# Elizabeth Christitch > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elizabeth_Christitch > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Elizabeth_Christitch.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Christitch > Source revision: 1294421444 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Elizabeth Christitch** (1861 – 26 January 1933), known by her [pen name](/source/Pen_name) **Ben Hurst**, was an [Irish](/source/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland) journalist, writer, poet, and translator. ## Biography Elizabeth O'Brien was born in [Patrickswell](/source/Patrickswell), Limerick, Ireland to John O'Brien of [Lough Gur](/source/Lough_Gur), [County Limerick](/source/County_Limerick).[1] She was educated at the convent of the [Faithful Companions of Jesus and Mary](/source/Faithful_Companions_of_Jesus_and_Mary) at Bruff in Co. Limerick and at the Ursuline convent at [Gravelines](/source/Gravelines) near Dunkirk in France. Following her schooling, she became governess in the household of the Polish noble family of [Swinarski](/source/Swinarski) at [Strzałkowo](/source/Strza%C5%82kowo,_Greater_Poland_Voivodeship) near [Poznań](/source/Pozna%C5%84). She married Colonel Ljubomir N. Christitch (also written Hristić) of the [Royal Serbian Army](/source/Royal_Serbian_Army) at the cathedral of Poznan. After helping to found the [Catholic Women's Suffrage Society](/source/St._Joan's_International_Alliance) in 1911,[2] she settled in his home country and during the [Balkan War](/source/Balkan_War) in 1913, she worked as a nurse for the Serbian soldiers. In [World War I](/source/World_War_I), she worked in Belgrade for the Red Cross. Christitch was a journalist for the *Tribune*, the *[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune)*, several [London](/source/London) daily papers, as well as contributing fiction to various periodicals. She translated the [Serbian national anthem](/source/Bo%C5%BEe_pravde) into English, and her English-language version was sung in Britain during the war. Christitch used the pen-name "Ben Hurst". Her best known novel was *The Pride of Garr* (1925). She wrote on Balkan and international politics as well as women's suffrage and [Irish Home rule](/source/Irish_Home_Rule_movement). Christitch was an original member of the Serbian Relief Fund Committee. She and her daughter, [Annie](/source/Annie_Christitch), were prisoners in Serbia for three and a half years. Christitch gained her freedom through assistance from the [Pope](/source/Pope_Benedict_XV). She and her husband had three children. Their son was General Nikola Christitch of the [Royal Yugoslav Army](/source/Royal_Yugoslav_Army) and [Aide de Camp](/source/Aide_de_Camp) to both Kings, [Alexander I of Yugoslavia](/source/Alexander_I_of_Yugoslavia) and [Peter II of Yugoslavia](/source/Peter_II_of_Yugoslavia) and their daughters were fellow patriot [Annie Christitch](/source/Annie_Christitch) and Janie Christitch who was later Mother Mary of the Cross. Christitch was given a blessing for her work by Pope Benedict XV. In 1919, Elsabeth Christitch was given a [Vatican](/source/Vatican_City) [Papal](/source/Pope) audience with Benedict XV, the head of the Catholic faith, who was reported as having said "we should like to see women electors everywhere".[2] Christitch died in London on 26 January 1933 due to a weak heart.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] ## Awards and honours - Christitch was awarded medals from both the Serbian government and the [American Red Cross](/source/American_Red_Cross) for her work. ## Works - *Light and Shade in Albania*, 1913 - *A word on woman suffrage* - *The Slovenes : A Small Nationality*, 1918 - *The Slovenes and Their Leaders*, 1918 - *Church conditions in Jugo-slavia*, 1920 - *Reunion and fusion of the southern slavs*, 1921 - *The Pride of Garr*, 1925 ## References and sources 1. Carbery, Mary, The Farm at Lough Gur, Longmans, Green, & Co., London, 1937 1. ["Votes for Women! The Catholic Contribution - Diocese of Westminster"](https://rcdow.org.uk/news/votes-for-women-the-catholic-contribution/). *rcdow.org.uk*. Retrieved 2020-03-01. 1. ["Annie and Elizabeth O'Brien Christitch Papers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20191106130604/https://library.bc.edu/finding-aids/MS1994-039-finding-aid.pdf). Boston College. Archived from [the original](https://library.bc.edu/finding-aids/MS1994-039-finding-aid.pdf) on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019. 1. ["Catholic News Service - Newsfeeds 6 February 1933"](https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=cns19330206-01.1.31). *Catholic Research Resources Alliance*. 1933-02-06. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. Michail, E. (2011). [*The British and the Balkans: Forming Images of Foreign Lands, 1900-1950*](https://books.google.com/books?id=tVgSBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT153). Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 153. ISBN 978-1-4411-7061-3. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. McCarthy, T.M. (2018). [*Respectability and Reform: Irish American Women's Activism, 1880-1920*](https://books.google.com/books?id=y3N0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA209). Irish Studies. Syracuse University Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8156-5436-0. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. Petrovitch, W.M. (2007). [*Serbia: Her People History and Aspirations*](https://books.google.com/books?id=m0ZteuDbZg4C&pg=PA15). Cosimo, Incorporated. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-60206-941-1. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. Burnand, F.C. (1922). [*The Catholic Who's who & Yearbook*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Tp9HAQAAMAAJ). No. v. 15. Burns & Oates. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. [*The Central European Observer -Obituary*](https://books.google.com/books?id=beAcAQAAMAAJ). No. v. 11-12. Central European Observer. 1933. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. [*Great Britain and the East -Obituary*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0Mm1RLjN-GsC). 1933. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. [*The Catholic Citizen*](https://books.google.com/books?id=7J1vmyWeW9QC). No. v. 27-36. 1941. Retrieved 2019-11-06. 1. Aleksov, Bojan (2015-08-03). ["Strange Bedfellows: British Women and Serbs 1717-1945"](https://www.academia.edu/37836735). *British-Serbian Relations from the 18th to the 21st Centuries*. Retrieved 2019-11-06. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elizabeth Christitch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Christitch) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Christitch?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.