Mirka Grujić (

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, 1869–1940) was a Serbian volunteer nurse during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, president of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, and was the honorary first

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

of Queen

Maria of Yugoslavia Maria (born Princess Maria of Romania; 6 January 1900 – 22 June 1961), known in Serbian as Marija Karađorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Марија Карађорђевић), was Queen of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from 1922 to 1929 and Queen of Yu ...

Biography

Mirka Grujić was one of ten children of Jelena and Jevrem Grujić, the Serbian statesman and diplomat. She was highly educated and intelligent. She spoke five languages, painted, played the harpsichord. During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, and

, Grujić joined the volunteer medical corps as a nurse. She took part in the retreat across Albania and remained with the army until the liberation of Serbia, when she returned to Belgrade. For her work as a nurse, she was given the Medal for Bravery. After the war, she became the president of the Circle of Serbian Sisters, whose member she was prior to World War I. In that position, she took care of the poor, the ill, orphans, and helped educate young girls.

References

1869 births 1940 deaths Health professionals from Belgrade Serbian women in World War I World War I nurses Recipients of the Medal for Bravery (Serbia) Female nurses in World War I Circle of Serbian Sisters Serbian nurses People from the Kingdom of Serbia {{nurse-bio-stub