Description: An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army by Flora Sandes With an Introduction by SLAVKO Y. GROUITCH Secrétaire-General of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the Hodder and Stoughton Edition, circa 1916 Front cover and spine Further images of this book are shown below Publisher and place of publication Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch) London: Hodder and Stoughton 4¾ inches wide x 7½ inches tall Edition Length There is no date of publication shown on the Title-Page, but the standard Bibliographic References provide a date of circa 1916 for the Hodder and Stoughton Edition. [x] + 242 pages Condition of covers Internal condition Original tan/russet cloth blocked in black. The covers are rubbed and somewhat scuffed, with evidence of old staining, particularly on the rear cover where there are a number small stains and splash marks. There is also patchy discolouration and variation in colour. The spine is dull and also slightly stained, the most prominent being a white mark on the rear spine gutter near the tail. The front top corner is bumped and badly frayed, with the card underneath exposed, and some minor loss of cloth. The spine ends and other corners are bumped and frayed with some minor splits to the cloth. There are some indentations along the edges of the boards and there is a forward spine lean. There is no front or rear free end-paper; however this has not been present in any copy of this edition I have seen over the past twenty years. It means that the volume opens directly to the Half-Title page and ends on the final page of text, both of which are badly tanned and discoloured (and both are shown below, as the final two images). The front inner hinge is cracked at the Title-Page and there is some separation between the inner gatherings. As is common with this Edition, some of the illustrations are starting to work loose and are partially detached (that facing page 15 probably the worst affected, where there is also a small tear on the inner margin). The paper has tanned significantly with age and there is a stain on the top edge of the text block which has seeped through to the top margin of most of the pages and all the illustrations (please see the images below). There is also some scattered foxing, and grubby marks, and some corners are creased. In addition to the stain on the top edge, the edges of the text block are grubby, dust-stained and foxed. Dust-jacket present? Other comments No Now quite scarce, but this is a well-used example, noting staining to the covers and general wear, particularly to the top front corner, while, internally, the paper has tanned significantly with age and some of the illustrations are working loose. There is also a stain on the top edge of the text block which has seeped through to the top margin of most of the pages and all the illustrations. Illustrations, maps, etc Contents There is no separate list of illustrations and maps; however, all are shown in the listing; the List below has been transcribed from the captions. Please note that some of the illustrations are starting to work loose and are partially detached (that facing page 15 probably the worst affected, where there is also a small tear on the inner margin). The illustrations have been printed on quite thin paper, which has wrinkled. Please see below for details Post & shipping information Payment options The packed weight is approximately 600 grams. Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Payment options : UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army Contents Chapter I Rejoining the Serbians, November, 1915 — The Second Regimental Ambulance Chapter II A Serbian Ambulance at Work — We Start to Retreat Chapter III A Ride to Kalabac and a Battle in the Snow Chapter IV I Meet the Fourth Company — A Cold Night Ride Chapter V We Say Good-bye to Serbia and take to the Albanian Mountains Chapter VI Fighting on Mount Chukus Chapter VII Elbasan — We push on towards the Coast Chapter VIII Serbian Christmas Day at Durazzo — Aeroplane Raids Chapter IX We Go to Corfu Chapter X The " Slava Day " of the Second Regiment Illustrations (transcribed from the captions) Colonel Militch, Commandant of the Second Regiment (on the Left) and his Chief of Staff ; With the Regimental Flag Frontispiece French Steamer With Boats Slung Out Ready and Escort Ambulance of Second Regiment. Ox Waggons which have just brought in Wounded An Ambulance Field Kitchen Roasting the Pig The Tent I Slept In For Two Months Serbian Army Trudging Along Reinforcements in the Snow An Early Start. Packing Up A Cold Halting Place The Block House Where We All Slept An English Woman-Sergeant in Serbia. The Author in Khaki. Serbian Soldiers. A Cold Camp Round the Camp Fire Serbian Soldiers in their Own Serbian Uniforms, Before Getting English Khaki Officers Sitting Outside My Tent Colonel Militch on Diana An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army Introduction Innumerable have been the manifestations of sympathy, generosity, and of the sincere desire to help Serbia given by the British people to their little Ally since the very beginning of the War. No words could ever express the deep gratitude of the Serbian Nation for the splendid ser- vices rendered by the many British Medical Missions, whose staffs, men and women, have nursed the sick and wounded with- out a thought for the hardships and dangers to which they have been person- ally exposed, and which, especially during the typhus epidemic and, later on, during the Great Retreat, were very serious indeed. British women have played a most prominent part in this humanitarian work of charity and mercy, and some of them have even given their lives for the Cause. When the history of their splendid achievements is written — as I hope will be done some day— the name