Iz’’edinova S.V.: A Few Months with the Boers. The War Reminiscences of a Russian Nursing Sister

Title

Neskol’ko mesiatsev u Burov. Vospominaniia sestry miloserdiia, Sankt-Peterburg 1903

A Few Months with the Boers. The War Reminiscences of a Russian Nursing Sister

Keywords

Summary

This book is a thorough account of the Anglo-Boer War from the perspective of a Russian nursing sister, who volunteered in order to help the Boers’ cause. Divided into nine chapters, it reports on the work of the medical contingent of which Iz’’edinova was a member, but it also includes assessments of war strategies, descriptions of battles and evaluations of key military figures (subjects Iz’’edinova had probably heard from other sources). Historical photos are included in the volume.Iz’’edinova’s memoirs has been translated into English (A Few Months with the Boers, 1977).

Bio

Very little is known about Sof’a Iz’’edinova, who volunteered as a nurse in the Russo-Dutch ambulance brigade during the Anglo-Boer War. A member of the Community of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint George, Iz’’edinova meticulously reported not only on her work as a nurse, but also on the military events and on the various personalities involved in the conflict, publishing her memoirs once back in Russia.

Sources

B. Gorelik, The Role of Russian Volunteers in the Collapse of the International Legion in the South African War, “Scientia Militaria. South African Journal of Military Studies”, 2021 (49), 2, p. 29-41;

G. Gorbashova, Russkie sestry miloserdiia v anglo-burskoi voine, in Regiony Rossii v voennoi istorii strany, ed. by L. Grigor’eva et al., Joshkar-Ola 2022, p. 130-146.

A.F.