Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
History
Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
“How did I feel on taking a human life? I had no sensation except to
rid my country of an enemy. There was no sentimentality. We were trying
to kill them and they were trying to kill us—that is all. Any Russian
girl or any American girl in the same position would have the same
feeling.”
Mme. Butchkareff—Commander Butchkareff—the peasant born leader of
the heroic girls, was not only endowed with the highest quality of
courage but she seemed to have an instinct for military command. She
was, as her soldiers testified, “here, there, everywhere,” directing
the action, adding the fire of her own spirit to the enthusiasm of
the members of the battalion, urging them to “fight like real Russian
soldiers,” and they met the demand. Said one of them:
“None of us was afraid once we got started. We were in the midst of
a great fusillade of shots. Then terrific big shells began bursting
around us. We were again frightened a little when we first saw the dead
about, but before very long we were jumping over the dead and quickly
forgot all about them. We just forgot ourselves entirely. We were
simply Russia fighting for her life.
“As we ran forward we suddenly came upon a bunch of Germans immediately
ahead of us. It was only a second until we were all around them.
“They saw they were caught and threw down their rifles, holding up
their hands. They were terribly frightened.
“‘Good God! Women!’ they exclaimed.”
It might have been better for Russia had all her soldiers been women.
HER AMBULANCE UNIT
An English Woman’s Contribution Was Her Fortune and the Daily Risk of
Her Life
Among the decorations worn by Mrs. Hilda Wynne are the French Croix
de Guerre, the Belgian order of Leopold, and the Russian Order of St.
George—certificates of preëminent service in circumstances of danger
that demand the high courage of utter self-devotion. Mrs. Wynne is
a young English woman who gave her fortune to organize an ambulance
unit and risked her life driving an ambulance on the firing line. Her
organization was known as the Bevan-Wynne Unit, and it cared for some
40,000 wounded soldiers in the course of the war. Mrs. Wynne visited
this country in the Autumn of 1917 for the purpose of arousing interest
in the public in the needs of soldiers in France. Happily her mission
was a successful one.
While she was in Denver the _Post_ of that city induced Mrs. Wynne to
tell some of her experiences, which are here reproduced.
“Looking upon the human courage I have witnessed, from this distance
and in the little breathing space I have taken from service I can
recall thousands of heroic acts, but the bravest happened on the
Russian front.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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