Remembrance and Transformation
Overseas Perspective of a Canadian Nurse
Who Were We?
We were the nurses that served in the dreadful First World War. Before heading off to war, many of us were already experienced and quite qualified for this task and position but nothing could have truly prepared us for the intensity war brought. As nurses, we were mostly single women between the ages of 21 and 38 and many of our fathers and brothers were already serving. By the end of the war in 1918, we became a great group of over a 1000 nurses who saved thousands of lives through medical operations and care for injured soldiers.
Brief Information on World War I
World War One (WWI) from a Canadian Perspective
Tried: 1914-1918
During the First World War, we nurses experienced the dismay of a war-stricken environment, incessantly. We worked under immense amounts of stress to aid numerous soldiers of their injuries and wounds. Despite being experienced in the medical field, we encountered injuries and infections, that were unknown before the war. But the worst part of it all, were the deaths. The enormous amount of deaths we had to deal with was overwhelming. So many lost ones; especially men who were just out of their teenage years all became victims of war and death.
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Tested: 1919-1924
After returning home from war, nurses and women in general realized that things needed to change. With a great effort, we were able to obtain certain rights including the right to vote. Despite the wonderful progress we have made through 1920s, we were still not completely satisfied as we were still not seen as equals when compared to men which angered us. Our society needed a reversal, a course of action, so that women could be treated fairly.
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Transformed: 1925-1929
The late 1920s were a magnificent time period of economic growth and prosperity for us. The nursing profession was finally taking off, gaining interest and popularity and for the first time in history, we were respected as equals for our occupation. But for the next decade, everyone in Canada faced unemployment and economic despair as a result of the dreadful Great Depression.
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