#first world war

[doubtspirit]

Knowledge Wins - Public Library Books are Free, American Library Association (1918)

[herprivateswe]

Image: IWM (Q 53994) US Army parade, with the Stars and Stripes carried in front, down Piccadilly in London, 15th August 1917.

[my-darling-boy]

British soldiers feeding a completely real horse, c. 1916

[illustratus]

Russian Cavalry Reconnoitring. Karpathians 1914 by Jan Chełmiński

[city-of-ladies]

Flora Sandes (1876–1956) was the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier during the World War I and the first woman commissioned officer in the Serbian army. Her life was marked by a constant appetite for adventure and military service.

Adventurous beginnings

The daughter of a clergyman, Flora was the youngest of eight children. Her early years were spent moving from one parish to another. She had a happy childhood and, from an early age, was particularly active and energetic. She loved reading tales of battle and became proficient in horse riding, shooting, camping in the wild, and driving cars.

As an adult, Flora was restless and easily bored. She had no taste for domestic life. She tried various jobs and notably worked as a typist in Cairo. She was also a member of two quasi-military women’s organizations, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and the Women's Sick and Wounded Convoy Corps.

When the war broke out, Flora was camping with her family. She immediately got into her French car and drove home, determined to make herself useful in any way she could.

Nurse in Serbia

Flora applied to the Red Cross, but was rejected because her nursing qualifications were deemed insufficient. When an opportunity arose to join a group of volunteer nurses sent to Serbia, she accepted immediately.

There, Flora encountered dire conditions, including a lack of medical supplies and running water. She had to learn a new language and performed operations and amputations herself, sometimes with makeshift tools. A typhus epidemic spread, and Flora contracted the disease but survived. Through these trials, she developed a deep affection for Serbia and admiration for the resilience of its people.

Yet Flora had always wanted to become a soldier. A Serbian soldier, impressed by her riding skills, once told her that her abilities were wasted in the hospital and encouraged her to join the army.

Through sheer determination, Flora gradually moved closer to the front until she came to work with a military ambulance. There, she befriended a seventeen-year-old Serbian girl who lived and worked with the army, dressed as a soldier.

Private Flora Sandes

Flora was confident, wore her hair short, and drank and smoked as she pleased. She paid little attention to conventions. She befriended Colonel Milić, who was impressed by her temperament and riding skills. He became her protector, but never treated her with indulgence.

Flora eventually asked him if she could join the army as a private. Milić agreed, but General Vasić warned her that she would have to follow the troops on a long and grueling march through Albania.

Flora asked whether she would be a burden. He replied that, on the contrary, she would be welcomed as a symbol of British support. Thanks to her skill with a rifle and her composure under pressure, Flora quickly earned the respect of the men, even though she was the only woman among them. She became something of a mascot.

She also helped procure food and uniforms and shared her cigarettes. She was soon promoted and reached the rank of sergeant. Flora felt she had found her place in the army. In her own words, she took to soldiering like a duck to water. At first, she held a romantic vision of war and enjoyed the strong sense of camaraderie. Over time, however, her outlook became more sober.

Reports praised her bravery in combat and held her up as an example to her company.

Through sheer willpower

In 1916, during the fighting at Bitola, Flora was wounded by shrapnel in the back and was hospitalized. During her recovery, she met Milunka Savić, one of the women serving in the Serbian army, who would later become the most decorated woman of the war.

Milunka was independent and fearless. She examined Flora’s wounds and praised her endurance. Flora, in turn, noted her stoicism and the way she concealed her suffering.

Flora later returned to England to raise funds for a canteen for Serbian soldiers, with the help of suffragist Evelina Haverfield. She gave speeches, including to audiences of British soldiers, and was warmly received.

However, her true calling remained at the front. She returned once again, this time rising to the rank of sergeant-major. She endured long marches and was eventually sent to the trenches, where she took part in night raids against Bulgarian positions.

She marched on bleeding feet, pushing forward through sheer determination. She continued to distinguish herself in battle, once stopping an enemy counterattack at the head of her unit. She held her position even in conditions of severe hardship, at times surpassing the endurance of the men around her.

Commissioned officer

After the war, Flora struggled to adapt to civilian life, which now felt distant and unfamiliar. She chose to remain in the Serbian army and became its first female commissioned officer.

She adapted quickly to the demanding role of second lieutenant. In 1920, she met Yuri Yudenitch, a former officer of the Russian army who was placed under her command. Flora was eventually demobilized in 1922.

In 1927, she married Yuri in Paris. She was 51 and he was 38. The couple held various jobs before settling in Belgrade. Yet Flora remained restless. She traveled extensively, gave lectures, and wrote her memoirs. She deeply missed military life.

A last stand

When Invasion of Yugoslavia by Nazi Germany began, Flora was briefly called back to service. At 65, she put on her uniform once more and left for the front. She was glad to return to the army, even if she regretted the circumstances.

Her return was short-lived, as the invasion ended before she could make a meaningful contribution. She was briefly imprisoned. Despite living under the constant threat of execution, Flora faced the guards with a confidence that impressed the other female prisoners. She was eventually released, but her husband died soon afterward.

After the war, Flora resumed traveling and visited her nephew in Jerusalem. Even in retirement, she longed for the army: “I miss soldiering, I loved it.” She proudly attended veterans’ gatherings.

Flora eventually returned to Suffolk, where she died of illness in 1956.

If you enjoy this blog, consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

Further reading:

Miller Louise, A Fine Brother: The Life of Captain Flora Sandes

Sandes Flora, An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army`

Shipton Elizabeth, Female Tommies: The Frontline Women of the First World War

[tyger-land]

𝗖. 𝗥. 𝗪. 𝗡𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 A Dawn, 1914. 1916. Oil on canvas: 56 × 47 cm. (22 × 19 in).

[lionofchaeronea]

Men of the 369th Infantry Regiment, informally dubbed the "Harlem Hellfighters," pose for a picture. The Hellfighters were initially part of the American Expeditionary Force sent to fight on the Western Front in WWI. In April 1918, due to racist attitudes among the American high command, they were separated from the AEF and assigned to the French 4th Army. Fighting under French command both in the trenches and in the open field, the Hellfighters distinguished themselves at the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. Their continuous six-month deployment was the longest of any American unit. Following the armistice, the French government awarded the Croix de Guerre to 170 members of the Hellfighters, including all nine men pictured here, for courage in combat.