Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing, Classes of 1899 and 1900

Clara McLeod, Class of 1899

Clara McLeod was born on February 2, 1875 in Belfast, Ireland. She graduated from Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1899 and enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps in May 1915.

Nursing sister McLeod served in both France and England and was posted to No. 5 Canadian Stationary Hospital, Le Treport, France and Kitchener Military Hospital, Brighton, before returning to Canada in April 1919. After the war, she engaged in private nursing in Vancouver. Clara McLeod died on August 20, 1954 at Shaughnessy Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Emma Murton, Class of 1899

Emma Murton was born on April 15, 1878 in Guelph, Ontario. She graduated from Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1899 and enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps on June 3, 1915 in Montreal, Quebec.

During the war, she was posted to No. 1 General Hospital, Le Treport, France. In April 1916, she was admitted to a convalescent home in Paris in order to recover from exhaustion and nervous breakdown. She rejoined her unit in August 1916 and served at the Moore Barracks Military Hospital (also known as Bramshott Military Hospital) at Shorncliffe; and Granville Canadian Special Hospital in England.

Nursing sister Murton suffered with many physical challenges during her service, including pneumonia and influenza. She was discharged and returned to Canada in May 1919 on the Hospital Ship Essequibo. After the war, she lived in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She died on December 13, 1960.

Frederica Wilson, Class of 1899

Frederica Wilson was born on February 11, 1869 in Goderich, Ontario. She graduated from the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1899 and served as the Superintendent of Nurses at Winnipeg General Hospital from 1905 to 1914. In June 1914, she resigned her position as Lady Superintendent and moved to British Columbia.

Wilson enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in September 1915 and was the Matron of the Fifth Overseas British Columbia Hospital Unit; she was posted to the No. 5 Canadian General Hospital on the Salonika Front and then at the No. 2 Canadian General Hospital, Le Treport, on the French Front.

For her service, nursing sister Wilson received the Royal Red Cross First Class at Buckingham palace on February 11, 1917 and was then received by Queen Alexandra at Marlborough House.

She returned to British Columbia in 1919 and became a fruit farmer at Wilmot Farm. She died on February 18, 1935 in Whonnock, British Columbia.

Helen Bodington Meiklejohn, Class of 1899

Helen Bodington Meiklejohn graduated from the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing 1899. According to the Nurses’ Alumnae Journal, she went overseas to serve in 1916. She is also listed on the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Honour Roll as a nursing sister; however it appears she did not serve with the Canadian Army Medical Corps.

After the war, she married H. Meiklejohn and moved to Toronto, Ontario.

Jean Matheson, Class of 1899

Jean Matheson was born in Clinton, Ontario on April 24, 1874, the daughter of the Reverend and Mrs. Archibald Matheson. Her family moved to Manitoba when she was young and in 1899 she graduated from the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing. Following graduation, Jean did private nursing duty in Winnipeg and was Superintendent of Nurses at Regina General Hospital. From 1901-1906, she was Matron of Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops, British Columbia. In 1907, she accepted the position of the first Lady Superintendent of the new provincial Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Tranquille, British Columbia and helped establish it as one of the premier tuberculosis hospitals in Canada. In 1912, she resigned from her positions at Tranquille and returned home, to Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan.

Jean eventually returned to British Columbia where she accepted the position of Superintendent of Nurses at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, where she subsequently opened a School of Nursing in 1914.

Jean enlisted with Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) on September 14, 1915. Nursing sister Matheson was assigned as Matron with the No. 5 Canadian General Hospital at Salonika (Greece) for two years and later took charge of the clearing hospital in Kirkdale, Liverpool, England. She also served at the Duchess of Connaught’s Red Cross Hospital.

She and 70 other nursing sisters were aboard the hospital ship Egypt in the harbour outside of Salonika when it was bombed, however there were no injuries. Her exemplary record of overseas service was recognized by the award of the Mons Medal, the Victory Medal, The Royal Red Cross, and the King George Jubilee Medal in 1936.

In 1919, Jean returned to Canada and was assigned the position of Matron of the Shaughnessy Military Hospital in Vancouver. This hospital was established for returning veterans, many of whom suffered from tuberculosis and other respiratory disorders, some related to gas warfare. She remained at Shaughnessy for the rest of her career and was a much beloved and respected Matron and recognized for her caring and leadership, particularly with those patients suffering from tuberculosis and other lung conditions.

She retired in August 1937, and returned to Winnipeg to be closer to family. She died on April 22, 1938 in Winnipeg and her body was returned to Vancouver for burial in the soldier’s plot, Mountain View Cemetery.

Margaret Ross, Class of 1899

Margaret Morrison Ross was born on May 17, 1869 in Solina, [Durham County], Ontario. She graduated from the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1899 and enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps on January 18, 1917 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Nursing sister Ross served in Canada during World War I and was posted at the No. 10 Manitoba Military Hospital (Tuxedo Park) and was later in the charge of the Military Wards at Winnipeg General Hospital in 1918. After the war, Margaret engaged in private duty nursing in Winnipeg.

Edith Lumsden, Class of 1900

Edith Effie Lumsden was born on October 2, 1875 in Brooklin, Ontario. She graduated from the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing in 1900. She joined the British Columbia Unit for overseas service and enlisted with the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) on September 13, 1915.

Nursing sister Lumsden served from 1915 to 1919 in England and on the Salonika Front. Her postings included No. 4 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station, No. 5 Canadian General Hospital in Salonika, and Duchess of Connaught’s Canadian Red Cross Hospital, Taplow, Buckinghamshire. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross 2nd Class on June 21, 1918 in Liverpool and was mentioned in despatches in July 1917 when posted in Salonika where she was listed as Acting Matron.

Edith returned to Canada in 1918 and continued to serve with the CAMC at the Esquimalt Military Hospital until April 1919. She joined the staff of the Soldier Civil Re-establishment in Vancouver as a medical social worker, and later became an investigator with the Department of Pensions and National Health. She lived in British Columbia and passed away on December 23, 1954.