Page 24 - tmp

Jelena Dimitrijević - the “Serbian orchid”’- a nurse, poet,
Heroines in War and Memory storyteller, novelist, folklorist, landscape painter and repor-
ter. During the Balkan War she was a sister of mercy in
Anastasija Kocić Belgrade. She was in Germany when WWI started, and
then, she managed to return home. Her husband was killed
Ulica Druge proleterske brigade 16/6, 18 000 Niš at the front in WWI in 1915.

Introduction

Serbian heroines: great and fearless women of our history,
great warriors, volunteers in WWI, well-known and ano-
nymous heroes of WWI, with their superhuman effort and
devotion, encouraged people to be fair and consistent. Ha-
ving served as an example worthy of admiration and respe-
ct, they became a testimony of the inhuman times of war.
They were known as a weaker sex, they were daughters,
wives, sisters and mothers, housewives; but when the
opportunity arose, they also became warriors and did male Picture 01- South Serbia - during the Great War “With their courage and
jobs without a problem. How do we see women’s contri- their suffering they impressed the WORLD” – Henri Barbusse
bution to the making of history? What were their motives
for joining the Serbian army? I want to present what Milun-
ka Savić, Nadežda Petrović, Ružica Petrović, Jelena Dimi-
trijević, Sofija Jovanović, Vasilija Vukotić, Milica Milja-
nov, Antonija Javornik and many others, were telling and
doing. These are just some of the names of women who
marked the years of war and gave contribution during WWI.
Picture 02- Serbian heroines during the Great War- Anastasija Kocić
artwork
Working method

Internet research, research through encyclopedias, discussi-
ons with the descendants of the participants of the WWI
and the collaboration with a professor Milunka Mitić.

The results
Picture 03- M. Savić Picture 04- N. Petrović Anastasija Kocić artwork
The phenomenon of a woman-warrior was interesting not
only as the way of looking outside of the patriarchal culture
and education, but also as the fact that women in war often Conclusion
surpassed their male comrades in bravery and resource-
fulness. Due to the fact that women were the most wounded Time has shown that Serbian heroines, warriors, nurses,
civilians in war, a large number of them went to the front artists and writers crossed many limits, both in lifestyle and
because they did not want to be helpless against the work, as well as creation, warfare, writing. Women have
occupier; however, there was also the patriotic motive. The certainly deserved their place in the story of WWI. These
population of women was largely unsafe, especially during heroines deserve to be remembered. “The memory of that
1916 and 1917. time is the key to open the door of life, while oblivion
Ružica Petrović: A female officer. The telegram declaring forces us repeatedly to pay our dues and to repeat the
war passed through her hands also. lessons cruelly in both life and history. This is an authentic
view of blurry times and painful events” – it is just the
Milunka Savić – A heroine with 13 world and high-rank beginning of the story.
Serbian medals. The memory of her must be recovered in
every single Serbian home; the youth needs to be instilled
with the values she promoted, not only during the war, but
also in times of peace. Literature
Nadežda Petrović – The first female war-photographer in 1. Volunteer Milunka Savić, Serbian heroine, 2013 - V.
Serbia; volunteered as a nurse in the Danube Division; one Golubović, P. Pavlović, N. Pedjica;
of the most important Serbian painters. As one of the foun- 2. Crucifixion of Serbia, 2014 - Ratomir Damjanović;
ders of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, Nadežda visited the 3. Between the two tears, 2008 - Zorica Sarah Mitić;
battlefields from the outbreak of the First Balkan War in 4. Serbia in the Great War 1914-1918, 2013 - M.
October 1912 to the end of the Second Balkan War, and Radojević and Lj. Dimić;
again during WWI until 1915 when she died of typhoid as a 5. Archive photographs: drawings- private collection and
nurse in the hospital in Valjevo. internet