Róża Maria Goździewska (; also known as Różyczka Goździewska, Różyczka being a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of her first name, lit. "Little Rose"; 31 March 1936 – 29 October 1989) was a Polish nurse, known as the youngest nurse of the 1944

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

when she was a child.

Biography

Goździewska was born on 31 March 1936. Her father was killed by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

in 1943. A year later, on 1 August, the city of

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

was engulfed in the uprising against the German occupiers, with the civilian population caught in the middle. A number of

child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...

took part in the fighting on the side of the Polish insurgents. Goździewska, eight years old at that time, was helping in the

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...

at 11 Moniuszki Street in Warsaw. She was described as a nurse because she made the patients smile, brought them water to drink, and tried to clear away the flies. That field hospital was associated with the Polish insurgents'

Home Army The Home Army (, ; 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) established in the ...

unit. Her relative, Jadwiga Obretenny, 19 years old at the time, was also a nurse in the Uprising. A photo of Goździewska, wearing a

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

armband, was taken in early August 1944 by

Eugeniusz Lokajski Eugeniusz Zenon Lokajski (14 December 1908 – 25 September 1944) was a Polish athlete, gymnast and photographer. He is notable as the Champion of Poland in javelin throw and the creator of more than 1000 photos documenting the Warsaw Uprising. ...

nom-de-guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In ''ancien régime'' France it would be adopted by each new recruit (or assigned to them by ...

"Brok", a Home Army resistance fighter and photographer, who would perish a month later. The Uprising, after incurring major casualties among the civilian participants, was eventually crushed by the Germans on 2 October. Goździewska and her sister survived the war. Afterwards, she attended a gymnasium run by the

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of women that in 1572 branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula. The Ursulines trace their origins to th ...

, graduated from the

Silesian University of Technology The Silesian University of Technology (Polish language, Polish name: Politechnika Śląska; ) is a university located in the Polish province of Silesia, with most of its facilities in the city of Gliwice. It was founded in 1945 by Polish profes ...

, and in 1958, she emigrated to France, where she got married and had two children. She died on 29 October 1989.

Remembrance

In the early 21st century her photo gained recognition, having been used in various materials published by the

Warsaw Uprising Museum The Warsaw Rising Museum (), in the Wola district of Warsaw, Poland, is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The institution of the museum was established in 1983, but no construction work took place for many years. It opened on July 31, 20 ...

. Her photo was

colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...

in the 2010s, and by the late 2010s described as "well known" and even as one of the most famous photos of the Warsaw Uprising.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goździewska, Róża Maria Warsaw Uprising insurgents 1936 births 1989 deaths Polish nurses Polish emigrants to France Silesian University of Technology alumni Women in World War II Female wartime nurses

Biography

Remembrance

See also

References