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• The backyard of the uprising (...)
• In the second half of the 19th century (...)
• Magdalena Mańczak, a certified nurse who (...)
• When the uprising broke out (...)
• The Budny sisters were runners who helped the insurgents (...)
• Organisation and equipment (...)

Organisation and equipment

A considerable contribution to the organisation of the uprising was made by female landowners, who, as well as their merits in the areas described above, helped the insurgents in many other ways. Maria Kurnatowska was a co-organiser of the Gościeszyn troop, which she provided with weapons. Aleksandra Bukowiecka, on the other hand, co-founded the Lubiń Company. She also allowed insurgent units to use the rooms and stables in her estate, and funded the purchase of weapons and ammunition. Countess Skórzewska, Lady of Łabiszyn and Lubostroń, allowed them to use sleds, which made it possible to transport entire companies to sections that were under threat.

Other activities carried out in the background of the uprising included the registration of insurgents and the conscription of soldiers returning from Germany. Women were commonly involved in these activities. In Bydgoszcz, there was a special unit of the People’s Council, led by Stefania Tuchułkowa, Apolonia Ziółkowska and Wincentyna Teskowa, that handled the conscription process and purchased weapons and smuggled them to the insurgents fighting near Rynarzewo. 

Women were also engaged in providing the soldiers with uniforms. When the uprising broke out, its participants wore Prussian uniforms, and women were responsible for altering them. They removed the German collars, cuffs and epaulettes, and replaced them with Polish elements - a red and white rosette or band.

Women also spontaneously made national flags and hung them to manifest their patriotism and solidarity with the insurgents. They also embroidered standards. When the insurgents won their first battle in Osieczna, Maria Kopańska sneaked into the town council, tore off the black fabric from the Prussian flag that was inside, and hung the “Polish” flag on the Osieczna town hall.

In memory

The entirety of the work done by women, although frequently carried out in the background of military actions, immensely contributed to the success of the uprising. All of the support, pre-organised and spontaneous, that the women provided to the insurgents raised their spirits and their will to fight. The supplies and medical services provided to the insurgents were a priceless security measure, while the information passed on by runners and couriers saved many lives. However, the women who served to support the uprising did not perceive their work as something heroic, but rather as their patriotic duty. Only now, in hindsight, are we able to see that the role they played in the uprising was in fact crucial. Their seemingly simple and trivial tasks required immense amounts of work and effort, which they received no reward for. Hardly anyone noticed it back then, and that is why very few of them wrote down their memories of those events. It makes the stories of the ones who survived even more valuable. At the same time, let us bear in mind that the stories described in the present publication are just a small selection. The backyard of the uprising was, to a large extent, paved by female hands. We must not forget this, because in discussions concerning the Greater Poland Uprising the contribution of women is too often underestimated.