True Stories of the Great War, Volume 3 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 3 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
From the _postes de secours_ they were taken to the rear in carts, and
the steady rumble of the heavy wheels reminded me of the passing of
the tumbrels in the "Tale of Two Cities."
At one point we passed about 800 Bulgarian prisoners and they did not
seem at all unhappy at being out of the fighting. It is a commentary on
the nature of the Serbians that they gave cigarettes to the prisoners,
although the Bulgars have committed nameless atrocities against their
foes and have devastated thousands of acres of prune trees, thus
destroying a lucrative and immense Serbian industry.
That night Brod fell to the Serbs, but nevertheless I had been that day
further into Serbia than any of her fighting sons at that time.
III--A WOMAN OFFICER OF THE CAVALRY
I do not know what silly things Major Todorovitch told Gen. Vassitch,
but the General, before all his staff, made me an officer of the First
Cavalry, which is the crack Serbian regiment, and a uniform has been
sent to me and is on the way to the United States, although there is
not enough cloth in Serbia to clothe her own troops. Perhaps when I go
back I can use it, for although many an officer offered me a horse,
none proffered me a pair of trousers to ride in.
When I was back in Salonica Prince Alexander sent for me and with his
own hands pinned on my breast the Order of St. Sava, which is the most
coveted of all the Serbian orders.
When I asked him if he really thought I merited it, he said, "I know of
no better friend to Serbia than you." I had already held the Kossova
medal, which is given only for personal attendance to the wounded, and
the Royal Order of the Serbian Red Cross.
Through the kindness of Col. Sondermayer another woman and myself
were smuggled into a dinner given to Venizelos, at which no women were
supposed to be present. During the course of the dinner Venizelos
suddenly turned his head so that he happened to see me and started, as
might be expected at a dinner where women were excluded. I also was
covered with confusion and could not help showing it.
The next day Col. Sondermayer called with an invitation to visit
Venizelos. When we reached his office he was overwhelmed with work,
but he rose from his chair and said kindly, "Have I not seen your face
before?"
"Yes," I replied, "last night at the dinner when you turned your head
and I lost mine."
He laughed, and we were engaged in conversation for an hour. Venizelos
entrusted me with a message for the Greeks in America.
"Tell them," he said, "that we need them. If they cannot come to fight
they can send money, and it will be used to take care of those who are
fighting and those who are left alone after the great battles."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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