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Sy P ¥ -REMEMBR y | Sale an =f ty Military nurses played a vital roll in Canada’s war effort November is a month for remember- ing the men and women who so readily took up arms to secure our freedom and to preserve all that we cherish. We often read about soldiers and their contribu- tions, but we should not overlook an extremely important facet in the ongoing war for peace. Military nurses have long played an integral role in history. From Florence Nightingale in the Crimea and Edith Cavell in World War I, to the dozens of men and women who now participate on the battlefields around the world healing and comforting our troops who are in constant need of companionship and medical care. Canadian nurses first performed military service during the North West Rebellion of 1885. Seven nurses served in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. A mere fifteen years later, during the Boer War, four Canadian nurses were dispatched to South Africa, along with one thousand Canadian volunteers -the first Canadian military nurses to serve overseas. They were joined by four more a few months later. Not only were they immediately recognized for their valour but they were granted the relative rank, pay and allow- ances of an army lieutenant. By the time World War I was raging, 3,141 Canadian nurses volunteered their services. They served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps with over 2,500 serving overseas in England, France and the Eastern Mediterranean at Gallipoli, Alexandria and Salonika. By the end of the war, forty-six nursing sisters had given their lives. Ruth Muggeridge served her country during World War Il. Ottawa has dedicated a statue to Photo by jonathan van Bilsen 28 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2011 NOVEMBER.FOCUS.48.indd 28 40/23/11 10:24:42 AM