Mona Parsons

Mona Parsons was an actress, nurse, independent woman and freedom fighter in Nazi-occupied Holland during the Second World War. She was also the only Canadian woman captured by Nazis, tried, and sent to a concentration camp.

Born in 1901, Mona studied acting for most of her life and in 1929, traveled to New York where she found work as a 'Ziegfield Girl'. Her exploits as an actress didn't render her a success and she later became a nurse. In 1937, Mona married a successful Dutch businessman by the name of Willem Leonhardt. The couple moved to Holland where they lived comfortably until the Nazi's invaded in 1940. Mona and her Husband joined a resistance that aided fallen Allie airmen. Unfortunately in 1941, the couple were betrayed by a Nazi informant, and the couple were tried, and held in separate prisons.

During her trial, Mona was sentenced to death by firing squad but appealed the decision and her sentence was commuted to life in prison.

"In 1945 Parsons was moved to Vechta Prison, which had been a reform school. There she met Baroness Wendelien van Boetzelaer, with whom she planned to escape when an opportunity arose, which happened during an Allied bombing raid. The men's side of the prison was bombed, and the women were taken outside. The warden, the former principal of the school, left the gates open and told the women they could take their chances with the Allied bombs or German bullets.

Parsons and van Boetzelaer made a break for it. For three weeks they made their way to the Allies posing as German sisters, with Mona feigning a speech impediment to cover her accented German. The women became separated and Parsons eventually reached a Canadian battalion, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders."(...)

Mona and Willem reunited after the war. Unfortunately, Willem was very fragile after life in the prison camp, and passed away in 1956.

Mona received recognition for her efforts as well as her hardships and received commendation from both British Air Marshal Lord Tedder and US President Eisenhower.

For more on Mona Parsons:
Canadian Encyclopedia: Mona Parsons
Heritage Minute: Mona Parsons

The Nursing Sisters of Canada

If there's one aspect of Canadian History that all citizens can relate to, it's our rich history of war and combat. Canada, being a country of allies and neutrality, has always acted as a support pillar to world wars as well as other armed conflicts around the world from Eastern and Western Europe, to South-East Asia, as well as the Middle East and South Africa. One major aspect of that rich history are the people that fought to maintain the peace. Specifically, the women involved during wartime are not forgotten, but aren't generally remembered as the faces of war.

From as early as 1885, Nursing Sisters have acted as medical and surgical support deployed to help care for fallen and wounded soldiers as well as other casualties of war including civilians and prisoners. The first sisters were from religious orders (Hence the term 'Sister' as well as the white veils/habbits) and only became military personel during the Second World War. It was during this time that nursing expanded to all three branches of military - the Navy, the Army and the Air Force – with each branch having its own distinctive uniform and working dress, while all wore the white veil.1.

3,141 Canadian nurses volunteered to service during the First Wold War alongside of Britain. At the beginning of the war, there were 5 Permanent Forces nurses and 57 listed in reserve. By 1917, the Canadian Army Nursing Service included 2,030 nurses (1,886 overseas) with 203 on reserve.2. Because of their white habbits and blue uniforms, they were nicknamed the 'bluebirds' and provided not only medical care to the fallen soldiers, but companionship as well.

It was during this time where Canada's Nurses Sisters were acknowledged for their show of great courage and dedication. One Edith Clavell (Britain) remained in Belgium after it had been occupied by the Germans, and continued not only to care for the soldiers, but also worked to aid soliders in escaping to The Netherlands where they would be on Neutral soil. She was eventually captured by the Germans and charged with being a spy. She was executed, but not before she helped aproximately 200 soliders escape German territory.

