Augusta Chiwy, the former Belgian nurse who served with the American army during the Second World War, died on Sunday at the age of 94. She was considered one of the heroines of the Battle of Ardennes.
Augusta Chiwy dreamed of becoming a teacher before the war, but decided to become a nurse. She moved to Bastogne, where she was caught up in the German offensive of December 1944. She treated numerous Belgian civilians and some of the American soldiers who fought in the Battle of Ardennes while working in a make-shift hospital, often in atrocious conditions. The hospital where she worked was hit by a shell during the fighting, and her best friend, Renée Lemaire, was killed, along with several patients.
In 2011, she was given the civilian merit medal for humanitarian missions for treating the GIs. It was given to her in the name of the Supreme Commander of the European allied forces (SACEUR). She had also received the Knight of the Order of the Crown medal from Albert II a few months before. Bastogne has confirmed there will be a memorial service for Augusta Chiwy in Mardasson on Saturday the 29th of August, at 10.30am.
The American production house The 5 Stones Group did a documentary about her in 2014.
(Source: Belga)
