My Diary in Serbia: April 1, 1915-Nov. 1, 1915

In Short

This book serves as a firsthand account of a British volunteer unit sent to establish a field hospital in Serbia during the spring and summer of 1915. Through a series of diary entries, it documents the grueling realities of treating typhus and war wounds in a resource-strained environment. The narrative captures the logistical nightmare of moving medical supplies, the persistent threat of air raids, and the quiet resilience of both the Serbian people and the women who traveled from England to provide aid amidst the encroaching front lines.

The Story

The narrative begins in April 1915 as a large, well-equipped unit departs England for Salonika. Led by Mrs. St. Clair Stobart, the group faces a difficult sea voyage marked by food shortages and rough weather before arriving in the Balkans. Their destination is Kragujevatz, where they establish a field hospital to treat surgical cases and cope with the devastating typhus epidemics sweeping through the country.

As spring turns to summer, the author detail the daily life of the hospital. The work is physically taxing and emotionally heavy, involving the constant management of medical supplies, the arrival of soldiers with severe frostbite and combat injuries, and the persistent threat of disease among the staff themselves. Despite these hardships, the team develops a routine, finding small moments of respite in local walks and the observation of local customs, such as the elaborate funeral rites they witness at a cemetery.

The arc of the story shifts as the war’s proximity increases. The author records the sight of retreating troops from Albania, the constant overhead drone of French and Austrian aircraft, and the eventual bombardment of Belgrade. By late summer, the medical staff must pivot, establishing field dispensaries to reach more remote areas and preparing to evacuate as the military situation grows dire.

The final phase of the diary traces the group’s retreat. As the Bulgarian frontier becomes a focal point of conflict, the hospital unit is forced to clear out. The author describes the harrowing flight of refugees, the destruction of infrastructure, and the narrow escape of medical staff who arrive at the train stations covered in mud, having left everything behind. The narrative concludes in November 1915, as the author makes her way back to France and finally to England, closing a cycle that began with high hopes for organized medical aid and ended with the grim necessity of survival and withdrawal from a collapsing front.

How It Unfolds

The initial arrival The journey begins with a sea voyage on the Saidieh, where the author balances Swedish drill and bridge games with the realities of water shortages and bad food. Upon arriving in Greece, the unit navigates a chaotic scramble to transport medical equipment and personal luggage by train to their base in Kragujevatz.

Establishing the base The unit pitches sixty tents and begins the arduous task of organizing a surgical field hospital. The narrative highlights the contrast between the idyllic natural surroundings, filled with fireflies and nightingales, and the grim arrival of local patients suffering from gangrene and neglected tubercular wounds.

The onset of illness As summer temperatures rise, the hospital staff falls victim to a mysterious fever that mirrors the health crises of the local population. The author documents the struggle to maintain a functional kitchen and ward schedule while nearly half the staff remains in isolation or recovery.

The encroaching front The narrative shifts toward military engagement as the author observes air battles above the camp and the bombardment of local towns. The hospital becomes a secondary concern to the tactical movements of the Serbian and Austrian armies, forcing the unit to reorganize for a potential retreat.

The final evacuation The diary ends with the collapse of the local security, resulting in a desperate exodus of staff and refugees. The author recounts the final journey through war-torn transit points, concluding with a safe return to England under the shadow of the ongoing conflict.

The People

The book is centered on the collective experience of the "Stobart Field Hospital" staff. Mrs. St. Clair Stobart, the directress, serves as the driving force of the mission, maintaining order and directing the unit’s movements despite her own bouts of illness. Her leadership is depicted as pragmatic and steady, necessary for navigating the bureaucratic hurdles of the Serbian Relief Fund. The women surgeons and nurses are characterized by their professional grit; they are described as quick, capable, and remarkably resilient in the face of both medical emergencies and severe environmental discomforts. The Serbian soldiers and civilians appear throughout the narrative as both patients and hosts; their resilience is noted with admiration, particularly when they return to the trenches despite suffering from chronic illness or severe injury. Finally, the Austrian orderlies—Mike, Mick, Peet, Steve, and Milko—provide a poignant counterpoint to the war; their willingness to support the author during her sickness demonstrates a shared humanity that exists independent of the national borders being defended and fought over by their respective armies.

In Its Own Voice

"People in dear old England cannot imagine the state of this part of the world; thousands and thousands are suffering and cannot get attention."

The author reflects on the disconnect between the home front and the scale of the medical crisis in Serbia during the spring of 1915.

"It would be a blessing if some of these poor men had been killed right out, instead of all the suffering they go through."

While assisting with surgical dressings, the author expresses the raw, unfiltered emotional toll of witnessing the long-term maiming caused by the war.

What It's Really About

At its core, the diary examines the friction between institutional idealism and the messy, unpredictable reality of war-zone medicine. It raises quiet questions about the sustainability of volunteer-led humanitarian aid when faced with total war, disease, and failing infrastructure. The author avoids overt political commentary, focusing instead on the logistical reality of survival. The book acts as a testament to the displacement of non-combatants and the normalization of violence—where an air raid becomes a scheduled event and the destruction of a city is recorded alongside the daily menu. It is an argument for the necessity of witness, showing that the "Brave Serbia" of the preface was not a romantic ideal, but a landscape of real, agonizing human need.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of medicine, the experiences of women in World War I, or the logistics of humanitarian relief will find this account invaluable. It is a work of precision, written by an observer who values the details of a daily menu or a change in the weather as much as the shifting lines of the front. The reading experience is immersive, characterized by a matter-of-fact tone that makes the sudden surges of danger feel startling and immediate.

However, the reader should be prepared for a narrative that is entirely unvarnished. The author presents the attitudes of her time without modern filtering, including descriptions of the local population that reflect the era’s colonial and European-centric outlook. The pace is irregular, mirroring the exhaustion of a nurse living through a months-long crisis; there are long stretches of administrative detail followed by moments of sharp, sudden peril. It is a challenging but deeply rewarding read for those who want to understand the Great War not through the grand strategy of generals, but through the eyes of someone who spent her days managing the human cost of the conflict, one tent and one bandage at a time.