Shortlisted for the HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize 2012
The only woman to serve as a soldier in the
First World War, the Englishwoman Flora
Sandes became a hero and media sensation
when she fought for the Serbian Army and
pursued a distinguished career in its ranks
as officer. This account charts her incredible
story, from her tomboyish childhood
in genteel Victorian England, her mission
to Serbia as a Red Cross volunteer and subsequent
military enrolment, her celebrity
lecture tours of Europe, her marriage to a
fellow officer and her survival of a Gestapo
prison during the Second World War to her
final years in Surrey.
A fascinating character of her times and an
inspiration to women the world over, Flora
Sandes is brought to life and restored to her
rightful place in history by this first authorized
biography – compiled with the help of
her family, and using hitherto unused private
papers and photographs.
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"Inspiring account… this story uncovers a true female role model from history." -
We Love This Book magazine
"Meticulous biography... Sandes did not fight for ideology, but for excitement and camaraderie."
Ben Macintyre, The Times
"Miller’s prose is clear, and she writes with passion about her subject, injecting a Saturday morning picture-house feel to Flora’s exploits on the Serbian front line. It is this that makes the book a bracing narrative, appealing to the general reader... endnotes, and a thorough bibliography of primary and secondary sources, also give the book academic substance."
The Scotsman
"This is an inspiring story, meticulously researched and referenced, of courageous women whose presence made a difference to an embattled and courageous country."
The Scots Magazine
"Louise Miller's
A Fine Brother: The Life of Captain Flora Sandes expertly brings to life this unique woman's extraordinary determination, physical and mental stamina and dedication to the cause of defeating the Serbians' all too numerous foes."
Guards Magazine
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Read an excerpt from
A Fine Brother
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