November 11th, 2008
Inspiring Women: Flora Sandes
Today marks the 90th anniversary of the end of World War One. Although a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote, let alone were welcome in the military, 80,000 women served in the British forces as non-combatants. One Englishwoman however, was an exceptional case. Flora Sandes, originally a nurse, became a soldier within the Serbian army. In June 1919 a special Serbian Act of Parliament made her the first woman to be commissioned in the Serbian Army. She acted like any other male soldier and ensured she was treated in the same way.
Returning to civilian life after the trenches was difficult for Flora. Having experienced real freedom and equality, she was now expected to revert back to being subservient. As she said, “It was like losing everything at one fell swoop, and trying to find bearings again in another life and an entirely different world”.
There are still arguments about whether women should or should not be allowed to serve in the military. Regardless of where you stand on the issue personally, in 1914 Flora Sandes proved that a woman can be a soldier just as much as a man if she wants to. She wanted to fight for what she believed in, and she did. It should also be pointed out that her regiment accepted her wholly. Calling her “Nashi Engleskinja” (or “Our Englishwoman”) as well as “Brother”. A regiment of men, accepting a fellow soldier as a woman at this period seems unfathomable, but perhaps war, if nothing else, allowed some people to open their minds a little further.
Today marks an important day in our history and we remember all the men and women who fought against tyranny. It seems sad that most of the time we tend to forget how easy it is for us to start wars, and how difficult they are to end.
For more about Flora Sandes.
