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Flora Sandes, a British woman who fought on the front line during World War One, has been recognized by a local historian as a “pioneer for women”. Sandes, who was born in Nether Poppleton in 1876, grew up near Wickham Market in Suffolk before joining the Serbian army to fight against the Germans, having been rejected by the British army. She rose through the ranks in Serbia and is still remembered in the country for her efforts. Sandes also fought in World War Two before returning to Suffolk after her husband’s death. She died in 1956.
Sandes’ father was an Anglo-Irish vicar who moved the family to Marlesford when he became the area’s vicar. When World War One broke out in 1914, Sandes was eager to serve, but was rejected from the Red Cross for having no practical experience. Undeterred, she joined a group of volunteer nurses heading to Serbia instead.
Sandes worked in Serbia for several years until the country was invaded in 1916, at which point she joined the forces she had been assigned to rather than retreating. She rose to the rank of officer and was the only British woman fighting directly against the Germans. Following the war, Sandes struggled to readjust to a normal life in England and was said to have drank and smoked heavily.
Local historian Janette Robinson gave a talk on Sandes’ life in Ipswich last week for the Suffolk Family History Society. She discovered Sandes’ story while working as an archivist and researched it further. Robinson praised Sandes as an inspiration and a pioneer, and emphasised the importance of telling her story more widely since she is hardly known today despite being recognised throughout the Commonwealth
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