author
Flora Sandes
1876–1956
Best known as the only British woman officially to serve as a soldier in World War I, she left behind a story of nerve, persistence, and real frontline experience. Her life moved from nursing work in wartime Serbia to decorated military service and later memoir writing.
1 Audiobook
An English woman-sergeant in the Serbian Army
by Flora Sandes
About the author
Born in Yorkshire in 1876, Flora Sandes grew up with an adventurous streak that did not fit neatly into the expectations of her time. When World War I began, she went to Serbia with a relief unit as a nurse and volunteer.
In the chaos of the Serbian campaign, she crossed from medical support into military service and became a member of the Serbian army. She was promoted, decorated for bravery, and is widely remembered as the only British woman officially to serve as a soldier in the war.
After the war, she wrote about her experiences, including An English Woman-Sergeant in the Serbian Army and later The Autobiography of a Woman Soldier. She died in 1956, but her life still stands out as one of the most unusual and remarkable wartime stories of the early twentieth century.