among others for the many Kosovar and Bosnian refugees who, driven out by the Serbs, flocked to Albania. With the help she collected, but also with her own personal funds, she settled hundreds of Kosovar families in Myzeqe and Kavajë. She even built a village in Kavajë with 50 new houses where 50 Kosovar families were sheltered, to whom she not only furnished their homes, but also gave them a Jersey cow for each house. In this village she also built a school and other social and cultural facilities. She named the village after her son, Herbert, but this name did not last long and it was changed to Qerret.

As part of the aid, she donated equipment, furniture, and even small industrial workshops to the American Technical School and maintained a salary for some of the staff of that institution.

During that period, Lady Carnarvon, although ill, began to build the "Albanian Youth" library, but she did not see it built and in operation. Other family members took her with her. In that serious state of health, unfortunately for the Albanians, on February 3, 1929, Lady Carnarvon died at the age of 72 in Porto Fino, Italy, leaving many plans and projects unfinished.

The “Carnarvon” Library, an English gift to Albanian youth

Where the "Ali Demi" cinema once stood and where one of today's large buildings has left no trace of its past, was the "Carnarvon Library", built in 1928 and inaugurated in 1929, as a gift from the family of the English Lords (Earls) Herbert and personally from the great Albanian philo-benefactor Countess Carnarvon, called by the Albanians themselves the "Mother of Albanians" and decorated with the Order of Skanderbeg in 1929. Countess Carnarvon had chosen this place under the dense crown of olive trees as a cult in memory of her son, but unfortunately, she passed away a few days before the inauguration.

This library was dedicated to his son, the great friend of Albania, the lawyer and defender of the rights of Albanians Sir Aubrey Herbert (1880-1923). Although there was a street named “Carnarvon”, it has been renamed twice and now has a different name. Likewise, the name of the street “Habry Herbert” has been removed! The library at that time reached a collection of 5.000 books in English, French, German, Italian, classical languages, etc., and became the second most important library in Tirana after the National Library. The library had a large reading room, 26 shelves for books with 7 shelves each. At that time, it had become an important cultural, entertainment, and entertainment center, it had become an environment in the broad sense of the word, an environment of cultured and emancipated life.

In addition to the tennis and table tennis courts, various conferences on national and scientific topics were organized in its halls every week, as well as screenings of cinematographic films with great artists, exhibitions of artistic works, etc. At the inauguration ceremony of the library, Lady Carnarvon posthumously awarded the highest decoration of the time, "Grand Officer of the Order of Skanderbeg", a decoration which was handed over to her son Mervyn Herbert. Unfortunately for the Albanians, two weeks after leaving Albania, Mervyn Herbert died suddenly in Rome on May 30, 1929, and the family's legacy was followed and implemented with great dignity by Mary Herbert, the honorable wife of Colonel Aubrey Herbert.

The Italian occupation of the country also brought about the tragic end of this institution. The fascists stole 12 large crates filled with the library's precious books, while the other members of the Herbert family fled this place that they loved and that loved them so much.

Here are the works of two English noblemen

In 1926, Mit'hat Frashëri wrote about this contribution of the English aristocratic family: "Gratitude is not only a quality that nourishes, adds to a person's virtue, but it is also a duty. There are some people whose deeds and help are worth an entire army. So it was for us the late Aubrey Herbert."

With her family budget, in 1923 she equipped the Vlora Psychiatric Hospital with equipment, medicines and two specialized nurses. She brought from England Miss Dr. Ruth Pennington, a powerful personality who for 14 consecutive years made a real revolution for the emancipation of Albanian women and families, working as a doctor, nurse, teacher and caring housewife. Through the “Herbert” foundation, she created and brought to Albania the “Rockefeller Foundation” and the charitable association “Near East Foundation”, which made an extraordinary contribution to the fight against poverty.

She institutionalized the fight against malaria by establishing health centers for the regular treatment of thousands of Albanians who had been suffering from this disease for years. In addition, she fought to eliminate the foci of infection with chemical and biological warfare agents. She generally helped in the settlement of Kosovar refugees, but her greatest contribution was the creation of the village of Qerret i Kavajës, where she built houses, a school and gave a Xhers cow to 50 Kosovar families who settled there.

He donated equipment, furniture, small industrial workshops to the American Technical School and maintained a part of the management staff of this school on salary for several years. Particularly of extraordinary value was the contribution of this family in the construction and functioning of the “Library for Albanian Youth” with a collection of 5.000 books in English, French, German, Italian, classical languages, etc.

A passionate promoter of Albanian independence, he first visited the country in 1907. When the Albanian delegates went to the London Conference of 1912-1913, they found Herbert's help as an advisor and companion. Herbert was one of the closest and most sincere friends of the Albanians and especially of prominent figures of our nation such as Ismail Qemali, Mithat Frashëri, Dhimitër Berati, Pandeli Vangjeli, King Zog, Hasan Prishtina, Isa Boletini, Mehmet Konica, Faik Konica, Charles Telford Erikson, etc.

For the days that the Albanian delegation was in London, he hosted Isa Boletin at his own house, a friendship that continued until his death. As early as 1912, Herbert had established a philo-Albanian society with parliamentarians, scholars and journalists. After his death, this society became an institute and the mission in Albania was continued by his mother, Countess Carnarvon.

Aubrey Herbert was also a poet. The English Parliament has published the book "Albania's Greatest Friend" which contains notes, diaries, articles by Herbert of great value for diplomacy and those who want to know Albania. He strongly denounced the heinous crimes of the Serbs in the autumn of 1913. Staying behind the scenes, but very active, he helped prepare the Lushnja Congress and the Vlora War in 1920./ Memorie.al