As war changed, so did the demand for Nurses, and with the demand for more Nurses, innovation in the way of health care needed to change as well. Before, care units were set up in abandonned hospitals and casualities needed to be transported from the field to the location. Now, Casualty Clearing Stations were set up to treat casualties on the front lines. While the stations proved efficient and effective in treating the wounded rapidly, it also put the nurses in direct line of enemy fire. The dangers the nurses faced at the front lines were not limited to land as hospital ships had also been set up to help treat casualties at sea and in 1918, the ship Llandovery Castle was torpedoed and 234 people died including all 14 sisters who were onboard.


The sisters were aware of the dangers associated with caring for the fallen, but this didn't deter their numbers to grow.

By the time the Second World War rolled around, the military had fully integrated The Nursing Sisters into their operations. The average age of the sisters was 25 years old, and by war's end, 4,480 Nursing Sisters had enlisted, including: 3,656 with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, 481 with the Royal Canadian Air Force Medical Branch, and 343 with the Royal Canadian Naval Medical Service.3.

"To illustrate the demands of their work, following the Dieppe raid, the hospital at Basingstoke received more than 600 casualties and in one 191/2 hour period, 98 operations were performed. The surgical staff took only a few minutes’ break to rest between operations."(...)

Aproximately 80 Nursing Sisters lost their lives during the first and second world wars.

Today, they are no longer known as "Nursing Sisters" but rather as "Nursing Officers". These people work overseas and abroad, still diligent in providing care and comfort to the men and women of our military.

In the summer of 1926, a memorial was errected in Hall of Honour in the centre block on Parliament Hill. The piece was made by Montréal Sculptor, Mr. G.W. Hill who created the piece in Italy out of a piece of marble found in the Carara quarries.

"The design for the sculptured panel embraces the history of the nurses of Canada from the earliest days to the First World War. The right-hand side of the bas-relief represents the contribution made by the religious sisters who came to Canada from France during l'ancien régime, and depicts a sister nursing a sick Indian child while an Iroquois warrior looks on suspiciously. To the left a group of two nursing sisters in uniform tending a wounded soldier symbolizes the courage and self-sacrifice of the Canadian nurses who served in the war. In the centre stands the draped figure of "Humanity" with outstretched arms. In her left hand she holds the caduceus, the emblem of healing; with the other hand she indicates the courage and devotion of nurses through the ages. In the background, "History" holds the book of records containing the deeds of heroism and sacrifice of Canadian nurses through almost three centuries of faithful service.(...)

Canada recognizes and celibrates it's veterans and heros in a dedicated and comitted way. I find it compelling that Canadians have always showed sovreignty and pride in their country and for one another by putting themselves in the line of fire to maintain the peace even at the expense of their own lives. No where is this truer than with our Veterans and The Nursing Sisters of Canada.

Thank you.

For More Information on The Nursing Sisters of Canada:
Veteran's Affairs: Nursing Sisters of Canada
Collections Canada: The Call to Duty
Nursing Sisters who Lost Their Lives During WWI & WWII

Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash

Anne Mae Pictou-Aquash was an Aboriginal Rights Warrior and often considered a martyr of the "Red Power" and Indigenous People's Resistance Movement. Her fate was sealed when she was murdered in 1975 by a bullet to the back of the head, execution style and was left for dead in a ditch a few miles from her home.

Born in Indian Brook, Nova Scotia, the Mik'maq woman spent her life dedicated to the cause of sovereignty and the educating of Aboriginal persons. Her early career as an activist was spent with the Teaching and Research in Bicultural Education School Project (TRIBES) who's goal was the educate young aboriginal people of their heritage. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Boston where she became involved in the American Indian Movement (AIM) who's focus involved leading protests advocating Indigenous American interests, inspired cultural renewal, monitored police activities and coordinated employment programs in cities and in rural reservation communities across the United States. AIM has often supported other indigenous interests outside the United States as well.1.

It was during her time with AIM where she became involved in numerous high-profile protests and demonstrations. In 1973 she participated in the re-occupation of Wounded Knee, S.D, where the town seized by AIM activists and occupied for 71 days. This demonstration was in protest of assimilation by the U.S. government as well as to protest the terrible conditions of the reserves in the states. The conflict resulted in bloodshed including two F.B.I. agents who were killed.