of Miss Flora Sandes will certainly figure in it with a special acknowledgment. In the interesting pages which follow she will herself give a vivid description of her experiences during the Retreat in the ranks of the Serbian Army, in which, I believe, she was the only foreign woman allowed to serve in a fighting capacity. That in itself speaks very highly of the esteem and confidence in which she is held in Serbia. But she only took to a rifle when there was no more nursing to be done, as, owing to the Army retreating, the wounded could not be picked up and had to be left behind. Before that she had worked in Serbia for eighteen months as a voluntary nurse, practically without interruption, having left the country but twice, and that on a short visit to London to collect funds and bring back with her dressings and other hospital supplies which were badly wanted. During the typhus epidemic she volunteered to go to Valjevo, which was the centre of the disease and where eight Serbian doctors and many nurses had already succumbed. The same fate very nearly overtook her, but fortunately she recovered and resumed immediately her self-imposed duty. Such examples of self-sacrifice, added to so many others given by British men and women in Serbia, have implanted in the hearts of the Serbians a deep love and admiration for Great Britain, who may well be proud of such sons and daughters. SLAVKO Y. GROUITCH, Secrétaire-General of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army Excerpt: . . . Next day the Commandant, his Adjutant and I, with four armed gendarmes, rode off to Kalabac. It was a lovely day, and we had about two hours' ride across country to the first line of trenches. The Commandant and I used to have a race whenever we got to a good bit of ground. He was a fine rider, and, as the horses were pretty well matched, we used to get up a break-neck speed sometimes, and had some splendid gallops. About a year before in Kragujewatz I was riding with a Serbian soldier who had been sent with a horse for me, and he said : " What did I want to be a nurse for ? " and tried to persuade me not to go back to the hospital, but to join the Army then and there, regardless of my poor patients expecting me back. The first line of trenches that we came to were little shallow trenches dotted about on the hillside, with about a dozen men in each. We sat in one of them and drank coffee, and I thought then that I should be able to tell them at home that I had been in a real Serbian trench, little thinking at the time that I was going to do it in good earnest later on under different circumstances. After that we went on up to another position right at the top of Kalabac. It was a tremendous ride, and I could never have believed that horses could have climbed such steep places, or have kept their feet on some of the obstacles we went over, but these horses were trained to it, and could get through or over anything. Just the last bit of the way we all had to dismount, and, leaving the horses with the gendarmes, did the rest on foot. There was no need for trenches there, as it was very rocky, and there was plenty of natural cover. Major B and another officer met us near the top, and he and the Commandant went off to discuss things. It happened to be Captain Pesio's "Slava" day. This "Slava" day is an institution peculiar only to the Serbians, and which they always keep most faithfully. Every family and every regiment has one. It is the day of their particular patron saint, and is handed down from father to son. It is kept up for three days with as much jollification as circumstances permit, even in wartime. I have been the guest at plenty of other Slava days in Serbia, but I never enjoyed anything so much as I did that one. We sat round the fire on boxes or logs of wood under the shelter of a big overhanging rock, with a most gorgeous panorama of the country stretching for miles round, and had a very festive lunch, and all drank Captain Pesio's health. In the middle of lunch I had my first sight of the enemy, a Bulgarian patrol in the distance, and orders were promptly given to some of our men to go down and head them off. The men all seemed to be in high spirits up there, in spite of the cold, and some of them were roasting a pig, although I suppose that was a " Slava " luxury for them, not to be had every day. It was evening by the time we left, and we slipped and slid down the mountain again by moonlight. When we got back to the first trenches which we had visited we made a short halt, and sat in an officer's little tent and drank tea. He had certainly not been at war for four years without learning how to make himself comfortable under adverse circumstances, and had brought it down to a fine art. He had a tiny little tent, one side of which was pitched against a bank, and in the bank there was a hole, with a large fire in it, and a sort of tunnel leading up to the outer air for a chimney. His blanket was spread on some boughs woven together for a bed, and he was as snug and warm as a toast when he did get a chance to sleep in his tent, which was apparently not very often. He was very popular with everyone, and the Commandant spoke particularly of his bravery. We were quite sorry to leave and turn out into the cold night air. We had a long ride home, ending up with a hard gallop along the last bit of road, and it was late when we got back to the hahn. There was a big fire going in the iron stove, and we soon thawed out. The Commandant sat down at his table and dictated endless despatches to his Adjutant, while I dosed on his camp bed till about ten, when he finished his work for the time being and we had supper. Every now and then there would be a rap at the door, and an exhausted, half-frozen rider would come in bearing a despatch from one of the outlying positions on the hills. I was very