Not much has been said about the heroic deeds of women in the war, although among the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity there were many who selflessly served the Fatherland, standing up to fight the enemy. An example of patriotism was the life of Rimma Ivanova, a girl who went to the front as a sister of mercy in the First World War. In one of the battles, saving the wounded, she led her regiment to attack, for which she was awarded the military order of St. George, IV degree. For the first time in Russian history, a woman was awarded. In that fatal battle, Rimma was seriously wounded, and it was not possible to save her.
Saint Rimma leads the soldiers into battle
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Rimma Ivanova became the first woman in Russian history to be awarded such a high military rank by the tsar. Prior to that, it was awarded only to male officers who distinguished themselves in battle. All fellow soldiers petitioned for Rimma Ivanova to be awarded the order, they knew about the girl's feat and could estimate how many lives her fearlessness saved.
Portrait of Sister of Mercy Rimma Ivanova
Photo: xx-centure.com.ua
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After her death, the girl began to be called nothing other than "Saint Rimma". Her act was really out of the ordinary: during the German attack, the regiment, where Rimma served as an operating nurse, retreated. The girl understood that this could not be allowed, since she protected, first of all, the wounded, whom she nursed. Without thinking twice, she made a desperate decision: having scrambled out of her trench, Rimma rushed into the attack with a triumphant cry. The sight of a young girl who rushed at the enemy inspired the Russian soldiers, and they supported their leader. The counterattack was successful, the positions were repulsed, the camp of the wounded was saved, but Rimma Ivanova was mortally wounded in the thigh and died very quickly in front of the entire regiment. Men could not hold back their emotions, no one wanted to believe in the death of an angelic sister.
Death of Sister of Mercy Rimma Ivanova. 1915 year
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Interestingly, Rimma's fearless character manifested itself since childhood. As a child, she already knew that she would certainly go to war and defend the Motherland. In her youth, she managed to work as a teacher in a rural school, but when it became known that Germany had begun military action against Russia, she immediately retrained as a nurse and was trained in specially organized courses. At first, she helped the wounded in the hospital, and then went to the front. Too many stories she had heard about how hard it was in the front-line hospitals, how there were not enough hands to take care of the patients of the angelic sister.
Rimma Ivanova at the school where she worked as a teacher
Photo: xx-centure.com.ua
From the front, Rimma wrote warm letters to her relatives, assuring her that she was living tolerably well, and there was no danger. She sent her last letter the day before the fatal battle. Rimma was destined to return from the war in an ordinary wooden coffin, her body was delivered for burial home in Stavropol. The car in which the body was transported was all strewn with flowers - it was a tribute of respect and love from the soldiers for whom she managed to become a guardian angel.
The funeral of Rimma Ivanova
Photo: stavmuseum.ru
The body was accompanied to Stavropol by Rimma's brother, who worked in the same regiment as a field doctor. For the parents, the loss of their daughter was inconsolable.
Rimma Ivanova selflessly looked after the wounded in the war
Photo: xx-centure.com.ua
Despite the fact that the feat of Rimma Ivanova was so highly appreciated by the tsar, over time, the memory of him in history was erased. The heroine's grave was lost, and only a few years ago it was possible to restore the supposed place of her burial.