Destruction of War Memorial at Mount Allison

It's just an old brick building on a beautiful university campus in New Brunswick. Not really important in the scheme of things--much more important to tear it down and build a new arts centre. But the Memorial Library at Mount Allison University is more than just a building--it's a memorial to 73 former students at the university who died in the First World War. It was paid for by family and friends of the students and it is a cherished part of the university's built history. Yet the administration says its too costly to save. Cost is an interesting concept; the students who died and were remembered by the building of the library paid a high cost, as well. But that seems to be of little consequence to the Mount Allison University decision makers. There actions are shameful and show how little regard for those who sacrificed their lives in that long ago war.

Photographs of Ada Ross Funeral

Contributor Annette Fulford has sent me a link that you may want to visit, as well. It shows photos of the funeral of Nursing Sister Ada Ross. I have not yet written an entry on Ross, but thought that you might be interested in the kind of response made by British communities to the deaths of nursing sisters. Here's the link:

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=171734&pid=1669273&st=0&#entry1669273

For some background on Ada Ross, here is a quote from the Manitoba Free Press, August 8, 1918:

"Nursing Sister Ada Janet Ross, of the C.A.M.C., who died at the Canadian Nurses' Convalescent Hospital at Northwood, Buxton, Derbyshire, England, on July 12, was a graduate of the Winnipeg General Hospital. The deceased went to France almost with the first Canadian nurses, namely, in May 1915, and remained there for two years, when she was put on hospital ship duty between Canada and the Old Country. For some months prior to her death she had been doing work at Buxton."

Nursing Sister Miriam Eastman Baker

Recently, I received an email from Glyn Hethey. He wrote: "my Great Aunt, Miriam Baker was a nursing sister and was killed at an early age in the war. Her picture is in the poster which hangs at the Memorial Centre here in High River[Alberta], and after moving here six yrs ago from BC, I was astounded to see her picture, the likeness of which hung in my Mother's house for as long as I can remember."

Glyn didn't know a lot about his great aunt, but his email raised my interest. I discovered a photo of Miriam on-line and realized that she must have served, not only in the CAMC, but in the British service. As I've mentioned before, so many of our Canadian nurses entered the QAIMNS initially, since so few places were open in the CAMC at the beginning of the war. Then they transferred over to the Canadian corps. I discovered that Miriam's files were intact at Britain's national archives, as well as in our own. But before I share what I learned from these files, I will add another quote, this time from Glyn's cousin, Allan Baker. Allan had a little more knowledge of Miriam:

"Our aunt, Miriam Eastman Baker, was the second of seven children born in ten years to George William Baker [ed. note: Baker was a Winnipeg lawyer, member of Winnipeg City Council and Winnipeg Police Magistrate] and his wife, Jennie Eastman Baker. Jennie was from Maine. She died when my father was born. Their father married twice again. Miriam played an extraordinary role in the raising of her siblings. Perhaps it was inevitable that Miriam would become a Canadian Army Medical Corps Nursing Sister in WWI. She was based at Cliveden. Like Miriam, four of her brothers served overseas, in the Canadian Army and the Royal Flying Corps."

According to Miriam's Canadian attestation papers, she was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on August 20, 1886. She graduated from the St. Luke's Hospital nursing program in New York in 1915. Miriam appears to have enlisted in the QAIMNS in September 1916. At that time, she was serving in a British military hospital in Chatham, England. Miriam transferred to the Canadian service on October 2, 1917 and was assigned to the Canadian Red Cross Military Hospital in Cliveden, Buckinghamshire. Allan Baker describes some of the background of that hospital:

"Nancy Langhorne, born in Virginia, married Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor. Thus she was identified as The Right Honourable Viscountess Astor, but she was known, as a public-spirited citizen, as Nancy Astor. In 1919 she became the first woman elected to the British Parliament. The Astors had a country home, Cliveden, on the Thames, west of London. It served as a hospital in WWI (and again in WWII)."

Almost a year after she began her work at Cliveden, Miriam contracted the Spanish influenza. She died on October 17, 1918 and is buried at the Cliveden War Cemetery. I believe her will provides a real glimpse into what Miriam was like. It appears that she was engaged, leaving her fiance Charles Herbert Dore her diamond ring, cigarette case, and small silver frame with his photo in it. She was religious, leaving her brother Phipps her silver-framed picture of Paul along with a brass clock. She leaves her pearl and turquoise ring to her friend Francis Chaffey, and to her brother Henry her watch, gold locket and chain. To her brother Ralph, her framed picture of Paul and Peter and silver mug. She left her silver card case to another friend, Edwina Higginson. Her sister Doris received the remainder of her jewelry and other personal possessions, her interest in an estate, and all the money she had in the bank with the exception of $50, which she left to her brother Paul.

It is clear that many mourned the loss of Miriam and that she left behind a loving family.

Nurses Missing in Action

This is Remembrance month, when we remember the fallen of previous wars. This blog is dedicated to the forgotten fallen--the women who gave their lives during the First World War. Since starting the blog, I have discovered I am not alone in this task of reclamation. People from all over the world--men and women--have shared their stories and desire to remember these women. Recently, I received a few emails from a colleague in Australia, librarian and fellow researcher, Maggie White. She sent me an article entitled "Australian World War I Nurses: Missing in Action." The author, Ruth Rae, argues that we have a particular blind spot when it comes to remembering the fallen nurses of the First World War. She says that this blind spot isn't new--in fact, nurses were lamenting it during the war itself. She quotes Australian nursing sister, Haynes in a letter home. Haynes wrote that she had sent poetry to the local paper because "They are always so keen on ‘our boys’ – no one ever hears of ‘our girls’, and it would be a good chance to mention that we are here. One bit in the paper said that the Sisters had arrived and…without a comma even, said the horses were in good condition." This month, I hope that more people around the world have celebrated the sacrifice of "our girls" alongside "our boys."

First American Military Nursing Sister to Die in WWI

Today I came across a compelling profile of Nurse Helen Wood, who was the first official American female military nurse to be killed while on duty. The profile, entitled "Nurse Helen Wood: A Scottish Lass, War, and the American Dream" was contributed by writer Sonny Moran. To read the article, go to: http://www.worldwar1.com/tripwire/smtw.htm.