Bulev Mati
Mati Bulev was born in 1904 in the exquisite and heroic village Ekshisovo,
Lerin region. From a young age he was known in Surovichko for his revolutionary
activism. Conferences of the village party organization of the CPG,
VMRO as well as briefings of the party organisation of the Surovichko
region were held in his house. The CPG activists found a hiding place
in his home along with members of other organisations.
At the time of the parliamentary elections in January 1936 Mati together
with a group of about 30 party and unaffiliated residents of Ekshisevo,
joining the candidates of the People's Front, visited many villages
in Surovichko and helped to distribute the CPG program, that of the
People's Front. Thanks to the decisive and persistent operations of
the communists from Ekshisovo, at the time of the elections an election
office was established in the village and the People's Front had a significant
win - it got 188 votes and was the first among a number of parties in
the village.
In the time of DAG, Mati was older than the others. However, his age
did not get in his way. Despite his 45 years bai-Mati Bulev from Ekshisovo
could not tolerate the new occupiers. He grabbed his pistol and set
off for Radosh. He made his base there. From the time of the German
occupation he was familiar with the natural surroundings of Radosh -
roads, caves, hills; every branch. When he had been very young he had
been there often, taken the oxen to pasture and cut wood.
![](assets/Bulev_Mati.jpg)
He met others there who were like-minded and with them he formed his
group. He quickly showed the monarcho-fascists of Surovichko that they
could not torture the people quite so easily. With the first attacks
he armed his group well with Bren, Thompsons, pistols, hand grenades
that he took from the American mercenaries. Sabotage, ambush, surprise
attacks on their trenches were all a part of the plan of Bai-Mati. His
eye was not afraid of anything. He encouraged his comrades. With his
strength, cunning, cleverness, quick implementation of decisions, he
impressed his comrades and becomes their leader. The hits he makes on
the fascists made them quake in fear. Their attempts to destroy him
had the opposite effect. Mati moved and acted in accordance with careful
plans. He had a network of helpers because the people had a deep affection
for him. He appeared where he was not expected.
In the Surovo plain, the village Elevish was frightened. A number of
armed fascist mercenaries terrorised the whole region. Mati ruined their
plans many times, but he did not have enough forces to render them harmless.
At the end he thought of a plan to penalise the terrorists. He knew
that at night all of the fascists kept guard over the village to ensure
that the partisans did not enter. Mati took a donkey and loaded it with
saddlebags in which he placed two Telermain mines, lit the fuse and
turned the donkey toward the MAI trenches. The American "tough guys"
opened fire as soon as they heard a sound. One of the many bullets hit
the donkey and it fell, dead, within their trenches. Amazed, they ran
to see the victim of their shooting. This was the time at which the
mines came into play. The explosions destroyed a wide area. "Six brave
fighters" were killed and some others who were injured were crying -
they cried for the destiny that awaited them.
That is the penalty that Mati imposed on those who tortured the people.
From that point on, the remaining forces could not leave the boundaries
of the village.
Mati fell on 19 April 1949 fighting heroically above the village Zeleniche.
For his services to the people's movement, after his death he was made
a captain commissar and honoured with a medal for his selfless saboteur
operations.
From: For Sacred National Freedom: Portraits Of Fallen Freedom
Fighters
© 2009
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For Sacred National Freedom: Portraits Of Fallen Freedom Fighters