Although bowed by the cares of his office, Nicholas in Kiev made a graceful Imperial gesture. In the ward of the hospital where his sister worked, we had a young, wounded deserter, court-martialled and condemned to death, she wrote. Two soldiers were guarding him. All of us felt very troubled about him - he looked such a decent boy. The doctor spoke of him to Nicky who at once made for that corner of the ward. I followed him, and I could see the young man was petrified with fear. Nicky put his hand on the boys shoulder and asked very quietly why he had deserted. The young man stammered that, having run out of ammunition, he had got frightened, turned and ran. We all waited, our breath held, and Nicky told him that he was free. The next moment the lad scrambled out of bed, fell on the floor, his arms around Nickys knees, and sobbed like a child. I believe all of us were in tears...I have cherished the memory all down the years. I never saw Nicky again. Source: Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K Massie. Nicholas photographed with his two sisters, the Grand Duchesses Olga (in uniform) and Xenia (very right) during a visit to Kiev in 1916.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 23:44:09 +0000
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