More New Books

On 27 June 1918, the Llandovery Castle, a Canadian hospital ship returning to England, was sunk by a German U-boat in contravention of international law. Two hundred and thirty-four crew members died, including fourteen nursing sisters. It was the most significant Canadian naval disaster of the First World War.

Anna Stamers, a thirty-year-old nursing sister from Saint John, was on the ship. Now, her story will finally be told. In this well-researched volume, ASLEEP IN THE DEEP author Dianne Kelly explores Stamers’s childhood and nursing education in Saint John; her decision to enlist and her transition to military nursing; her service during the war in field hospitals in both England and France; and her final posting aboard HMHS Llandovery Castle. This vivid reconstruction of Stamers’s life is both an illuminating biography of a young woman’s experience of war and an important examination of the role nursing sisters played during the Great War.

Asleep in the Deep is volume 28 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series. Published in 2021 by Goose Lane Editions with the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society.

 

A Canadian Nurse in the Great War is a fascinating collection of letters from a Maritime nurse who served overseas during the First World War. More than two thousand Canadian women served as army nurses overseas during the First World War. Reading a diary written by one of these women is a unique privilege.

The book grants a peek, through the diary of Ruth Loggie, into a little-known moment of our history. It also offers a glimpse into forbidden territory-women at war. Loggie’s diary provides a daily commentary on life as she experienced it and as the events of the Great War unfolded. How did she cope? What were her thoughts as she lived through what she knew were world-altering events?

Edited by author Ross Hebb and published in 2021 this is a special document.

 

 

 

 

Remembering Nurses Who Served covers the lives of two hundred graduates of the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing and describes their lives before, during and after serving in WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. Four nurses made the supreme sacrifice in WW1 and one nurse in WW2. The ships they were transported or served in, their hospital units, and the battles and conflicts in which they were connected are also described in detail. At the beginning of the book, the evolution of the VG Hospital, the Nursing School, the VG Alumni, and the VG Archives are described, as well as why these four conflicts occurred.

Written by author Gloria Stephens and published by MacKenzie Publishing in 2020, the book is 8.5 x 11 and contains numerous photos, including nurses and their graduation pictures, in its 276 pages. The book is dedicated to all nurses who served in wars and those still serving.

 

 

 

In the Company of Sisters celebrates the “sisters”-military and civilian- who ventured overseas during the First World War and their courageous march along the path towards equality and self-determination.

When Canada entered the First World War in August 1914, it embarked on a major war effort at home and abroad. The nation’s women worked tirelessly to help and support the troops fighting overseas, and among them were many who chose to “do their bit” overseas by serving and volunteering in areas of the war zone from Britain and the European mainland to the Middle East and Russia. Spearheaded by the nurses who were sent to various theaters of war, plenty of other determined souls channeled their energy into a wide range of much-needed work and, in so doing, broke new ground. These remarkable women played an important part in a multitude of ways. What they experienced had a marked impact on their own lives, and in some cases acted as a catalyst for what they went on to accomplish in later life.

Written by esteemed author Dianne Graves and published in 2021 by Robin Brass Studio this book is dedicated to the women of Canada who were part of the war effort at home and overseas during the years 1914-1919.

 

Jan 14, 2022 Event

The virtual launch on 14 January at 1-2 pm PST. This event will be hosted by Simon Fraser University, where a Shadbolt Fellowship that has made this project possible.

COVID in the House of Old – Virtual Launch and Artist Talk – 14 January 2022

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/covid-in-the-house-of-old-virtual-launch-and-artist-talk-tickets-221659929817

The project website https://covidinthehouseofold.ca/ will include the entire exhibit, the podcast, and educational materials. It will go live January 14. Project email for further information: [email protected]

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For Your Winter Reading……

This is a delightful read with an intriguing title!

ALWAYS PACK a CANDLE  by nurse author Marion McKinnon Crook is the story of Marion’s nursing experience and adventures in the Cariboo-Chilcotin area of British Columbia in the 1960’s. Published by Heritage House in April 2021 the book has been on the BC Best Sellers List for months, currently occupying ninth position.

I purchased a hard copy and thoroughly enjoyed this true story of an intrepid nurse who ventured out into the vast wilds of British Columbia providing health care in rural communities. The book is also available as an e-book.

To read more about this nurse author, her career, and other publications visit https://www.heritagehouse.ca/book/pack-a-candle/

To read an excerpt from the book go to https://theorca.ca/visiting-pod/always-pack-a-candle/  You will be glad you did!

