Flora Sandes’ exploits in Serbia are explored
SERBIAN Honorary Consul Zivko Jaksic came to a recent meeting of Greystones Archeological Society to hear a talk by Bryan MacMahon entitled ‘Captain Flora Sandes: an Irishwoman in the Serbian army in the Great War’.
Flora Sandes (1876-1956) was the only woman to serve as a soldier in WW1. Having travelled to Serbia as a Red Cross volunteer, she went on to enrol in the Serbian army, where she had a distinguished career, and her exploits and subsequent lecture tours made her a media sensation.
Bryan MacMahon is one of the society’s regular and very popular speakers. There was a full attendance, and a very lively discussion afterwards.
Although Flora Sandes was born in England, her family was originally from County Kerry. When war broke out in 1914, she travelled to Serbia as a nurse, but went on to formally enrol in the Serbian army and fought with it throughout the war. She was wounded and decorated for valour, and rose to the rank of Captain, and her story won her widespread celebrity during and immediately after the war. When World War II broke out she returned to Serbia, where she was briefly imprisoned by the Nazis. She died in 1956.
In his response to Bryan’s talk, Mr Jaksic spoke of Serbians’ continuing gratitude and admiration for Flora’s contribution, and gave a short account of the traumatic Serbian experience of World War I, which resulted in the loss of almost 30 per cent of the total population and 60 per cent of the male population.
GAHS has had a particularly active autumn season, which began in September with the La Touche Legacy seminar, and included involvement in the Local History Day recently organised by Wicklow Council Heritage Department, as well as their usual monthly meetings.
The society’s next talk, by Michael Fewer on ‘ The life and times of J B Malone, founder of the Wicklow Way’, will be on Thursday, January 18.
For more information go to greystonesahs.org.