Flora Sandes
Encyclopedia
Flora Sandes was a British
Red Cross volunteer who became the first woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Serbia
n army and the only British woman to officially enlist as a soldier in World War I
.
, Yorkshire
, the youngest daughter of an Irish
family who moved to Marlesford
in Suffolk
when Sandes was nine years old. Her father was Samuel Dickson Sandes (1822–1914), the former rector
of Whitchurch, County Cork
and her mother was Sophia Julia (née Besnard). As a child she was educated by a governess. She enjoyed riding
and shooting
and said that she wished she had been born a boy. She learned to drive, and drove an old French racing car. She took a job as a secretary. In her spare time Sandes trained with the Ladies' Nursing Yeomanry, learning first aid, and at the onset of the First World War was one of the first to volunteer to become a nurse. She was rejected due to a lack of qualifications.
, and on 12 August 1914, she left England for Serbia with a group of 36 women to try and aid the humanitarian crises there. They arrived at the town of Kragujevac
which was the base for the Serbian forces fighting against the Austro-Hungarian offensive. Sandes joined the Serbian Red Cross and worked in an ambulance for the Second Infantry Regiment of the Serbian Army. During the retreat into Albania
, Sandes was separated from her unit and joined a Serbian regiment for safety, becoming the first woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Serbia
n army and the only British woman to officially enrol as a soldier in World War I
. She quickly advanced to the rank of Corporal
. In 1916, during the Serbian advance on Bitola
(Monastir), Sandes was seriously wounded by a grenade
in hand to hand combat
. She subsequently received the highest decoration of the Serbian Military, the Order of the Karađorđe's Star. At the same time, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major
. Also in 1916, Sandes published her autobiography, An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army, based on her letters and diaries. She used this account to help her raise funds for the Serbian Army. With Evelina Haverfield
she founded the Hon. Evelina Haverfield's and Sert-Major Flora Sandes' Fund for Promoting Comforts for Serbian Soldiers and Prisoners. Unable to continue fighting due to her injury, she spent the remainder of the war running a hospital. She was in active service until 1922.
. After retiring from the army, Sandes lectured extensively on her wartime experiences in the United Kingdom, Australia
, New Zealand
, France
, Canada
and the United States
. She wore her military uniform while delivering her lectures. Yudendich died in 1941 and Sandes returned to England. As per R. Mitchell, Sandes' ill husband was imprisoned by Germans, then removed to a hospital, where he died soon after. Sandes was put also in the main Gestapo prison in Belgrade (where she was allowed to see her husband before his death) from which she was released soon after the death of her husband. She spent the last years of her life in Suffolk and died in 1955. Her autobiography was later novelised as The Lovely Sergeant (Flora Sandes) in 1963 by Alan Burgess.
"The officer in charge showed me how to fire off one of the guns when he gave the word, and let me take the place of the man who had been doing it as long as we stayed there."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Red Cross volunteer who became the first woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n army and the only British woman to officially enlist as a soldier in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Early life
Flora Sandes was born on 22 January 1876 in Nether PoppletonNether Poppleton
Nether Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated by the West bank of the River Ouse adjacent to Upper Poppleton, and west of York close to the A59 road from York to Harrogate...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, the youngest daughter of an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
family who moved to Marlesford
Marlesford
Marlesford is a village and a civil parish in the Suffolk Coastal District, in the English county of Suffolk.- Location :It is about 2 miles away from the small town of Wickham Market. Marlesford has a place of worship and a pub. The area of the village that is on the A12 road is due to be...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
when Sandes was nine years old. Her father was Samuel Dickson Sandes (1822–1914), the former rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Whitchurch, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
and her mother was Sophia Julia (née Besnard). As a child she was educated by a governess. She enjoyed riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
and shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
and said that she wished she had been born a boy. She learned to drive, and drove an old French racing car. She took a job as a secretary. In her spare time Sandes trained with the Ladies' Nursing Yeomanry, learning first aid, and at the onset of the First World War was one of the first to volunteer to become a nurse. She was rejected due to a lack of qualifications.
Military career
In 1914, Sandes joined a St. John Ambulance unit raised by American nurse Mabel GrouitchMabel Grouitch
Mabel Grouitch née Dunlop was an American surgical nurse who worked with the Red Cross during World War I.-Biography:...
, and on 12 August 1914, she left England for Serbia with a group of 36 women to try and aid the humanitarian crises there. They arrived at the town of Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
which was the base for the Serbian forces fighting against the Austro-Hungarian offensive. Sandes joined the Serbian Red Cross and worked in an ambulance for the Second Infantry Regiment of the Serbian Army. During the retreat into Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Sandes was separated from her unit and joined a Serbian regiment for safety, becoming the first woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n army and the only British woman to officially enrol as a soldier in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She quickly advanced to the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. In 1916, during the Serbian advance on Bitola
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
(Monastir), Sandes was seriously wounded by a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
in hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
. She subsequently received the highest decoration of the Serbian Military, the Order of the Karađorđe's Star. At the same time, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major
Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...
. Also in 1916, Sandes published her autobiography, An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army, based on her letters and diaries. She used this account to help her raise funds for the Serbian Army. With Evelina Haverfield
Evelina Haverfield
Evelina Haverfield was a British suffragette and aid worker. In the early part of the 20th century, she was involved in Emmeline Pankhurst's militant women's suffrage organisation the Women's Social and Political Union...
she founded the Hon. Evelina Haverfield's and Sert-Major Flora Sandes' Fund for Promoting Comforts for Serbian Soldiers and Prisoners. Unable to continue fighting due to her injury, she spent the remainder of the war running a hospital. She was in active service until 1922.
Later life
In 1927, Sandes married Yurie Yudenich, a fellow officer and former White Army general. During the Second World War, they were interned by the German ArmyHeer (1935-1945)
The Heer was the Army land forces component of the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945, the latter also included the Navy and the Air Force...
. After retiring from the army, Sandes lectured extensively on her wartime experiences in the United Kingdom, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She wore her military uniform while delivering her lectures. Yudendich died in 1941 and Sandes returned to England. As per R. Mitchell, Sandes' ill husband was imprisoned by Germans, then removed to a hospital, where he died soon after. Sandes was put also in the main Gestapo prison in Belgrade (where she was allowed to see her husband before his death) from which she was released soon after the death of her husband. She spent the last years of her life in Suffolk and died in 1955. Her autobiography was later novelised as The Lovely Sergeant (Flora Sandes) in 1963 by Alan Burgess.
"The officer in charge showed me how to fire off one of the guns when he gave the word, and let me take the place of the man who had been doing it as long as we stayed there."