In the Shadow of Historiography : Toward Another History of Healthcare

Annual Meeting of CAHN University of Ottawa 9th-11th June 2022

The history of healthcare was for a long time devoted only to the history of doctors and their inventions and theories. It was not until the 1970s that a history of health emerged that at first focused on other caregivers, professional or not, then on patients and others, and finally, at the beginning of the 21st century, it took in all the rest that had been forgotten.  Thus it is only recently that a number of actors in the healthcare field have taken their legitimate place in the historiography.  And the work is still far from being completed.

Many areas needing more investigation are those of women, racialized and indigenous peoples, non-orthodox caregivers, people suffering from physical or psychiatric ailments, and others who have not found their rightful place in the history of healthcare. The history of nursing is particularly representative of this gap in the historiography. Long centred on prominent figures in nursing such as Jeanne Mance, Florence Nightingale, Mary Agnes Snively or Léonie Chaptal, it is now opening up to critiquing these illustrious figures as well as including others in nursing who have until now been ignored, purposefully or not.

It is within this context of historiographic revitalization, which takes in the history of nursing but which also includes the wider history of health – an area of research that is itself more inclusive and interdisciplinary ‒ that we wish to call for submissions for the next annual meeting of the Canadian Association for the History of Nursing. We are inviting therefore all researchers, whatever their primary field of study, who are interested in a fresh look at the history of healthcare through exploring uncharted territory or using unexpected approaches, to submit a proposal. The aim is to support novel research in the history of nursing and the history of health more broadly by inviting the exploration and development of new avenues, approaches, and methods, as well as bringing to light the voices of those who have been silenced until now.

In short, at this meeting that is interdisciplinary and open to all, we hope to delve into the shadow of historiography of healthcare to bring justice to those who in the past have contributed so much to the support, health, or simply the comfort of the suffering and the vulnerable.

The proposals, which should contain a title, an abstract of a maximum of 500 words, and a short biography of the authors, should be submitted to [email protected] before 31 December 2021.

 Note that communications could be done in person or by videoconference.

Honouring long time member NINA RUMEN

 

NOVEMBER 2021 REMEMBRANCE DAY TRIBUTE

Photo credit: BCHNS

Nina Rumen graduated from St Paul’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1949. She joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1951. Her military career took her to Churchill, Manitoba (1952-54) when Canada’s north was opening. From there she went to Iserholn, Germany with the British Army of the Rhine, then to Lahr, Germany. She served with NATO from 1970-72.  Nina also was loyal to her military nursing community, actively ensuring that military nursing, in BC and beyond, was honoured and preserved.

Nina always loved a challenge and would battle for what she believed was right, no matter what the odds. She was always the kind of nurse who was proud of her profession and who assisted the BCHNS to achieve its goals of which she was a founding member and now has Honourary Membership.

Photo credit: BCHNS
Nina Rumen 89th Birthday
Photo Credit: BCHNS
Photo Credit: With Permission by Family

Nina now lives in a Care Facility and has just had her 94th Birthday. Due to Pandemic restrictions, it has been difficult to visit her, but BCHNS member, Sheila Oxholm has been sending cards & visiting with flowers when permitted and reading our BCHNS newsletters to her.

To read more about Nina look under Membership – Honourary Membership[1]Nina Rumen

Jessie Mantle Passes 1932-2021

Jessie Mantle was born in Chemainus and received her diploma in nursing in 1950 from the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing in Victoria. Her professional nursing career spanned 40 years and her educational accomplishments included a BSN from McGill in 1966, a master’s degree in nursing from University of San Francisco and post-degree work in gerontological nursing which became her focus during the latter part of her career. Cited as “one of the pioneers of geriatric nursing in Canada” (Ebersole and Touhy: Springer Publishing, 2006), her passion was to make the care and quality of life better for those in their senior years.

In 1981 Jessie took a joint appointment as Professor at the University of Victoria School of Nursing and Clinical Nurse Specialist at Juan de Fuca Hospitals. As a gifted teacher, author and practicing nurse Jessie Mantle inspired and mentored generations of nurses who became leaders in the care of the elderly.

The Jessie Mantle Fellowship in Nursing talks more about Jessie’s life, accomplishments and legacy.

Jessie’s obituary and tributes from friends and colleagues can be found here.

For further information about Jessie Mantle contact Margaret Scaia through BCHNS contact us.