May 31, 2025
Author: Dr. Vitéz Gyula Szűcs Lieutenant
On behalf of the Order of Vitéz’s Northeast Hungary Region Seat Captaincy, Dr. Vitéz Gyula Szűcs, Vitéz István Fülöp, and Vitéz József Erdei participated in the Memorial Walk for Vitéz Imre Csengeri on May 22, 2025, in the town of Vaja, organized by the Vay Ádám Museum Collection of the Hungarian National Museum.
Vitéz Imre Csengeri was born in 1888 in Hajdúnánás. During World War I, he served as a non-commissioned officer in the Imperial and Royal 39th Infantry Regiment, in the 1st Battalion’s machine gun unit. He took part in all major battles of his regiment and saw combat on the Serbian, Russian, and Italian fronts. He was wounded thirteen times, sustaining injuries from swords, bullets, and shrapnel. He was a masterful machine gunner, and due to his heroism and injuries, he was awarded the following honours: the Gold Medal for Bravery (Vitézségi) twice, the 1st Class (Large) Silver Medal for Bravery, the 2nd Class (Small) Silver Medal for Bravery, the Bronze Medal for Bravery, the Karl Troop Cross, the Hungarian War Memorial Medal, and the Wounded Medal.
After the armistice, he fought against the Romanians as a member of the Székely (Sekler) Division. In June 1919, he joined the National Army and eventually laid down arms in November 1920. He was the first among the enlisted ranks to be inducted into the Order of Vitéz, thus taking part in the very first investiture ceremony on August 21, 1921. As part of this, he received 15 acres of land in Vaja as a vitéz’s grant, offered by Mrs. Ádám Vay.
He remarried in Vaja (his first wife had passed away) and had four children. He spent his life farming, while also serving as a youth instructor (Levente). His war wounds caused ongoing health problems, which ultimately led to his death on September 4, 1941.
He was widely respected by the people of Vaja even during his lifetime, so it is no surprise that his memory is preserved not only by his family. At the museum’s initiative, interested attendees gathered at 2:00 PM on May 22 in the square in front of the castle, where patriotic music was performed by a military band and tárogató artist Csaba Nagy.
Following this, participants walked to Vitéz Imre Csengeri’s former residence (which he later purchased in the town center, as the vitéz land was in the countryside—an area locals still call “Csengeri-dűlő”), and then to the cemetery, where a wreath was placed at his grave, which had been restored and is maintained by his family. The commemoration included a speech by Sándor Molnár, head of the institution, who recounted the life of the heroic soldier. During the wreath-laying, Csaba Nagy once again played the tárogató, and at his invitation, the event concluded with a recitation by Vitéz József Erdei.
