Malvina Valeikienė from Giedraičiai - the First Person in Lithuanian History to Raise the Red Cross Flag

Malvina Valeikienė provided valuable intelligence to Lithuanian soldiers in Giedraičiai, sheltered and cared for the wounded, and organized their evacuation from the battlefield — often at the risk of her own life. Seeking a way to protect herself and the wounded, she made a white flag with a red cross sewn onto it.Valeikienė became the first person in Lithuanian history to raise the Red Cross flag on the battlefield - three kilometres away from Giedraičiai. This happened on October 31, 1920. Accompanied by her servants, she took a cart, placed both Lithuanian and enemy soldiers in it, and even hid some of them without telling her husband. After bandaging the wounded, she found ways to transport them across the front lines to reach the hospital in Ukmergė.

The Lithuanian Red Cross Society was established on January 12, 1919.