"She was also involved in the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties march on Washington, D.C. that led to the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters, and armed occupations by AIM and other indigenous warriors at Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario in 1974 and the Alexian Brothers Novitiate at Gresham, Wisconsin, in 1975."(...)

Three years after the protest at Wounded Knee, Anna Mae was found dead on the side of State Road 73. There is much controversy surrounding her death. A botched post-modem examination by medical practitioner W. O. Brown revealed that she had been dead for 10 days before her body was found, failing to notice the bullet hole in her skull, he stated that she had died from exposure rather than a bullet to the brain.

"Although federal agents who had met Anna Mae were present at her autopsy she was not identified. Subsequently, her hands were cut off and sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Washington, D.C. for fingerprinting. Her body was later buried as a Jane Doe."(...)

It was 8 days before her body was exhumed due to public outcry from the Aboriginal Community as well as separate requests made by her family, members of AIM and the F.B.I.

Conspiracy theories question the motives behind her death and present several arguments over those responsible for her death. Many believe her murder was acted out by the F.B.I. while other's believe members of AIM carried out the murder under the suspicion that she was an F.B.I. informant.

For more on her murder, including conspiracy theory as well as possible motives, please refer HERE.

Anna Mae was 30 years old when she died, leaving behind a husband, as well as two daughters. Her involvement in Indian Affairs during her life has not gone unnoticed, nor has it been forgotten. Immortalized in song by Aboriginal Songstress, and political Activist Buffy Sainte-Marie, justice for her death has yet to be delivered, but the fight still rages on.

For more information:
CBC News In depth: Who killed Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash?
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - Buffy Sainte-Marie
Short Documentary about Anna Mae by AIM
Jim Page on Anna Mae
Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890

Anne Cools

The Honorable Anne Cools is an outspoken Senator residing in Ontario, Canada. Radical activist, author, politician, paternal rights/shared parenting supporter and child's rights lobbyist, she is the first ever person of colour to be appointed to Canada Upper House.

Born in Barbados in 1943, Anne Cools immigrated to Canada with her family in 1957 where they settled in Montréal, QC. In the 1960's, Anne attended McGill University where she studied Social Work. It was during her time at McGill where she got involved in radical school politics and participated in a 10 Day sit-in at Sir George Williams University (Now Concordia University) in protest of alleged racism at the school. The demonstration resulted in over $2 million dollars in damages to computer equipment, and while Anne never participated directly in any of the damaging, she was sentenced to 4 months in prison for participating in the sit-in.1.

In 1974, Anne helped to found one of the first Women's Shelters in Canada; Women in Transition Inc., where she acted as Executive Director.

During the late 1970's and mid-1980's she sought election into the Canadian House of Commons, but lost by a hair nearly every time. It wasn't until 1984, under the recommendation of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau that she was summoned to the Canadian Senate by then Governor General Edward Schreyer.

In the 1990s, Senator Cools served on the Senate/House of Commons Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, which in December, 1998 issued its report, For the Sake of the Children. A principal recommendation of this report was that, following a relationship breakdown, shared parenting should be presumed to be in the best interests of the child."(...)

Once being considered the epitome of feminist value, she has been criticized by Feminist Groups and is considered an "antifeminist" for her work supporting and lobbying for the rights of father's. In 1995, on International Women's Day, she was cited as having said that "Behind every abusing husband is an abusing mother".

"Ms. Cools argues that she hasn't changed at all. It's the women's movement that has. "The radicals have hijacked the agenda," ... "They see men as evil, and will stop at nothing to ensure the superiority of women."(...)

