The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-12

Miss Sandes has received the 81
the field, as well as three other
You ask me to write something
about the Serbians, to tell you what
led me to join the Serbian Army as
private soldier, and fight with them
in the trenches against the common
foe. I come from Kerry, in Ireland,
and have always been struck by the
similarity and temperament between
the Serbian and the Irish peasant.
After sharing the terrible hardships
of the two years campaign in the Bal
kans, fighting all the time, l can find
nothing but praise for the Serbian SOL
der who is brave as a lion, self-sac-
rificing to the end and never waver-
ing. 1 care not where you look, no ma
ton now engaged in the war has had
to suffer like little Serbia, yet today
the spirit of those few who remain is
undaunted-they are determined to
fight through at all costs, until the
end And the end will only come
when the last man and woman have
given up their lives.
went out to Serbia as a nurse in
August 1914, being one of the first
party of women (seven in alb to go
to nurse the Serbs. We were taken
out by Madame Grouitch, and for
months we tended the wounded SOL
diers in the Serbian hospital at Kragu-
jewatz, working under Serbian sur
ceons and under the Serbian Red
Cross. At that time there were no
other British nurses there, but some
Russian nurses were assisting the
Serbs.
Towards the end of 1915 I returned
to Britain to tell the people of the
intense sufferings of the Serbs, and
went back to the Balkans in time to
/, take part in the great retreat of the
lSerbians.
Died in Thousands
Being unable, owing to the Austrian
invasion, to rejoin the Serbian Hos
pital where I had been working,
asked for and obtained permission to
jSin the ambulance of the End Infan-
try Regiment; but as soon as the re-
treat began we had to evacuate our
wounded, and there being no more
work for me to do as a nurse, enlist
ed in the regiment as private, as
was told my staying with them would
encourage the men.
With the End regiment I retreated
through Albania to Durazzo, a retreat
which lasted two months, during most
of which time we were fighting rear
guard actions with the Austrians and
the Bulgars.
The horrors of that terrible retreat
will never be fully told. AS we passed
through the villages we rounded "
all the boys, taking them with us tc
prevent their falling into the hands O.
the Bulgars. The poor little things
could not stand the rigors of the
march, and thousands of them dice
by the roadside. For miles their bod
les lay marking the pathways we hat
followed.
From Durazzo we were sent to Cor
flu, where we were refitted, then sen
to Salonika, and, after resting, ono
more we went to the front, in Angus
1916, and from then until the follow
ing January we were fighting day an
night, without even being relieved.
Admiration for Kilties
1t was when the real fighting cam
I learned the true spirit of the Serbs
In many respects they resemble tn
Scottish and Irish troops, for whor
they have the greatest admiration
Never shall 1 forget the amazemen
Non the faces of the Serbs when the
first saw a regiment of kilties marc
past. Hundreds of times the men c
my company asked me-"Who ar
those soldiers in petticoatS?'' BIT
when they found themselves fightin
with them, when they saw the wa
the Scottish troops dealt with tn
enemy, they were wild in their aC
miration.
The one longing. of the Serbian so
der has is to fight side by side wit
Scottish troops. eff only the Allie
could send us more of these soldie
in petticoats, we should soon be bac
in Serbia" have heard it said hui
dreds of times.
1t was remarkable the way in whic
the Scotties and the Serbs forme
friendships. Although neither cou
at first understand a word of eac
others language, this difficulty w
not allowed to stand in the way
friendship. Today the two races u
derstand each other, and speak wi
each other in new language, a la
guage made out there.
was wounded two days before t
taking of Monastir. The hill we h
been singled out to attack was one
the most vital Importance, for witho
it's capture we could not have hop
to win Monastir. 1t was the key
the position. We attacked at daU
And in the hand-to-hand fight
which followed 1 got knocked out
with "a wounds-by a hand boz
flung at me by a Bulgar, who, doc
ing behind a rock, flung a shower
i.5mbs in quick succession, forci
back for the moment the men W
were with me, so that I was left lyi
alone, almost in the hands of the .e1
my.
Winning Monastir
One of. the officers of my compa.
sub-ieutenant, did a plucky thi
Wounded himself, he crawled forws
over the snow, to where 1 was lyt
lat the greatest risk to himself of
ing hit by another hand bomb Sc
ed me by both hands, and dragged
back over the rocks and boulders
where three more of my men W
waiting. Though in imminent dan
of being taken prisoner, these n
refused to leave me, declaring t
would not go unless they could ca
me with them. So bundling me VI