The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-27
Women in the War
by G. KAY SPENCER

One of the bitterest contests chron-
setting that bleak region surrounding
lGornitchevo and kaymakohalan. in
the Serbian campaigns to defend their
little country from the Teuton octo-
pus.
In the Serbian ranks were many
heroic women who dressed like tho
men and fought as unselhshly. But
we are to tell about a little woman
a Scot-who exiled herself from her
native hills of old Scotland to march
over hard frozen ground powdered
with wind-driven snow on the hills OF
| Serbia,
Her claim TO fame wound very prob
| ably have never been Differentiated
| from that cf many another woman
! trudging in the Serbian ranks had
| she not been cast by fate into mill
tarv hospital maintained by the Brit
| Ish on that front.
In the early winter that saw the
beginning of the drives which pushed
the Bulgaro-German back TO the
mountain known as Hill No. 1919. this
little Scotchwoman was carried to the
base hospital with her whole right
side, from the shoulder to the knee.
a mass OF torn flesh and shattered
| bone
Miss Flora Sands-for that Is the
name Of this intrepid Scotswomar--
! began working in Serbia as Red
| Cross nurse early in the war. Her
| sympathy became 30 aroused oy the
| sufferings and heroisfn of the people
that. when the hospital units wese
broken up during the great retreat of
| October and November, 1918, she So
jMcited and obtained permission to en-
list as n private soldier In the roar
guard that protected the retreating
army Before that army reached the
Adriatic she had won promotion. Be
come Sergeant Sands. she stood high
in the regard of both officers and men
OF the crack regiment to which she
| stin belongs. On tho Macedonian
| front she went through the whole Of
! the arduous and successful campaign
| that began on September IL.
| 1t was In the decisive assaults on
| the highest crest Of Hill No. 1912 that
Miss Sands active career was sud
denly cut short. How this happened
let her relate In her own words:
l. I'VE had been crouching in our
| shallow pits for hours. waiting tmpa-
| tiertly for the order to attack. AT
| : o'clock in the morning the order
came It was showing and the snow
| lay on the ground. I was out OF my
| pit in half n second, and running Us
{ IaSl kAS legs NOuiu move. 4 All
! always the first to leave cover It is
my duty as q onZcommissioned Off
| Ger. But unfortunately, ! am not 80
nimble as most OF my men. So IT nap
! pens that ! am generally among the
/ last to reach an enemy trench. Wei.
| 7 had nearly reached the brink of the
| Bulgarian trench in which our men
were already at grips with tho Sc
tenders I was one Of n snaT group
| of aggards-perhaps half a dozen
when Il w'ell-afmed grenade fell in our
midst. a couple OF men besides my
self were In the radius Of its explo-
sion and fell wounded. but I seem to
have got most OF the scatter"
So this Amazon tells her story.
Simple It is and self-denying, for a
number OF her brother officers have
stories to tell of the engagement which
considerably elaborate upon her terse
recital.
| In the military hospital Mt Camp No.
II she was the only patient OF her
sex. The camp had accomrn odation
| for sixteen hundred sick or wounded.
and there is heavy percentage of
women among the Serbian armies
A few days later her admittanc e
into the hospital a royal aide-de-
| camp came TO her bedside and. on
thehalY OF he prince regent OF Serbia,
| pinned 10 her breast. with much cere-
! monial, the gold and silver cross of
Kara Ceorge--a rare badge that IS
| given only for conspicuous bravery on
/ the field of battle.