 Fighting during wartime was usually reserved for men; however, women played many diverse roles to support the war effort. The most prominent female associated with the War of 1812 was Laura (Ingersoll) Secord, whose efforts on the Niagara Peninsula have become legendary.
A New Brunswick woman, Sarah Emma Edmunds, from the Magaguadavic area of western New Brunswick, is recognized as the only known woman to receive a veteran’s pension for her involvement in the American Civil War (1861 – 1865), fought in the decade of Canadian Confederation. Edmonds ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage and took on the persona of a man called Franklin Thomson. Disguised as Thomson, she served as a private in Company “F” of the Second Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Eventually, she returned to a woman’s role, married and had a family. A plaque commemorating Sarah Emma Edmonds was unveiled on 19 June 2005 on highway #635, Saunders Road, Magaguadavic, York County, near her childhood home, with members of the 20th Maine (Reenactors) in attendance.
Women in World War I
 During the First World War, women anxious to provide support were usually accepted as “nursing sisters”. Historian Shawna Quinn has explained what they encountered: “When Canada entered the Great War in 1914, thousands of women eager to see active service signed on to nurse the wounded. What they experienced in the hospitals behind the front lines would remain with them forever. Through thunderous explosions and ominous flashes in the distance, nursing sisters worked at a feverish pace to care for bleeding wounds, broken and missing limbs, and the other devastating injuries of war.” By examining the letters of nurse Agnes Warner, Quinn was able to describe the motivation, experiences, and reactions of women unaccustomed to such circumstances.
The many other supporting roles played by women in the Great War are depicted on the site Canadian Women in the Great War:
Women in World War II
In World War II, the tradition of women serving as nurses continued. The accounts of Nancy de Boise Page and Nancy Butler emphasize the similarities and differences between wars and locations. Saint John native, Nancy de Boise Page, spent the war nursing overseas, while Nancy Butler, a native of Scotland, served in Military Hospitals in Saint John and Sussex. Their stories are told as part of the Heroes Remember Project from Veterans Affairs Canada.
Although women were not permitted to enlist in combat units during World War II, they could join various Women’s divisions. One such person was Jessie Nason from Rusagonis in rural New Brunswick, who joined the Women’s Division of the RCAF and served at the British Commonwealth Air Training station at Pennfield Ridge.
Jessie Nason – Women’s Division RCAF
Ella Rosalie Mountain Curtis from Blackville and Celia May (McEwan) Brown from Sussex both joined the RCAF, while Laurie Winifred (Theobald) Drain, from Fredericton, enlisted with the WRCNS (Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service). These three female soldiers have described their experiences for The Memory Project, an undertaking of Historica-Dominion Institute:
The only woman chosen to be a war artist in the Second World War was Molly Lamb Bobak, who later made Fredericton her home after the end of the war. She enlisted in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC), in 1942, with mixed emotions. In her diary she wrote: “Civilian Lamb offered herself unwillingly and willingly, willy-nilly to the CWAC.” Before becoming an official war artist Molly Lamb Bobak was involved with marching and document training, travelling across Canada to gain new skills, before being shipped overseas where she met her future husband, Bruno Bobak (a fellow war artist).
Molly Lamb Bobak - War artist
Another important group associated with Canada in World War II were the War Brides. After the War, hundreds of women, who had met and became romantically involved with Canadian servicemen in Great Britain and Europe, left everything behind and followed their husbands or boyfriends back to Canada to start a new life. Some married First Nation New Brunswickers; others married Acadians; and still others married New Brunswickers of British descent. These new Canadians encountered many obstacles as they experienced life in a new and different land.
Among the Canadian War Brides was Patricia Pyne, who settled with her husband in Richibucto, New Brunswick. She was one of many women who were involved in the military, at a time before this vocation became generally accepted, a situation which has changed dramatically in the past few decades.
Patricia Pyne, War Bride
SUGGESTED HERITAGE FAIR PROJECTS:
- Biography of Sarah Emma Edmunds
- Nursing Sisters
- Biographies of New Brunswick women in World War II
- New Brunswick War Brides
- Biography of Molly Lamb Bobak, War Artist
Sources:
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