sorry afterwards that I had not taken my camera with me up to the positions, but I was not sure at the time if they would like me to, though after- wards they told me I might take it anywhere I liked. There was another small ambulance here in charge of the proper regimental doctor, and in the afternoon everyone was ordered to move up into the village, Topolchor, and find rooms there. The soldiers were all delighted at the prospect of getting under a roof of any kind, though I felt quite sorry at leaving my Little Grey Home. The doctor got me a nice big empty room in what was formerly the school. There was a pile of desks and tables filling up one side of it, and a stove, but otherwise no furniture. After my orderly had unpacked my camp bed and lit the stove I had some visitors : three or four old native women, who came up and inspected me and all my belongings closely, and seemed deeply impressed with the extraordinary luxury in which an Englishwoman lived, with a room to herself, a bed and a rubber bath ! I had been making futile efforts, by the way, for the last few days to make use of this same bath, in spite of my orderly's repeated assurances that you could not have a bath in wartime, which I found afterwards to be strictly true. I did not succeed even here, owing to the lack of water and anything to carry it in. The villagers themselves, those who had not already fled in terror, seemed to live in the most abject poverty, huddled together in houses no better than pigsties. The place was infested by enormous mongrel dogs, which used to pursue me in gangs, barking and growling, but they had a wholesome respect for a stone, and never came to close quarters. Next morning I went for a long ride with the Commandant to inspect some more of the positions. He had to hold an enormous front with only two regiments, and, as we were outnumbered by the Bulgarians by more than four to one, when the latter could not break through our lines they simply made an encircling movement and walked round them, and, as there were absolutely no reserves, every available man being already in the fighting line, troops had to abandon some other position in order to cut across and bar their route. Thus we were constantly being edged back, and were very many times in great danger of being surrounded. We were fighting a rear-guard action practically all the time for the next six weeks — a mere handful of troops, worn out by weeks of incessant fighting, hungry, sick, and with no big guns to back them up, retreating slowly and in good order before overwhelming forces of an enemy who was fresh, well equipped and with heavy artillery. It was no use throwing men's lives away by holding on to positions when no purpose could be gained by it, though the Colonel felt it keenly that the finest regiment in the Army should have to abandon position after position, although contesting every inch, without having a chance of going on the offensive. It was heartbreaking work for all concerned, and the way they accomplished it is an everlasting credit to officers and men alike. My orderly told me he had heard we were going that evening, so he packed up every- thing, camp bed included, and put it in my wagon. We hung about all the evening expecting to get the order to go at any moment, as the horses were always kept ready saddled in the stable, and you simply had to " stand by " and wait until you were told to go, and then be ready to get straight off. Eventually, however, the Commandant came back and said we were not going that night, and we had a quiet supper about ten o'clock and turned in, with a warning to be up early in the morning. As my bed was packed up I rolled myself up in a blanket on the floor, and my orderly did likewise at the other side of the stove and kept the fire up. It was snowing hard and frightfully cold. At daybreak we did move, but not very far, only to the little hahn by the roadside ; and there we stood about in the snow and listened to a battle which was apparently going on quite close ; although we strained our eyes we could see nothing — there was such a frightful blizzard. A company of reinforcements passed us and floundered off through the deep snow drifts across the fields in the direction of the firing. There was no artillery fire (I suppose they could not haul the guns through the snow), but the crackle of the rifles got nearer and nearer, and at last about midday they were so close that we could hear the wild " Hourrah, Hourrahs " of the Bulgarians as they took our trenches, and as the blizzard had stopped for a bit we could see them coming streaking across the snow towards us, our little handful of men retreating and reforming as they went. The Bulgarians always give the most blood-curdling yells when they charge. The ambulance was already gone, and there were only the Colonel and his staff, myself and the doctor left. The horses were brought out, and the order came to go, but only about three miles to where the big ambulance was camped with whom I had been at first. There was a river between the hahn and this ambulance, and the road went over a bridge. This bridge was heavily mined and was to be blown up as soon as our men were over, thus cutting off, or anyhow considerably delaying, the Bulgarians, as the river was now a swollen icy torrent. We sat round the fire of the ambulance and dried our feet. Some of the men were soaking to the knees, having no boots, but only opankis, leather sandals fastened on with a strap which winds round the leg up to the knee. Later on some wounded were brought in, given a very hurried dressing, and despatched at once to the base hospital. The majority of them seemed to be hit in the right arm or wrist, but I am afraid perhaps the worst wounded never reached us. One poor fellow who was hit in the abdomen was, I am afraid, done for ; he would hardly live