EDITOR'S NOTE:
I'd like to just take a moment and make a personal reflection on Sen. Anne Cools. Anne has publicly opposed Same-Sex Unions in Canada, and has also been criticized for her work with shared parenting and paternal-rights groups. Also, she's been known to be outspoken, and eccentric in her views. That said, I think it's important that here at Womyn's Herstory Canada, we acknowledge the achievements of Womyn across the country regardless of their agendas. Anne Cools was not only the first woman of colour appointed to senate, she was the first person of colour appointed to senate here in Canada. Not only that, she stood up against the racism of the 1970's and fought against domestic abuse by co-founding one of the countries first Women's Shelters, thus creating a standard to exceed. While she may not be a defender of single women in the home to the degree that some feminists might deem essential, her support of Paternal Rights, and shared-parenting is commendable. Here at Womyn's Herstory Canada, we acknowledge that one person's views might not agree with the standards of the majority (Lest we forget the racist views of one the Famous Five not to mention their support of Eugenics...) but their positive contributions remain unchanged.

Harriet Brooks Pitcher

Harriet Brooks Pitcher was considered one of the Grandmother's of Nuclear Physics, along side Marie Curie. Dubbed the "Discoverer of the Recoil of Radioactive Atom", she spent a scant, yet impressive 13 years in dedication to the study of radium, all under the tutelage and guidance of famed physicist Ernest Rutherford at McGill University.

Harriet Brooks was born in Exeter, Ontario in 1876. She went to McGill University and graduated with a B.A in mathematics and natural philosophy in 1898. She was the first graduate of Ernest Rutheford and worked under him upon graduating. Her focus for her masters degree was on Electricity and Magnetism; a topic she worked closely with Rutheford on. She obtained her masters degree in 1901 - the first ever woman to do so at McGill University.

"Under the direction of famed physicist Ernest Rutherford at McGill University, she investigated the behaviour of the radioactive element radium. Brooks and her team discovered that it decayed into a new element, which was eventually named "radon". A few years later, she performed experiments which showed that radon transformed in a similar way. This was known as "transmutation of the elements," and laid the foundation for understanding radioactivity and the structure of the atom."(...)

During this time, she also did a series of experiments to determine the nature of the radioactive emissions from thorium. This series of studies led to the foundation of what we now know as nuclear science.

For a brief period, she worked as a tutor at Barnard University in New York, USA. It was during this time where she got engaged. It was required at the time that women who got engaged/married to leave their field. The engagement eventually broke down and broke off and Harriet traveled to Paris to work under the guidance of Marie Curie. However, it was soon after this that she met her future husband Frank Pitcher in London, and gave up physics entirely.

She died in 1933. It is speculated she died of leukemia as the effects of radioactivity were unknown then.

Famous 5 to Become Honorary Senators

It's the first time in Canadian History Herstory, that a senator will be named posthumously. In this historical move, 5 Senators will be named. None other than the infamous Famous 5

Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards and Irene Parlby - suffragists, politicians, and dedicated to their cause, fought tooth and nail to give Canadian Women the right to vote, and the right to be recognized as 'persons' under the eyes of the law - and therefore eligible to sit in senate.

Grant Mitchel, an Alberta Senator, and his fellow senate colleagues approved a motion to induct the women into the senate posthumously.

While each member of the Famous 5 went on to become leading contributors to both women's movement and herstory, many of them also went on to have careers in politics. Unfortunately, none of them were ever brought into Senate.

The The Famous 5 Foundation has been lobbying the Senate to rectify this for the past 12 years.1.

Frances Wright of The Famous 5 Foundation said that this induction is a "wonderful, historic gift."

"The person who really wanted to be a senator was Emily Murphy. She felt keenly, as did the others, that women must be present at all stages of the legislative process, as voters, candidates, members of legislatures and Parliament and as senators."(...)

For the accompanying article in the Edmonton Journal, please click HERE
For more about The Famous 5 Foundation, please click HERE.

