Speaker: Yvonne Van Ruskenveld
Following the experiences of Canadian medical personnel in the Boer War, the Canadian Army Medical Corps (CAMC) was founded in 1904. In 1914, it had just 127 members, including doctors, nursing sisters and non-commissioned personnel. From 1914 through 1918, it expanded dramatically—over half of Canadian doctors served overseas in the CAMC. This talk will focus on the experiences of one group of Canadians who served in an active war zone far from the Western Front. It will describe how Canadian General Hospital No. 5 was “raised” in Victoria in 1915 and followed a trajectory shared by few other Canadian medical facilities in the Great War.
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld is a long-time member and current president of the Old Cemeteries Society, leading cemetery walking tours on a wide range of topics, including women’s history, gold rushes, symbolism, and epitaphs, among others. As a member of the World War I historical organization, the Western Front Association—Pacific Coast Branch, she has given many presentations on various aspects of military history, including military nurses, animals, balloonists and prisoners of war. She is also a member of the Victoria Historical Society and the Victoria Genealogical Society.
