Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Collection
Category
Archival
Military Medicine
Nursing
Classification
Military Medicine
Archival, Military
Nursing
Accession Number
995002135
Description
Photocopy of a military achievement certificate for a "Mentioned in Despatch" issued by the British War Office to Canadian Nursing Sister Marion Stevens during 1914-1918.
Photocopy of a military achievement certificate for a "Mentioned in Despatch" issued by the British War Office to Canadian Nursing Sister Marion Stevens during 1914-1918.
Printed on document: "The War of 1914-1918. // Canadian Forces // Nursing Sister Miss M. E. Stevens, Can. Army Nursing Serv. // was mentioned in a Despatch from // Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig. G.C.B., G.C.V.O., K.C.J.E. // dated 9th April 1917 // for gallant and distinguished services in the Field. // I have it in command from the King to record His Majesty's // high appreciation of the services rendered. // War Office // Whitehall, S.W. // 1st March, 1919 // Secretary of State for War."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 2005
2005-2-3 Box 16
Length
21.5 cm
Width
28.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 21.5 cm x Width 28.0 cm
Condition Remarks
Poor reproduction.
Copy Type
reproduction
Reference Types
Document
Websites
Reference Comments
Donor file
Canadian War Museum, "The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917," by Tim Cook. https://www.warmuseum.ca/the-battle-of-vimy-ridge/
Canadian War Museum, "Canada and The First World War," "Sir Douglas Haig", https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/people/generals/sir-douglas-haig/
Research Facts
Marion Stevens (1889-1972) was born in Napanee, Ontario and graduated from the Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing in 1912. She served with the Canadian Army in Europe during World War I and spent the remainder of her career nursing in Toronto.
April 9th, 1917, the date mentioned on the certificate, was the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, considered a defining moment for Canada as it gained its own identity separate from the British. The battle ended in victory, but at the cost of 10,000 people killed and wounded.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig commanded the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to 1919. He helped create the combined Allied command structure, and appreciated Canadian troops, though he did not appreciate that Canadian divisions insisted on fighting together as a corps and not merely as reinforcements where other Allies needed them. He is often accused of leading in the style of "attrition;" attempting to wear down the enemy through "relentless frontal assaults and incessant fighting."