Elsie MacGill

Elsie MacGill, known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes" was the world's first Female aircraft designer. Aeronautical engineer, designer, human rights activist and author, Elsie MacGill used her life to create and dominate the skies as well as lobby for the rights of women and children everywhere.

Born Elizabeth Muriel Gregory MacGill in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1905. Her father, James Henry MacGill was a prominent lawyer and her Mother, Helen Gregory MacGill was British Columbia's first Female Judge. Her mother was a supporter of Women's Suffrage, and her relationship with her mother greatly encouraged her direction in the the study of aviation. Elsie decided to study electrical engineering at the University of Toronto, and was the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in that field. She graduated in 1927 and began work for the Austin Automobile Company in Pontiac, Michigan. This company eventually started producing aircrafts, and Elsie took a sincere interest in aeronautics and began to work towards a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Michigan. In 1929, she would succeed and be the first woman in North American to do so. Unfortunately, shortly before her graduation from the University of Toronto, she contracted polio. Her doctors told her she would likely be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, but her determined nature pushed her to regain the ability to walk through the use of metal poles. Upon recovery, she worked as an article writer for various magazines on airplanes and flight - she used the money she earned from this endeavour to fund her doctoral studies at MIT in Cambridge.1.2.

In 1934, Elsie began work for Fairchild Aircraft Limited in Longueuil, Québec as an assistant aeronautics specialist. She also participated in the structure of the first all metal aircraft in Canada

In 1938, she was appointed Chief Aeronautical Engineer at the Canadian Car and Foundry Company. It was here where she designed and tested the Maple Leaf II Trainer: an aircraft designed to train pilots.

Due to her disability (polio) she was never able to become a pilot. She did, however, insist to act as passenger on all test flights. She believed this was the best way to assess the aircraft's performance.

"She was perhaps best known for her work on the Hawker Hurricane fighter airplanes during World War II. These airplanes were instrumental in the Battle of Britain. She was in charge of all engineering work, adapting the Hurricane to fly in cold weather. Between 1939 and 1943, Can-Car built 1,451 Hawker Hurricanes under her leadership"(...)"Dr. MacGill was also in charge of all engineering work on the Curtiss-Wright Helldiver fighters for the United States Navy."(...)

Although the Maple Leaf II was never selected to serve the Commonwealth, a number of them were sold to Mexico. When the Hurricane was selected to be mass produced for the Royal Air Force, the number of workers at CC&F went from approximately 500 workers to 4,500 by wars end, half of them women.

By the time the Hurricane production had ended, CC&F had produced over 1,400 of these aircrafts.

"In 1946, she became the first woman to serve as Technical Advisor for
ICAO, where she helped to draft International Air Worthiness regulations for the
design and production of commercial aircraft. In 1947 she became the chairman of
the United Nations Stress Analysis Committee, the first woman ever to chair a UN
committee."(...)

In 1955, Elsie published a biography about her mother entitled My mother the judge: a biography of Judge Helen Gregory MacGill. Having been heavily influenced by her mother's and grandmother's involvement in the suffrage movement, Elsie herself became a women's rights activist and became more involved in the women's rights movement of the 1960's and beyond.

"She served as the president of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs from 1962 to 1964.[7] In 1967 she was named to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada and co-authored the report published in 1970.[8] She also filed a "Separate Statement" describing those of her opinions that differed from the majority on the Commission"(...)

She also openly and publicly expressed her interest in seeing Abortion removed from the Criminal Code.

Elsie MacGill was a woman of many firsts not only for Women in Canada, but the world over. Her long and distinguished career resulted in many inventions, innovations, and boundary pushing. She is a member of the Order of Canada. She was the first non-American to be named "Woman of the Year" by the American Society of Women Engineers. While her list of awards and distinctions is lengthy and impressive, what's most impressive to this author is Elsie MacGill being immortalized as a comic book heroine: Queen of the Hurricanes.

For More on Elsie MacGill:

Rosies of the North: Documentary by the NFB