Maria Tarnowska (née Światopełk-Czetwertyńska 1884–1965) was a Polish nurse and social activist. She was awarded the

Florence Nightingale Medal The Florence Nightingale Medal is an international award presented to those distinguished in nursing and named after British nurse Florence Nightingale. The medal was established in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), f ...

Life

Tarnowska was born in Milanów, on the estate of her father Włodzimierz Światopełk-Czetwertyński, a veteran of the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

, her mother, Maria Wanda of the Uruscy counts. She married the diplomat Count Adam Tarnowski. She was a nurse during the Balkan Wars and on the Austrian-Russian front of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During the Polish-Bolshevik war she was the commandant of the leaders of the Red Cross. In 1923, she was the first Pole to be awarded the

. After the war, she joined the board of the

Polish Red Cross Polish Red Cross ( pl, Polski Czerwony Krzyż, abbr. PCK) is the Polish member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Its 19th-century roots may be found in the Russian and Austrian Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwea ...

. In 1942, she was arrested and imprisoned in

Pawiak Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia. During the World War II German occupation of ...

for several months. After her release, she joined the underground, obtained the rank of lieutenant of the

Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...

, in September 1944 she was promoted to the rank of major. Due to the high social status and experience, she was delegated to talks with the Germans on the evacuation of the civilian population, which enabled the removal of 20-25 thousand people from

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

on September 8–10, 1944, mainly women, children and the elderly. She also participated in capitulation negotiations. In 1945 she was arrested by the Citizens' Militia on charges of collaborating with the Germans. She was detained in

Olkusz Olkusz ( yi, עלקיש ''Elkish'', german: 1941-45 Ilkenau) is a town in southern Poland with 36,607 inhabitants (2014). Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (since 1999), previously in Katowice Voivodeship (1975–1998), it is the capital ...

, for a month. From 1946 to 1958 she was abroad. She returned to the country and died in Warsaw. Her book entitled ''Memoirs'' was published the National Agency Publishing in 2002. On July 4, 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

, for her outstanding merits in defense of the sovereignty and independence of the Polish State.Postanowienie nr rej. 300/2016 Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 4 lipca 2016 r. o nadaniu orderów i odznaczeń (M.P. z 2016 r. poz. 864)

Works

* ''Wspomnienia'', Warszawa : Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 2002. , *''Future Will Tell: a memoir.'' Friesen Press, 2015. ,

References

1884 births 1965 deaths Florence Nightingale Medal recipients Polish nurses People from Parczew County {{Poland-bio-stub