till he got to the hospital. We heard no more firing till late in the afternoon, when all at once it broke out again quite close, and with big guns as well this time. We wondered how on earth they had been able to get them across the river, but the explanation was forthcoming when we heard that the bridge, although it had ten mines in it, had failed to blow up— the mines would not explode ; no one knew why. I floundered through the snow up a little hill with some of the others to see if we could see anything, but we could not see much through the winter twilight except the flashes from the guns momentarily light- ing up the snow banks, and hear the noise of the shells as they whistled overhead. This had been going on for a couple of hours now, and the Greek doctor was getting into a regular funk because they had had no orders to move, though it was all right as we had no wounded in the tent to be carried away, and no one else was worrying about it ; but he finally sent a messenger up to the Commandant, as he seemed to think the ambulance had been forgotten. A couple of days afterwards the men told me with much scorn that that afternoon had been too much for him, and that he did a retreat on his own and never came back to the ambulance again. I was just thinking of looking round for something to eat, as I had had neither breakfast nor lunch, and had been much too busy to think about it, when the order arrived for the ambulance to pack up and move, and the tents came down like lightning. The soldiers were all re- treating across the snow, and I never saw such a depressing sight. The grey November twilight, the endless white expanse of snow, lit up every moment by the flashes of the guns, and the long column of men trailing away into the dusk wailing a sort of dismal dirge— I don't know what it was they were singing —something between a song and a sob, it sounded like the cry of a Banshee. I have never heard it before or since, but it was a most heartbreaking sound . . . Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour. In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity. There is no front or rear free end-paper; however this has not been present in any copy of this edition I have seen over the past twenty years. It means that the volume opens directly to the Half-Title page and ends on the final page of text, both of which are badly tanned and discoloured : U.K. buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases. Packed weight of this item : approximately 600 grams Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses: Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above). Payment can be made by: debit card, credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex), cheque (payable to "G Miller", please), or PayPal. Please contact me with name, address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item. Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (postage, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me. International buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the shipping figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling. Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms). Packed weight of this item : approximately 600 grams International Shipping options: Details of the postage options to various countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. For destinations not shown or other requirements, please contact me before buying. Due to the extreme length of time now taken for deliveries, surface mail is no longer a viable option and I am unable to offer it even in the case of heavy items. I am afraid that I cannot make any exceptions to this rule. Payment options for international buyers: Payment can be made by: credit card (Visa or MasterCard, but not Amex) or PayPal. I can also accept a cheque in GBP [British Pounds Sterling] but only if drawn on a major British bank. Regretfully, due to extremely high conversion charges, I CANNOT accept foreign currency : all payments must be made in GBP [British Pounds Sterling]. This can be accomplished easily using a credit card, which I am able to accept as I have a separate, well-established business, or PayPal. Please contact me with your name and address and payment details within seven days of the end of the listing; otherwise I reserve the right to cancel the sale and re-list the item. Finally, this should be an enjoyable experience for both the buyer and seller and I hope you will find me very easy to deal with. If you have a question or query about any aspect (shipping, payment, delivery options and so on), please do not hesitate to contact me. Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the listing (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you. (please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing) Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height. Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth. Fine Books for Fine Minds I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund. Thank you for looking. Please also view my other listings for a range of interesting books and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information Design and content © Geoffrey Miller
Price: 150 GBP
Location: Flamborough, Bridlington
End Time: 2025-01-27T11:43:10.000Z
Shipping Cost: 25.34 GBP
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Item Specifics
Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Return policy details: If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund, including return postage. All books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard container.
Binding: Hardback
Place of Publication: London
Non-Fiction Subject: History & Military
Language: English
Special Attributes: Illustrated
Author: Flora Sandes
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton
