Elizabeth (O'Brien) Christitch was born in Limerick, Ireland as the daughter of John O'Brien of Loughghur, Limerick. She married Ljubomir N. Christitch (also written Hristić) a colonel in the Royal Serbian Army. They had three children: Nikola, Annie, and Janie, who later became Mother Mary of the Cross.

During World War I she worked in Belgrade for the Red Cross. She was also an original member of the Serbian Relief Fund Committee. She and her daughter Annie were held as prisoners in Serbia for three and a half years, with their release aided by the Pope.

Christitch was a writer, poet, and translator. She wrote under the pen name Ben Hurst and was best known for her novel The Pride of Garr (1925). She was a correspondent for the Tribe, and her translation of the Serbian National Anthem was sung in England during World War I. During the Balkan War she wrote for several London daily papers and The Chicago Tribune.

Christitch received the Serbian Cross of Merit for her work in the Balkan War of 1913, and a medal from the Red Cross Society for her service in Belgrade during World War I.

Elizabeth Christitch died in London on January 26, 1933 at the age of seventy-three.

Sources:

Obituary, Catholic News Service news feed, February 6, 1933. Accessed on February 2, 2022 at https://thecatholicnewsarchive.org/?a=d&d=cns19330206-01.1.31&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN--------

Annie Christitch was born in Belgrade in 1885, the daughter of Ljubomir N. Christitch (also written Hristić) and Elizabeth (O'Brien) Christitch. Her grandfather Nikola Hristić was the Prime Minister who helped form the Principality of Serbia. Annie, her brother Nikola, and her sister Janie received most of their early education from their mother. Annie later received her B. A. at London University and attained fluency in English, French, Italian, German, Serbian, Croatian, Russian, and Irish. She served as lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, and she and her brother accompanied the Duke of York (later King George VI) to Belgrade for the baptism of the Crown Prince Peter.

During the World War I, Annie Christitch worked with her mother as a nurse in Serbia and supervised several military hospitals. At this time, she and her mother were held prisoners. Christitch gave lectures in England in order to raise funds for medical supplies. She ran a soup kitchen for the Red Cross.

During World War II, Annie Christitch helped Allied soldiers escape from Balkan countries, and she worked with Queen Marie and the British Red Cross to supply Yugoslav prisoners of war in Germany and Italy with parcels.

Annie Christitch worked for many years for the Daily Express and was one of the first women reporters to fly in an airplane. She was a founding member of the Catholic Women's Suffrage Society, which later became St. Joan's Alliance. In 1919, Pope Benedict XV gave her his blessing on the women's franchise movement. For the International Council of Women (ICW), she served as the Convener for the Press Committee from 1938 to 1947. The Committee acted as a liaison between ICW and the Press Committees of National Councils.

Annie Christitch received the Order of the Serbian White Eagle and the Order of St. Sava. She was also decorated by the Yugoslavian Red Cross and the Czechoslovak White Lion.

Annie Christitch died in 1977 in London.

Sources:

"Women in the News," short biography of Annie Christitch, Box 1, Folder 28, Annie and Elizabeth O'Brien Christitch papers, MS.1994.039, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.