A ceremony will be held at the Veteran's Memorial Gardens, Spring Bay, Saturday, Sept. 15 to honour Nursing Sisters who cared for the sick and wounded in all the wars of the 20th century, and also volunteers from St. John Ambulance, the Canadian Red Cross and the Victorian Order of Nurses.
THE GREATEST
GENERATION
MARGAREY WAGNER
In thinking about this memorial to nursing sisters, I remembered an incident which happened at a special service at the Church of The Epiphany honouring Remembrance Day, when my husband, George Wagner, and Lloyd Taylor, both Second World War veterans carried the "colours" (flags) to the alter. Dressed in their uniforms as members of the Royal Canadian Legion, wearing their medals, they were quite an impressive sight.
After the service they shook hands with the rector, the venerable Tom Corston and his wife, Ruth. She noticed George's medals and said, "My mother had one of those," as she pointed to his Italy Star. (It was only issued to veterans of the Italian Campaign).
"She was a Nursing Sister in Italy during World War II, Lieut./N.S. Helen Coburn."
George told Ruth how he got to Italy on a 37-ship convoy carrying thousands of Canadian military and medical personnel on Nov. 6, 1943, from England through the Mediterranean Sea, in order to end the German occupation of Italy.
They did not know they were going to Italy. They had been issued tropical gear and because of censorship had not been told where they were going.
"Loose lips sink ships," was a common saying in those days. They assumed they were going to the Burma campaign in the east, through the Mediterranean and then the Suez Canal.
Coincidence
George told Ruth he was on board the Monterey when the convoy including his ship was attacked by German torpedo carrying planes. The Germans were trying to prevent Allied supplies and personnel from reaching the Italian front by sinking troop ships in the Mediterranean Sea off the North Coast of Africa just past Gibraltar.
Lt/NS Helen Coburn
The ship, the Santa Elena, carrying 1,675 Canadian medical personnel from Montreal was along side the Monterey and sustained a direct hit by an aerial torpedo and was sinking badly. All personnel had to abandon ship by life boats lowered into the sea and row toward the Monterey, which was the designated rescue ship although it was difficult to board as its deck was 65 feet above the water.
The Nursing Sisters had to climb up the swinging rope ladders or scramble net amid the ocean swells and the chaos of sinking ships on the darkness caused by the protective smoke screens.
Ruth Corston's mother was on the Santa Elena. Fortunately the nurses were wearing battle dress, which meant slacks instead of the short tight skirts they wore in Canada. They were assisted up the rope ladders or the scramble net, over the ship's railing and onto the boat deck by the Canadian soldiers on board, of which George Wagner, then 18, was one.
Could George have been the soldier who saved Ruth Corston's mother's life by helping her on board his ship on that fatefull night? We'll never know.
Italy Star
In late 1944 George became ill with hepatitis as did so many other soldiers in Italy. He was transferred from #1 Canadian Army General Hospital at Angria to the #14 Canadian Hospital at Perugia. Lt/NS Helen Coburn served at both these hospitals according to her letters written home during the war.
Did Helen repay her debt to George by caring for him during his illness? We'll never know.
Amazing the connections that can occur during war time. Sadly, Ruth's mother has passed away, but with her letters and George's memories we have a fascinating story.
Margery Wagner, who was a Nursing Sister in the Second World War, is a freelance writer.